In the Treatise on No-Mind (Wuxin lun 無心論) attributed to Bodhidhama, his treatise is not really about Mind in the absolute sense but, instead, thought. In this regard, wunian 無念 meaning, no-thought or the same, absence-of-thought, a term we find in Huineng’s Platform Sutra (17), is preferable to wuxin.
“Good friends, in this teaching of mine, from ancient times up to the present, all have set up no-thought as the main doctrine, non-form as the substance, and non-abiding as the basis. Non-form is to be separated from form even when associated with form. No-thought is not to think even when involved in thought. Non-abiding is the original nature of man.” (Bold is mine.)
What is revealed by the absence-of-thought, or no-thought is the ultimate principle this being True Mind 真心 which is unconditioned unlike thought which is never other than conditioned. Thought, I hasten to add, is what is hiding True Mind, making it seem unattained.
In English, ‘thought’, the noun, is the action of thinking; the process of bringing up concepts and ideas. It is like the constant rippling of a pond’s surface because of a breeze sweeping across it. With the absence of the rippling the translucently clear pond is revealed. When Bodhidharma says in the Treatise:
“Just no-mind is seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing. And it is no-mind which has the ability to be aware of the absence of mind.”
Bodhidharma is saying that the absence of thought is the fundamental basis or essence of seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing. With the absence of thought which reveals True Mind, the latter has the ability to be aware of thought’s absence which reveals itself.
In the same treatise Bodhidharma says: “Indeed, no-mind is nothing other than true mind mind. And true-mind is nothing other than no-mind.” There is nothing confusing about this if we read it this way: “The absence of thought is nothing other than True Mind. And True Mind is nothing other than he absence of thought.” When thought is suddenly stilled in satori or kenshō, totally disappearing, what is revealed is True Mind. Thought from that point on is seen to be a phenomenalization of True Mind. In that regard it really has only an illusory existence which is capable of deluding us if we are not awakened.
Said again, with the absence of thought, True Mind is uncovered. Now you are aware that thoughts originate from True Mind which is always absent of thought. But more amazing, the entire universe originates from True Mind!
The same distinction as sems and sems-nyid in Dzogchen.
Posted by: Phobos | January 10, 2018 at 09:53 PM