LittleMissMuffet
Well-known member
Hi ,
I've been reading ideas about attaining 'no mind' in books on Buddhism. I do have some idea of what this is about -but only a pretty vague one. So I was wondering if someone could possibly shed some light on what is meant by such theories.
...Funny though, I have been giving up thinking -conceptual thought- for the reason than I realised all my thinking was not getting me far and in fact seemed to be focussing too much on anxiety as A PROBLEM. -in other words, I was simply continuing being anxious ("anxious about anxiety" if you like...) and was building-up my symptoms and problem.
I am refraining from thinking about all these ideas intellectually just to give my self a good rest. And I am focussing more on just practising Meditation and being aware and mindful. ...my hope is that by ceasing to struggle and strain that insights will come to me more easily and with the clarity that I was otherwise straining for.
One last funny thing: I dub my self as sufferring from "spiritual constipation"...!!! ha ha :wink:
Well, for anyone still actually interested in Buddhism and my questions about it: here is an excerpt on the ideas of Ch'an Master Huang Po. If you could shed light on the as-yet unclear reason for Huang Po's belief that "the cessation of conceptual thought is the way", I would appreciate it. I feel like the answer is somewhere close or on the 'tip of my tongue' and yet it still is not 'gelling' for me. 8O ...James Morgan or Jacky, if you're around, perhaps you could help to explain such things.
............................
The Buddha Nature
The One Mind is synonymous with the Buddha-Nature which he describes as 'omnipresent, silent, pure'. It is 'glorious and mysterious peaceful joy'.
Realization of the One Mind cannot happen by using the mind to grasp at ideas. The One Mind is always present and to realize this is a matter of awaking rather than searching for it outside of one's mind.
Huang Po uses the analogy of a warrior who goes in search of a pearl, not realizing that he already has a pearl on his forehead. Huang Po explains: 'So, if you students of the Way are mistaken about your own real Mind, not recognizing that it is the Buddha, you will consequently look for him elsewhere, indulging in various achievements and practices and expecting to attain realization by such graduated practices'. What is necessary for realization is 'the sudden elimination of conceptual thought'.
Huang Po asserts that such ideation occurs through our senses, which grasp objects and form ideas about them. The process of awakening is avoiding such grasping and from this they will see the One Mind's 'spiritual brilliance'. This is everywhere and all inclusive: 'Above, below and around you, all is spontaneously existing, for there is nowhere which is outside the Buddha-Mind'.
Huang Po's teachings capture the flavor of Zen very well indeed. Zen emphasizes direct perception of the pure Mind, without reliance on extraneous factors, without conceptualization, without grasping, without reliance on scripture or ritual.
Perhaps the following statement also captures the essence of his teaching: 'Mind is the Buddha, while the cessation of conceptual thought is the Way'.
.................................................
I've been reading ideas about attaining 'no mind' in books on Buddhism. I do have some idea of what this is about -but only a pretty vague one. So I was wondering if someone could possibly shed some light on what is meant by such theories.
...Funny though, I have been giving up thinking -conceptual thought- for the reason than I realised all my thinking was not getting me far and in fact seemed to be focussing too much on anxiety as A PROBLEM. -in other words, I was simply continuing being anxious ("anxious about anxiety" if you like...) and was building-up my symptoms and problem.
I am refraining from thinking about all these ideas intellectually just to give my self a good rest. And I am focussing more on just practising Meditation and being aware and mindful. ...my hope is that by ceasing to struggle and strain that insights will come to me more easily and with the clarity that I was otherwise straining for.
One last funny thing: I dub my self as sufferring from "spiritual constipation"...!!! ha ha :wink:
Well, for anyone still actually interested in Buddhism and my questions about it: here is an excerpt on the ideas of Ch'an Master Huang Po. If you could shed light on the as-yet unclear reason for Huang Po's belief that "the cessation of conceptual thought is the way", I would appreciate it. I feel like the answer is somewhere close or on the 'tip of my tongue' and yet it still is not 'gelling' for me. 8O ...James Morgan or Jacky, if you're around, perhaps you could help to explain such things.
............................
The Buddha Nature
The One Mind is synonymous with the Buddha-Nature which he describes as 'omnipresent, silent, pure'. It is 'glorious and mysterious peaceful joy'.
Realization of the One Mind cannot happen by using the mind to grasp at ideas. The One Mind is always present and to realize this is a matter of awaking rather than searching for it outside of one's mind.
Huang Po uses the analogy of a warrior who goes in search of a pearl, not realizing that he already has a pearl on his forehead. Huang Po explains: 'So, if you students of the Way are mistaken about your own real Mind, not recognizing that it is the Buddha, you will consequently look for him elsewhere, indulging in various achievements and practices and expecting to attain realization by such graduated practices'. What is necessary for realization is 'the sudden elimination of conceptual thought'.
Huang Po asserts that such ideation occurs through our senses, which grasp objects and form ideas about them. The process of awakening is avoiding such grasping and from this they will see the One Mind's 'spiritual brilliance'. This is everywhere and all inclusive: 'Above, below and around you, all is spontaneously existing, for there is nowhere which is outside the Buddha-Mind'.
Huang Po's teachings capture the flavor of Zen very well indeed. Zen emphasizes direct perception of the pure Mind, without reliance on extraneous factors, without conceptualization, without grasping, without reliance on scripture or ritual.
Perhaps the following statement also captures the essence of his teaching: 'Mind is the Buddha, while the cessation of conceptual thought is the Way'.
.................................................
