What Does “Applying the Mind” Mean?

If you nurture flowers with your heart, every flower can be kept alive; if you cook with your heart, every dish can be delicious; if you make friends with your heart, every friend is a wholesome friend; if you love others with your heart, everyone is a dear one; if you do things with your heart, everything is a good deed; if you conduct yourself with your heart, everyone is a good person; if you recollect the Buddha with your heart, every recollection of the Buddha is merit; if you subdue demons with your heart, every demon can be eliminated; if you seek the Dharma with your heart, every dharma can illuminate the mind; if you investigate Chan with your heart, every instance of Chan can reveal your nature. Apply your heart to applying your heart, and every mind is no-mind.

All of the activities described above involve the conscious mind (识心). Without the operation of the conscious mind, there would be no activity at all—one could not nurture flowers, make friends, conduct oneself and do things, recollect the Buddha, or investigate Chan. Why, then, must one still "apply the heart" in these activities? And what does "applying the heart" mean here?

In all the activities of the five-aggregate body, when the mind consciousness actively and clearly understands the principles while the manas is passive and does not understand them, the activities of the five-aggregate body are still carried out, but the manas is merely passive, dragged along by the mind consciousness; it takes no interest and does not understand why things are done this way. Therefore it is not sincere—not wholehearted and genuine. This is also called "no-mind." With such no-mind, it is difficult to store seeds. Although the deed is done, the result is unsatisfactory, the effect is poor, and the retribution is slight.

If one wants the best result and superior retribution, the mind consciousness must make the manas clearly understand the true principles involved, permeating the manas so that the manas actively and proactively decides to act and plays the leading role. Only then is the effect good, only then is it sincere and wholehearted. Then the tathāgatagarbha cooperates, producing the finest outcome and storing the finest seeds, and the retribution in later lives will also be superior.

Some people also investigate Chan, some also recollect the Buddha, some also study the Dharma, some also do things, some also treat others well; yet because the role the manas plays in these differs, the results differ. If the manas does not truly apply itself—still muddled along, still unfocused, still grasping at objects everywhere—the effect is greatly diminished, and the outcome falls short of one's wishes.