Letting go of consciousness and using the faculties
The Śūraṅgama Sūtra teaches us to abandon the sixth consciousness, the conceptual mind, and instead use Wondrous Contemplative Observation; to abandon the seventh consciousness and instead use the Nature of Equality. This is called “letting go of consciousness and using the faculties.” When we can let go of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, then when our eyes see form, it will be the nature of seeing that perceives the nature of form. This is called “illuminating the mind and seeing one’s nature.” Seeing one’s nature illuminates the mind. You perceive the nature of form outside, and that is called seeing one’s nature. Using the nature of hearing to hear the nature of sound—the nature of hearing is also illuminating the mind; when you hear the nature of sound, that is also called seeing one’s nature. Illuminating the mind and seeing one’s nature, seeing one’s nature becomes Buddhahood!
“Nature” refers to essence-nature; the meaning of these two lines is quite profound. “Realm” refers to the six external sense objects; internally there are the six sense faculties and the six consciousnesses. All of these belong to the realm. When our six faculties come into contact with the six sense objects, if you can perceive the nature of that realm, that is excellent.
“How do we ‘abandon consciousness and use the faculties’?” This is a definite principle. How can one see the nature of form? Use the nature of seeing to see the nature of form, use the nature of hearing to hear the nature of sound. These are no longer called the six sense objects, but the six natures. In Chan Buddhism, “illuminating the mind and seeing one’s nature” refers to this state. Illuminating the mind means having a sincere mind, that is, a single-minded state.
You must understand: one-pointed mind is illumination; dual-mindedness is ignorance, delusion, and lack of clarity. One-pointed mind is illumination; therefore, when one-pointed mind perceives external form, it will perceive the nature of form, not the form-as-dust. What is “form-as-dust”? “Dust” means defilement; nature is undefiled. When you use one-pointed mind to hear, you will hear the nature of sound, not sound-as-dust. As long as you can use one-pointed mind, the six sense objects transform into the six natures, and the six natures are one-pointed mind. Therefore, it is called illuminating the mind and seeing one’s nature; “bringing forth manifest activity” is seeing one’s nature. Seeing one’s nature is precisely “nourishing me with the milk of Dharma.”
“Returning to one-pointed mind”: originally, one subtle, luminous essence gives rise to six kinds of harmonious combinations; now we reverse the six harmonious combinations and return to the one subtle, luminous essence.
These are quotations from the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. “One subtle luminosity” is one’s own one-pointed mind; the “six harmonious combinations” are the six sense faculties. From your true mind arise six different functions through the six sense faculties: in the eyes it is seeing, in the ears it is hearing, in the nose it is smelling, in the tongue it is tasting; in reality, they are all functions of one mind. If you do not understand this meaning, we can give an analogy to make it easier to understand. For example, electricity coming from a power plant is one and the same, yet electricity in a lamp produces light. The lamp is a device that manifests light as its function. In a recorder, electricity allows it to record our sound. In an electric heater, it produces heat. According to different devices, electricity manifests different functions. Although the functions differ, it is all the same current of electricity—you cannot say that the electricity producing light and the electricity in the recorder are two different things, not one! That is impossible.
The functions of our six sense faculties are truly one, not two; it is the true mind. Our eyes are like lamps, our ears are like recorders, and electricity manifests its function in those places. Therefore it is said: “originally relying on one subtle luminosity, it divides into six harmonious combinations.” Within the six sense faculties arise six different functions; although they are different in function, one must understand that they are entirely one mind.
“Now reversing the six harmonious combinations, returning to one subtle luminosity”: now we turn back and unify the minds of the six faculties into one. A “sincere mind” then appears. One mind disperses into the six faculties; this is separation. Now they are returned to unity, expressing utmost sincerity and reverence—this is the meaning of “returning to one mind.”
