The Great Calm Observation, Volume 1, Part 3, Page 1

 

 A. Concerning the inspiration of the mind, there are three parts:

  1. First, ways of speaking about it
  2. Next, examining what is the erroneous inspiration of the mind
  3. Lastly, revealing what is the right inspiration of the mind

1. Ways of Speaking About It

2. Now, Examining What is Erroneous – Having already outlined the mind's spiritual essence and the mind of the grass and trees, we will only concern ourselves here with the thinking and knowing mind. The path of the thinking mind can be viewed both generally and specifically3. Now we will further examine this, outlining it in ten parts.

  1. When the mind thinks and thinks, only being greedy, angry and stupid4 without remittance day after day and month after month, it ever increasingly arouses the highest order of the ten evils5 like those of the Five Sandhilas6. This is the inspiring of the mind of Hell and walking the way of the fiery road.
  2. When the mind thinks and thinks, with a desire for many followers that is like one drinking up the currents of the sea and like fire burning up wood, it arouses the intermediate order of ten evils like those of Devadatta who tried to seduce the assembly7. This is the inspiring of the mind of Brutality and walking the way of the bloody road.
  3. When the mind thinks and thinks, desiring to have its name heard in the four far corners of the world and the eight directions, having it praised and sung, and yet inside having no real virtue as it fraudulently compares itself to the virtuous and noble, it arouses the lowest order of the ten evils like those of Makandhika8. This is the inspiring of the mind of the Demonic Hunger9 and walking the way of the sword.
  4. When the mind thinks and thinks, always desiring to be superior to others and having no patience for inferiors, belittling strangers like the hawk that flies high above looking down on others, and yet outwardly displaying justice, worship, wisdom, and faith, it arouses the lowest order of good. This is walking the way of the Asuras10.
  5. When the mind thinks and thinks, rejoicing in worldly pleasures, relaxed in the fragrance of the body and pleased by the foolishness of the mind, it arouses the intermediate order of good. This is walking in the way of Human Beings11.
  6. When the mind thinks and thinks, recognizing that there is so much suffering from the three evil roads12, that sufferings and pleasures are intermingled among humanity, and that in heaven above there is a simple happiness; and that to enjoy heaven, the gateways of the six sense faculties must not be left unguarded and the dusts of the six sensations13 must not be entered into, it arouses the highest order of the good mind. This is walking the way of The Gods14.
  7. When the mind thinks and thinks, desiring great majestic powers to control all with little action of body, mouth, or thinking mind, there is the inspiration of the mind that is the Lord of Desire. This is walking the way of Mara15.
  8. When the mind thinks and thinks, desiring to attain the benefits of wisdom, quick discernment, valor, superior abilities, by means of a critical grasp of the Six Points16 and looking up at the Ten Directions with reverence, there is inspiring the mind of a worldly spiritual wisdom. This is walking the way of the Nirgranthas17.
  9. When the mind thinks and thinks, and the five sensations18, the six sensory desires, and the superficial pleasures are all sublimated, the Third Meditation19 is like a stone spring, with its inner contentment being deep. This is inspiring the Brahma Mind20 and walking the way of the purified realms of form and formlessness.
  10. When the mind has various thoughts, it recognizes the turns of the wheel of good and evil and that common people are addicted to intoxicants. The virtuous and noble rebuke this. They refute evil because of pure insight, they have pure insight because of pure meditation, and they have pure meditation because of pure morality...With these three being like hunger and thirst, there is the unafflicted mind and the walking of the way of The Two Vehicles21.

Whether they are called states of minds or paths, there are very many that are erroneous, but we have outlined them here as ten. Whether we open up with the higher and close with the lower or open up with the lower and close with the higher, either way a count of ten is made to be sufficient. One may raise up any one of them as a point of reference, with the most dominant being the primary influence.

Like The Great Discourse says:
"The mind that breaks the precepts of morality falls into hell,
The stingy and selfish mind falls into demonic hunger,
and the unrepentant mind falls into brutality."
This is the meaning here.

In some the bad mind arises first, in some the good mind arises first, and in some they both arise equally.

Compare this to elephants and fish both creating a turbulence that stirs up and clouds the water of a pond: The elephants illustrate that on the outside, the fish illustrates that on the inside, and the turbulence illustrates what both of them stir up. And the elephants illustrate the wrongs arising from the outside whereas the fish illustrates the weakness of inner observation. With the stirring up of these two extremes, the turbulence illustrates the inside and outside being mixed together, clouding up the harmony of the pond.

And the first nine kinds are Life & Death22, like the silkworm that ties itself up. The last one23 is Nirvana, like the river-deer that leaps up by itself. Although attaining liberation for oneself, one does not possess the Buddha’s Enlightenment. Therefore, both the first nine paths and the last one are both in error.

The first nine kinds are of the world, never leaving it. Although the last one is beyond this world, it is without the greatness of compassion. Therefore they are both in error.

Whether conditioned or unconditioned, afflicted or unafflicted, good or evil, defiled or pure, absolute or mundane, etc., each and all of the various doors to the reality are also like this.

When one grasps the idea of this, in all the sense faculties and in all of the sensations, and in the three karmas24 and the four forms of deportment25, all the changing thoughts are observed without allowing the contaminated mind to arise. When it begins to arise, it is quickly extinguished. Like one with clear eyes that are able to ward off the dangers that lie along the path, those that are quick and bright are able to remain detached and far away from the hosts of evil. When beginners see this idea, they are able to depend upon it to endure in the world.

 

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1. Indian: Sanskrit

2. Hrid: It is often used interchangeable with Hridaya. It literally means ‘heart’, and refers to the spiritual essence of the mind which is in all human beings, the grass and the trees, and all things.

3. The Path can be viewed both generally and specifically: The Path here refers to the life-condition or spiritual destiny (S. Gati) of the thinking and knowing mind, steeped as it is in different gradations of ignorance and emotional desires (klesas). These different states of mind can be viewed generally (in one or a few categories) or specifically (by making many distinctions).

4. Greed, anger, & stupidity: (S. raga, dvesa, & moha), in Buddhism know as the Three Poisons.

5. The Ten Evils: #1 killing #2 stealing #3 sexual immorality #4 lying #5 a double-tongue #6 hateful speech #7 evasive speech #8 covetousness #9 anger #10 wrong views

6. The Five Sandhilas: The Five Eunuchs – In the Mahamaya Sutra, there is the story of five lazy monks that pretended to be great sages but really had evil intentions and profited from their deceit. They were reborn as eunuchs and cleaners of latrines.

7. Devadatta: Cousin of Sakyamuni, who cultivated occult powers and tried to establish his own religion to compete with Sakyamuni. He tried to convince Sakyamuni to allow him control of the Sangha (Buddhist order). When control was denied, he tried to create a schism, and thus commit the grave sin of ‘creating discord in the Sangha’.

8.  Makandhika: Founder of a religious cult based on his personality and his heretical views.

9. Hungry Demons: (S. Pretas) Hungry ghosts, the spiritual realm of hunger

10. Asuras: Personal demons, the ego-clashing forces of assertiveness and competitiveness.

11. Humans: The realm of small conceits and a sense of humor; indulgence in pleasure but yielding to righteousness and benevolence

12. Three Evil Roads: Hell, Hunger & Brutality

13. The Six Sense Faculties: The #1 body #2 nose #3 tongue #4 ears #5 eyes and #6 the thinking mind – and the The Six Sensations: #1 touch #2 smell #3 taste #4 sound #5 sight #6 the elements of reality (S. dharmas)

14. The Gods: (S. Devas) Representing the human qualities of heaven, contentment, mastery of desire and meditation

15. Mara: The Devil, who resides in the highest heaven in the Realm of Desire. This is using the spiritual power that comes from the mastery of desire to contol others.

16. The Six Points: Heaven, earth, and the four cardinal points

17. The Nirgranthas: Originally meant to refer the followers of Mahavira (the Jains), it later referred to followers of non-Buddhist religion or, even more broadly, the outwardly religious; spiritual materialism. Those that hold that rituals or asceticism will by themselves lead to salvation or enlightenment.

18. The Five Sensations: The first five of the six sensations (see footnote 13 above). The dharmas or elements of spiritual reality are not included here because they are the objects of meditation.

19. The Third Meditations: Referring to the Third of The Four Fundamental Meditations, which is characterized by contentment or bliss (sukha). The fourth is characterized by a state of equanimity called ‘neither suffering nor contentment’. 

20. Brahma Mind: The pure, sincere, & devotional mind of worshipful meditation, which resides in the heavens of purified form and formlessness.

21. The Two Vehicles: #1 Sravakas and (spiritual disciples) #2 Pratyekabuddhas (the spiritually self-awakened)

22. Life & Death: (S. Samsara) The mortal realm of self-existence

23. The last one: The Two Vehicles, in the Nirvana that is the opposite extreme of Life & Death (Samsara)

24. The Three Karmas: The three creators of spiritual destiny, the #1 Body (creating physical deeds) #2 Mouth (creating words) & #3 Thinking Mind (creating ideas)

25. The four forms of deportment: Walking, standing, sitting, and lying down

 

 

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