Investigating Chan Means Letting the Manas Abide in Mindfulness of This Very Object

Question: Sometimes when something hasn't been used for a long time, I forget where I put it. When I deliberately search for it, I can never find it. Having no alternative, I give up searching for the time being, but my mind remains concerned about it because the item is important. Then a few days later, I suddenly remember where it is and find the item. Is this also the manas helping out?

Answer: Yes, Master. The mind consciousness is incapable of keeping something on its mind continuously, whereas matters that the manas pays attention to will be kept in mind from time to time. Moreover, usually the mind consciousness does not know that the manas is keeping them in mind. Searching for things, solving problems, dreaming about events from school many years ago, old friends from many years ago—all of these are examples of this. The manas's keeping matters in mind is not limited by time.

Question: The manas abiding in mindfulness of this very object—this is the principle of investigating Chan, the method of applying effort. This is a ladder to heaven, not a heavenly secret; it is the fishing, not the fish.

Answer: Yes, Master. How to make the manas abide in mindfulness of this very object is a big problem. This disciple has discovered that, compared to matters of cultivation, the manas seems to keep worldly matters much more on its mind. Many people like to talk about this and that regarding the eighth consciousness, but in fact most of it is just the mind consciousness's imagination and inference; the manas has not even carefully pondered or kept in mind these matters. This can easily be observed from dreams. The manas keeps all sorts of things on its mind—things from previous lives, things that happened a few days ago, things it worries about, family matters, things long past—but there is no, or very little, pondering of the eighth consciousness. So it is indeed a ladder to heaven; the distance between the ideal and reality is still very far.

Question: The fear is mistaking the ideal for reality, deceiving oneself by saying: "I have attained it." Which "I" has attained it?

Answer: The manas has been keeping worldly matters on its mind for a very, very long time; turning it around in an instant is impossible—unless I were someone who has returned again. If I confirm that I am not, then I should not think of it too beautifully or too simply; it will not be that easy.

During the New Year period, because I wanted to keep the precepts well, I engaged in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) based on the contents of the precepts, repeatedly practicing contemplation with specific targets every day. This disciple discovered that if one spends most of the day, or the whole day, on a single question, at first it comes intermittently, because confronting states requires very good meditative concentration (samādhi); the mind frequently enters and exits within states. Gradually, because of continuous effort, the number of times and the duration of being stuck to states became fewer and shorter, and I was able to maintain awareness of myself. Later, it became habitual that the mind would hold the targeted question, and while doing other things, or at some moment, I would suddenly understand some related principles. This happened after each period of contemplative practice, until one day, when encountering related states in a dream, I also knew to keep the precepts, and upon waking, my mind felt especially light and at ease. Looking back, when encountering related questions again, my mind naturally became calm and at ease.