Introduction to Wind Pool Chan Sky

I.

Stone mirror Chan mind

The stone mirror is the field of the mind, and the chan mind is what conveys the worldling into the world of the saint. Sometimes the mind is as hard as a stone, such that any injury done to it leaves behind a deep incision. But it’s possible to make the mind soft and smooth, like clay.

At the same time, we can continue softening the mind until it becomes like the sand of the Gobi Desert; as you walk over it, the wind blows and erases your footsteps. The soft mind can also be compared to water; you can cut thru it with a knife, but the gash immediately heals and leaves no scar. The mind can be softened even further, until it becomes like space, wherein a knife has no effect whatsoever. Once the mind is elevated to this level, it’s no longer affected by external conditions; rather, the mind takes control of external conditions. This is what’s called “mind over matter.” In Buddhism, it’s called buddhahood, or the Tathagata. Thus the Diamond Sutra states, “One who transforms the objects of the senses is a Tathagata.”

II.

We need to use the chan mind to leave behind the condition of the worldling and enter into the spiritual realm of the saints and sages. The world can be divided into four levels or realms. The first is the natural realm. This is the level on which the average unreflective person normally lives, governed by desire, aversion, and habitual patterns of behavior. The second is the utilitarian realm, in which we consider not only the material exigencies of the present, but also our happiness and security in the future. Living on this level entails a willingness to make an effort for the sake of our long-term benefit. The third level is the moral realm, wherein we consider not only our own short- and long-term benefit, but also that of others. Thus we strive to benefit everyone in our society and nation. Fourth comes the heaven-earth realm. This is the highest level of awareness, insight, and wisdom, where we strive to benefit not only the human beings in our own society and nation, but also all sentient beings in the entire universe.

III. Stone mirror

A stone mirror is simply a mirror made of stone. Now, inside stones and minerals are found such precious things as gold and jade. So a stone mirror can also be called a jade mirror; the difference is that the stone mirror refers to the distorted reflection of the worldling, while the jade mirror refers to the perfectly clear reflection of the sage. Nonetheless, both the stone and jade mirror are endowed with the same five virtues, known in Confucianism as: wisdom, righteousness, benevolence, courage, and purity.

In Buddhism the five virtues are intelligence, wisdom, awareness, awakening, and meditation, and this is what we will turn to now. Intelligence means knowing how to mobilize all your resources and fully apply them to benefitting others. Wisdom means knowing the nature of the mind, understanding and providing what people need the most, and providing clear guidance. Awareness means having clear perception, so that we don’t get bewildered and fooled by the objects of the senses. Awakening means realizing one’s original face and finding one’s true master. Meditation means the cultivation of the mind which culminates in a condition of eternal peace and tranquility.

IV.

In speaking about meditation, it’s helpful to begin by discussing Zhuangzi’s famous dream of being a butterfly, of which he later wonders whether he was then a man dreaming he was a butterfly, or whether he is now a butterfly dreaming he is a man, thereby presenting a riddle which has been perplexing philosophers for millennia. Could this so-called “real world” be merely a dream? If so, who’s dream is it? A Butterfly’s dream? In this riddle, the butterfly represents the “transformation of things,” which in the philosophy of Zhuangzi means the instantaneous transformation of all things, impairing the mind’s ability to see into their true nature. And it’s due to this transformation that we identify with the material world and get entangled in it, what is referred to as “turning one’s back on enlightenment and uniting with the dust.” Conversely, if we properly apply our faculty of awareness to counteract this tendency, then we are able to recognize the continual transformation of all things, what is called “turning one’s back on the dust and uniting with enlightenment.” Endowed with this kind of insight and wisdom, we are no longer bewildered and fooled by sense objects.

V.

Thus Zhuangzi is the object, the butterfly is the subject, and the transformation of the object and subject is objectification. The integration of object and subject can be called either chaos (the primordial condition of non-differentiation), or nirvana. Now, if this integration of object and subject is governed by confusion, it is called chaos; it’s the condition which gave rise to Mengzi’s riddle. Conversely, if this integration of object and subject is governed by the quiescent awareness of nirvana, then we experience wondrous enlightenment, wherein all contradictions resolve of themselves. For example, in the Diamond Sutra we read about the sword of the vajra king endowed with three qualities: supreme brightness, supreme sharpness, and supreme hardness. Now, by themselves, these qualities might seem unrelated or even contradictory, but when united in the blade of the sword of the vajra king, they form a perfect unity, free of all contradiction. Thus if the riddle of Mengzi and the butterfly is understood from the perspective of chaos born of confusion, then there is contradiction; but it it’s viewed from the perspective of the quiescence of nirvana, then there is no contradiction, as can be seen in the case of the sword of the vajra king.

VI.

Now, whether Zhuangzi concludes that he’s dreaming of being a butterfly or vice versa, it’s still an expression of the principle of the transformation of things. This transformation of things is something we need to look into, which is called “investigating things,” and has three aspects: investigating through opposition, investigating through feeling, and investigating like a Tathagata. Investigating through difference means we approach things as if they were totally different from ourselves. Investigating through feeling means we blend harmoniously with things and thoroughly grasp them. Investigating like a Tathagata means that we are capable of transforming and mastering all things. Thus the Diamond Sutra states, “One who transforms the objects of the senses is a Tathagata.”

Now I’d like to illustrate these three types of investigation by telling a short story. Long, long ago, there was a little village with only one road leading to the fields where everybody raised their crops. On this road lived a woman whose husband had recently died, and she was so distraught that she wailed bitterly all day, such that none of the villagers could bear to hear her cries or even lay eyes on her. Yet they had to pass by her on the way to the fields, so as they passed her they covered their ears and closed their eyes. This is what’s called investigating through opposition. However, after two or three months of passing by this wailing woman twice every day, all the villagers had become accustomed her, so they no longer bothered to cover their ears and close their eyes as they went past. This is what’s called investigating through feeling, i.e., they were no longer disturbed by it. After another two or three months, something really strange had happened: all the villagers had begun to take pleasure in crying. What’s more, their crying was pleasant to the ear, and the more they cried, the more attractive they became. This is what’s called investigating like a Tathagata, for they had transformed their environs and how they perceive the objects in it. When things are investigated in this way, you “turn your back on the dust and unite with enlightenment,” rather than “turning your back on enlightenment and uniting with the dust.” This is how to transform chaos and confusion into nirvana.

VII.

Likewise, when there is confusion, we call the stone mirror “chaos”; and when there is enlightenment, we call it “nirvana.” To illustrate this chaos, I’ll tell another story, one which appears in both The Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Zhuangzi. The emperor of the south was called Shu [Brief], the emperor of the north was called Hu [Sudden], and the emperor of the central region was called Hundun [Chaos]. Shu and Hu from time to time came together for a meeting in the territory of Hun-tun, and Hun-tun treated them very generously. Shu and Hu discussed how they could repay his kindness. "All men," they said, "have seven openings so they can see, hear, eat, and breathe. But Hundun alone doesn't have any. Let's trying boring him some!" Every day they bored another hole, and on the seventh day Hun-tun died.

Now, in the Zhuangzi, where Shu is also called the roc, and Hu is also called the kun, we read that during the daytime the kun turns into the roc and soars into the sky, and at night the roc plunges into the sea and turns into the kun. The time at which this occurs is midnight, which is also called the “central region.” This chaos represents our primordial state, the childlike mind, which is later lost or destroyed due to being “developed” or “improved.”

VIII.

Now, when there is confusion or chaos, the mirror is made of stone, but when there is the quiescence of nirvana, the stone mirror is transformed into the jade mirror, which is endowed with a treasury consisting of the five virtues already mentioned: intelligence, wisdom, awareness, awakening, and meditation. Intelligence means knowing how to mobilize all your resources and fully apply them to benefitting others. Wisdom means knowing the nature of the mind and understanding the tribulations of others. Awareness means having clear perception, so that we can solve Mengzi’s ancient riddle. Awakening means realizing one’s original face and finding one’s true master. Meditation means the cultivation of the mind which culminates in a condition of eternal peace and tranquility, and can be likened to obtaining the sword of the vajra king. Now, this state of nirvana entails the acquisition of three powers: the power of compassion, the source of all goodness; the power of wisdom, which leads us back to our true home; and the power of liberation, the quintessence of virtue. This is what I earlier called “investigating like a Tathagata,” whereby we become capable of transforming and mastering all things. Thus it’s said, “One who transforms the objects of the senses is a Tathagata.”

IX.

The Flower-adornment Sutra states that “Breaking open an atom reveals a scripture.” Indeed, every atom contains a scripture equal in size to the trichiliocosm, but this can only be recognized by one whose spiritual vision is sufficiently purified and completely motivated by altruism. Such a person gains three kinds of support: the support of supernatural beings, like those who protect and bless us while chanting the Great Compassion Mantra; the support of the power of the Dharma, which naturally arises when one’s wisdom is as deep and vast as the ocean; and the support of a wise teacher, one who clearly points out the path to liberation and nirvana. Now, this atom enclosing a scripture is a stone; it’s that very same stone mirror, and the scripture it encloses is the jade mirror that it turns into.

X.

Hundun originally has no apertures, and if you drill them into him, he is sure to die. By contrast, the stone mirror does have apertures, and these are the secret treasury of three points: the aperture of compassion, which is the path which leads us back to our true home; the aperture of wisdom, which is the luminous and perfectly pure childlike mind which is what returns to our true home; and the aperture of liberation, which is the faith and confidence which gives us the courage and strength to actually follow the path all the way back to our true spiritual home.

XI.

Meditation is the practice by which we realize the state of mind characterized by peace and purity. Meditation consists of training in five areas: food, sleep, body, breath, and mind. There are many different ways to practice meditation, including sitting meditation, contemplation, yoga, and working with a gongan. There are also many levels of meditative attainment, usually explained as consisting of four levels corresponding to the form realms, and four levels corresponding to the formless realms; these are commonly referred to as the “four meditations and the eight concentrations.”

XII.

Now, there are various ways to interpret Mengzi’s account of dreaming he was a butterfly. Yet a dream is just a kind of vision, but a very powerful one, for we read in the Buddhist scriptures about how even the Buddha took a light nap once in a while and that in his dreams he worked miracles for the benefit of others. Indeed, dreams can show us a new way of looking at things. Now, only when we are no longer confused about sense objects is it possible to integrate object (Mengzi) and subject (butterfly), which results in the transformation of things, or chaos. But no matter what, if we can break thru the demarcation line between object and subject, and transcend their contradiction, we attain integration, instantly obtaining the sword of the vajra king, so bright, sharp, and solid. This is how the Diamond Sutra speaks about lofty wisdom.

XIII.

Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly, and the Buddha also slept; Zhuangzi is the object, and the butterfly is the subject. Dreams are a kind of vision, perhaps a type of supernatural power, perhaps just a form of entertainment. But even when the Buddha dreamed, he was still aware; that’s the way to cultivate great compassion, wisdom, and liberation—three powers that we all need to develop. This is how to “break open an atom and reveal a scripture” which is equal in size to the trichiliocosm, and which brings boundless benefit to all sentient beings, providing them with the opportunity to take up the sword of the vajra king that cuts thru all contradictions and impediments, and which bestows upon us the three supports: the support of supernatural powers; the support of the power of the Dharma; and the support of a wise teacher. So, intelligence means knowing how to mobilize all your resources and fully apply them to benefitting others. Wisdom means knowing the nature of the mind, understanding and providing what people need the most, and providing clear guidance. Awareness means having clear perception, so that we don’t get bewildered and fooled by the objects of the senses. Awakening means realizing one’s original face and finding one’s true master. Meditation means the cultivation of the mind in such a way that we gain possession of the sword of the vajra king which cuts thru all contradictions and impediments, so that we obtain the three supports: the support of supernatural powers; the support of the power of the Dharma; and the support of a wise teacher.

Finally, the ultimate purpose of these five virtues—intelligence, wisdom, awareness, awakening, and meditation—is the attainment of concentration, or samadhi, which transcends great compassion, wisdom, and liberation. For samadhi dispels all darkness and confusion, and brings eternal vitality. The attainment of samadhi is like installing in the mind a mirror of incomparable and eternal brightness, which illuminates all sentient beings and fills their hearts with joy. Thus we could say that intelligence, wisdom, awareness, and awakening are the theory or principle, and that meditation is the practice. But whatever sort of meditation we practice, the purpose is still the attainment of samadhi. And the purpose of samadhi is to install an eternally bright mirror in the mind, what’s called “entering samadhi and shining,” which was the state in which the Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra. More about the topics discussed in this talk can be found on our website (www.yuhsi.com), where you can find a Mongolian translation of my novel 1723 Seven Nights Waiting. I originally wanted to have some copies on hand for distribution at this event, but there wasn’t enough time to have additional copies printed. Anyway, once the copies are printed, we’ll be happy to send them to all our friends here today who are keen on wisdom. Thank you.

Yuyuan Daoyi (Yu Hsi)

Kempinski Hotel Khan Palace, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

August 25, 2017