“UnderstandingOurMind,” “UnderstandingOurMind,”byThichNha byThichNhatHanh tHanh Rootverses
StoreConsciousness
Part1
Mindisafield inwhicheverykindofseedissown. Thismind-fieldcanalsobecalled “alltheseeds.”
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Inusareinfinitevarietiesofseeds– seedsofsamsara,nirvana,delusion,andenlightenment, seedsofsufferingandhappiness, seedsofperceptions,names,andwords.
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Seedsthatmanifestasbodyandmind, asrealmsofbeing,stages,andworlds, areallstoredinourconsciousness. Thatiswhyitiscalled“store.”
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Someseedsareinnate, handeddownbyourancestors. Someweresownwhilewewerestillinthewomb, othersweresownwhenwewerechildren.
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Whethertransmittedbyfamily,friends, society,oreducation, allourseedsare,bynature, bothindividualandcollective.
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Thequalityofourlife dependsonthequality oftheseeds thatliedeepinourconsciousness.
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Thefunctionofstoreconsciousness istoreceiveandmaintain seedsandtheirhabitenergies, sotheycanmanifestintheworld,orremaindormant.
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Manifestationsfromstoreconsciousness canbeperceiveddirectlyinthemodeofthings-in-themselves, asrepresentations,orasmereimages. Allareincludedintheeighteenelementsofbeing.
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Allmanifestationsbearthemarks ofboththeindividualandthecollective. Thematurationofstoreconsciousnessfunctionsinthesameway initsparticipationinthedifferentstagesandrealmsofbeing.
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Unobstructedandindeterminate, storeconsciousnessiscontinuouslyflowingandchanging. Atthesametime,itisendowed withallfiveuniversalmentalformations.
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Althoughimpermanentandwithoutaseparateself, storeconsciousnesscontainsallphenomenainthecosmos, bothconditionedandunconditioned, intheformofseeds.
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Seedscanproduceseeds. Seedscanproduceformations. Formationscanproduceseeds. Formationscanproduceformations.
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Seedsandformations bothhavethenatureofinterbeingandinterpenetration. Theoneisproducedbytheall. Theallisdependentontheone.
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Storeconsciousnessisneitherthesamenordifferent, individualorcollective. Sameanddifferentinter-are. Collectiveandindividualgiverisetoeachother.
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Whendelusionisovercome,understandingisthere, andstoreconsciousnessisnolongersubjecttoafflictions. StoreconsciousnessbecomesGreatMirrorWisdom, reflectingthecosmosinalldirections. ItsnameisnowPureConsciousness.
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Manas
Part2
Seedsofdelusiongiverise totheinternalformationsofcravingandafflictions. Theseforcesanimateourconsciousness asmindandbodymanifestthemselves.
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Withstoreconsciousnessasitssupport, manasarises. Itsfunctionismentation,
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graspingtheseedsitconsiderstobea“self.” Theobjectofmanasisthemarkofaself foundinthefieldofrepresentations atthepointwheremanas andstoreconsciousnesstouch.
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Asthegroundofwholesomeandunwholesome oftheothersixmanifestingconsciousnesses, manascontinuesdiscriminating. Itsnatureisbothindeterminateandobscured.
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Manasgoeswiththefiveuniversals, withmatiofthefiveparticulars, andwiththefourmajorandeightsecondaryafflictions. Allareindeterminateandobscured.
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Asshadowfollowsform, manasalwaysfollowsstore. Itisamisguidedattempttosurvive, cravingforcontinuationandblindsatisfaction.
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Whenthefirststageofthebodhisattvapathisattained, theobstaclesofknowledgeandafflictionsaretransformed. Atthetenthstage,theyogitransformsthebeliefinaseparateself, andstoreconsciousnessisreleasedfrommanas.
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MindConsciousness
Part3
Withmanasasitsbase andphenomenaasitsobjects, mindconsciousnessmanifestsitself. Itssphereofcognitionisthebroadest. Mindconsciousnesshasthreemodesofperception. Ithasaccesstothethreefieldsofperceptionandiscapableofhavingthreenatures. Allmentalformationsmanifestinit– universal,particular,wholesome,unwholesome,andindeterminate.
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Mindconsciousnessistherootofallactionsofbodyandspeech. Itsnatureistomanifestmentalformations,butitsexistenceisnotcontinuous. Mindconsciousnessgivesrisetoactionsthatleadtoripening. Itplaystheroleofthegardener,sowingalltheseeds.
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Mindconsciousnessisalwaysfunctioning exceptinstatesofnon-perception,
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thetwoattainments, deepsleep,andfaintingorcoma. Mindconsciousnessoperatesinfiveways– incooperationwiththefivesenseconsciousnesses andindependentofthem, dispersed,concentrated,orunstably.
SenseConsciousnesses
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Part4
Basedonmindconsciousnesses, thefivesenseconsciousnesses, separatelyortogetherwithmindconsciousnesses, manifestlikewavesonwater.
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Theirfieldofperceptionisthings-in-themselves. Theirmodeofperceptionisdirect. Theirnaturecanbewholesome,unwholesome,orneutral. Theyoperateonthesenseorgansandthesensationcenterofthebrain.
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Theyarisewiththe universal,particular,andwholesome, thebasicandsecondaryunwholesome, andtheindeterminatementalformations.
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TheNatureofReality
Part5
Consciousnessalwaysincludes subjectandobject. Selfandother,insideandoutside, areallcreationsoftheconceptualmind.
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Consciousnesshasthreeparts– perceiver,perceived,andwholeness. Allseedsandmentalformations arethesame.
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Birthanddeathdependonconditions. Consciousnessisbynatureadiscriminatorymanifestation. Perceiverandperceiveddependoneachother assubjectandobjectofperception.
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Inindividualandcollectivemanifestation, selfandnonselfarenottwo. Thecycleofbirthanddeathisachievedineverymoment. Consciousnessevolvesintheoceanofbirthanddeath.
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Space,time,andthefourgreatelements areallmanifestationsofconsciousness. Intheprocessofinterbeingandinterpenetration, ourstoreconsciousnessripensineverymoment.
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Beingsmanifestwhenconditionsaresufficient. Whenconditionslack,theynolongerappear. Still,thereisnocoming,nogoing, nobeing,andnononbeing.
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Whenaseedgivesrisetoaformation, itistheprimarycause. Thesubjectofperceptiondependsontheobjectofperception. Thisisobjectascause.
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Conditionsthatarefavorableornon-obstructing aresupportingcauses. Thefourthtypeofcondition istheimmediacyofcontinuity.
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Interdependentmanifestationhastwoaspects– deludedmindandtruemind. Deludedmindisimaginaryconstruction. Truemindisfulfillednature.
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Constructionimpregnatesthemindwithseedsofdelusion, bringingaboutthemiseryofsamsara. Thefulfilledopensthedoorofwisdom totherealmofsuchness.
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ThePathofPractice
Part6
Meditatingonthenatureofinterdependence cantransformdelusionintoenlightenment. Samsaraandsuchnessarenottwo. Theyareoneandthesame.
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Evenwhileblooming,theflowerisalreadyinthecompost, andthecompostisalreadyintheflower. Flowerandcompostarenottwo. Delusionandenlightenmentinter-are.
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Don’trunawayfrombirthanddeath. Justlookdeeplyintoyourmentalformations. Whenthetruenatureofinterdependenceisseen,
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thetruthofinterbeingisrealized. Practiceconsciousbreathing towatertheseedsofawakening. RightViewisaflower bloominginthefieldofmindconsciousness.
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Whensunlightshines, ithelpsallvegetationgrow. Whenmindfulnessshines, ittransformsallmentalformations.
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Werecognizeinternalknotsandlatenttendencies sowecantransformthem. Whenourhabitenergiesdissipate, transformationatthebaseisthere.
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Thepresentmoment containspastandfuture. Thesecretoftransformation isinthewaywehandlethisverymoment.
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Transformationtakesplace inourdailylife. Tomaketheworkoftransformationeasy, practicewithaSangha.
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Nothingisborn,nothingdies. Nothingtoholdonto,nothingtorelease. Samsaraisnirvana. Thereisnothingtoattain.
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Whenwerealizethatafflictionsarenootherthanenlightenment, wecanridethewavesofbirthanddeathinpeace, travelingintheboatofcompassionontheoceanofdelusion, smilingthesmileofnon-fear.
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