Question: If a person wanted to seek the enlightenment of buddhahood, what would be the most quintessential dharma he could cultivate?

Answer: Only the single dharma of contemplating the mind, which completely encompasses all practices, may be called the most quintessential.

Question: How can one dharma encompass all practices?

Answer: Of all the myriad practices, the mind is the fundamental one. All the various dharmas are simply the product of the mind. If one can comprehend the mind, then the myriad practices will all be accomplished.

It is like the branches, flowers, and fruit of a large tree, all of which depend on the roots for their existence. If the tree is cut down and the roots done away with, the branches, flowers, and fruit will definitely die.

If one’s spiritual cultivation aims at comprehension of the mind, then success will occur easily and with little effort. Spiritual cultivation not aimed at comprehension of the mind means wasted effort and no benefit. Therefore, know that all good and evil derive completely from one’s own mind. To seek somewhere else outside of the mind and have any success is an utter impossibility.

Question: How can contemplation of the mind be referred to as “comprehensive?”

Answer: When a great bodhisattva practices the profound perfection of wisdom, s/he comprehends that the four elements and the five skandhas are fundamentally non-substantial and without self. S/he comprehensively sees that the mind has two types of different functions. What are these two? The first is the Pure Mind. The second is the defiled mind.

The Pure Mind is the mind of untainted Suchness. The defiled mind is the mind of tainted ignorance. These two types of mental dharmas are both naturally and fundamentally existent, although they are provisionally conjoined. They do not generate each other.

The Pure Mind always desires the causes of goodness, whereas the defiled mind always thinks of evil actions. One who is enlightened to Suchness is unaffected by defilements and is called a sage. Such a one is eventually able to distantly transcend suffering and to realize the joy of nirvana.

One who acts in accord with the defiled is subject to its attachments and obscurations and is called an ordinary person. Such a one sinks helplessly within the triple realm and is subject to various kinds of suffering.

Why is this? Because the defiled mind obstructs the essence of Suchness.

Shen-hsiu (606-706)

Source – The Northern School and the Formation of Early Chan Buddhism – John McRae

Sometimes less is more. There is no technique discussed other than contemplating the mind. We might translate this into turning the light of awareness inward, or leave it open to experience and discovery.

There are many techniques to practice meditation, some include visualization, mantra, watching the breath, recitation of sutras, working with a koan, but ultimately, they all return to contemplating the mind as the fundamental.

If one’s spiritual cultivation aims at comprehension of the mind, then success will occur easily and with little effort. Spiritual cultivation not aimed at comprehension of the mind means wasted effort and no benefit.

This is the foundation of any practice. All techniques can be considered expedient means; however, they give the wandering mind something to focus on and the beginner a handhold. To balance all of this, there is the perspective that Dogen elucidated:

First, you must believe that you are already within the Way. You must believe that you are free of delusion, illusory thoughts, confused ideas, increase and decrease, and mistaken understanding. Believing in this manner, clarify the Way and practice accordingly. This is the essence of studying the Way.

When things start sounding too confusing, it is comforting to remember Dogen’s message. While it still takes practice, it gives us a bedrock to work from.

Sitting in the lap of the universe,
Elana, Scribe for Daily Zen