The Difference Between Chan Meditation and Logical Reasoning

Chan investigation (canchan) is a practice method of seeing the mind and attaining realization advocated by the Chan patriarchs of the past; through this method of Chan investigation one can realize the original mind and self-nature, the eighth consciousness. Chan investigation requires profound meditative concentration (samādhi), the ability to apply effort from morning to night without interruption, with the mind at all times of the day and night engaged in investigating and seeking the Way, with refined and subtle thinking; when conditions mature, upon encountering circumstances and situations one can awaken spontaneously at any time, or attain enlightenment under a Chan master's zen repartee. In the early stages, when the skill is not yet pure, Chan investigation is called "seeking" (vitarka), where the mind consciousness applies relatively more effort, with more and more evident deliberation. As meditative concentration deepens and the skill matures, one enters the stage of "examining" (vicāra), where the mind consciousness can no longer apply deliberate effort, and the deliberation (manasikāra) of the manas becomes manifest. Only then can one sustain effort from morning to night, practicing whether awake or asleep, day and night, merging it all into one, with questioning doubt reaching such depth that the mind becomes extremely keen; upon encountering corresponding states, realization occurs and meditative absorption (samādhi) is achieved. If meditative concentration is shallow, the practice cannot go deep, and the samādhi state of wisdom that comes with realization will not arise.

Logical reasoning and logical thinking, however, fall entirely within the mind consciousness; the practice is relatively shallow, and it works with or without meditative concentration—even middle school students can use logical thinking and reasoning to resolve questions in their studies, and everyone from academic researchers at all levels commonly uses logical reasoning; even those with meditative concentration have rather shallow concentration. Logical thinking and reasoning correspond to the introductory stage before formal Chan investigation; once one has entered the gate, logical reasoning must no longer be used. Logical reasoning is a great taboo in Chan investigation, something all Chan patriarchs strongly opposed, calling it "divination beneath consciousness," "emotional thinking and intellectual understanding," and "ghosts' tricks." Chan masters strictly prohibited their disciples from divining and scheming beneath consciousness, requiring them to investigate apart from mind, consciousness, and cognition—that is, not allowing the use of the mind consciousness's thinking, and investigating Chan apart from all language, words, and sounds.

When the mind consciousness has language and words, meditative concentration is certainly very shallow or absent. When meditative concentration is deep, the mind consciousness cannot engage in coarse, shallow mental activity; even subtle mental activity ceases, yet this does not hinder the deliberation of the manas. The Buddhas even realized the Way within the fourth dhyāna; for ordinary people, the mind consciousness loses its thinking in the second dhyāna, and in the third and fourth dhyānas the thinking of the mind consciousness is extinguished even more, though the mind consciousness still exists without perishing and retains an extremely deep and subtle capacity for knowing. Therefore, deeper meditative concentration can suppress the thinking of the mind consciousness while stimulating the deliberation of the manas. When the mind consciousness and manas exist together, their cognitive activities wax and wane against each other; if the mind consciousness's thinking is too active, it obstructs the deliberation of the manas, and the manas cannot apply itself.

Logical thinking and reasoning both involve language and words; apart from language and words, these are all mental activities of the mind consciousness, in which the manas cannot exert force; therefore the manas will not realize the final correct result. Because the manas has no language or words, true Chan investigation is primarily carried out by the manas. What the Chan patriarchs meant by "investigating apart from mind, consciousness, and cognition" is precisely not allowing coarse, shallow thinking by the mind consciousness.