The Core of All Contemplative Practices Is Objectless Contemplation (Manas Training Section)

Original text of the Sūtra on the Ten Rebirths: 尔时阿难白佛言。未闻观身之法。其事云何。唯愿说之。佛告阿难。夫观身之法者。不观东西。不观南北。不观四维上下。不观虚空。不观外缘。不观内缘。不观身色。不观色声。不观色像。唯观无缘。是为正真观身之法。除是观身。十方谛求。在在处处。更无别法而得解脱。

Explanation: Ānanda asked the Buddha about the method of contemplating the body—how should one contemplate the body? The Buddha replied: The method of contemplating the body is that, when contemplating the body, one should not contemplate east and west, south and north, the four intermediate directions, up and down; one should not contemplate empty space; one should not contemplate dharmas outside the body; one should not contemplate dharmas inside the body; one should not contemplate the material form of the body; one should not contemplate appearance and voice; one should not contemplate the features of the material body. One should simply contemplate the material body in a pure manner, without grasping at dharmas unrelated to the contemplation—for example, using the mind consciousness to deliberate upon, analyze, imagine, speculate about, infer, or judge the various dharmas inside and outside the material body. One must achieve contemplating without grasping; this is the true and correct method of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā). Apart from this method of contemplating the body, even if one sincerely searches throughout the ten directions, no matter where one seeks, one will find no other method by which liberation can be attained.

The four words "唯观无缘" (only contemplate, without grasping) are the core of all contemplative practice; they contain an enormous amount of information and exclude a great many operations unrelated to contemplating the body. Those operations are all methods of deliberation and analysis using the mind consciousness; they are not direct perception, correct contemplation, or pure contemplation. The mind consciousness grasps at objects everywhere, thinking of this and that, of east and west, of south and north, roaming far and wide—yet all of this has nothing to do with contemplating the body and is not a means of attaining liberation. Excluding these functions of the mind consciousness is the direct perception of the manas; it is genuine contemplative practice, contemplative practice that can attain liberation, contemplative practice consistent with the four foundations of mindfulness, the contemplative practice of the twenty-five sages in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the contemplative practice of all sages and worthies, and likewise the contemplative practice of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

The method has already been explained very clearly, yet some people still cannot apply the effort. One reason is that they are too accustomed to using the mind consciousness; they cannot imagine how to contemplate without using the mind consciousness, and do not know how to contemplate through the direct perception of the manas. In short, once separated from the functions of the mind consciousness, they are at a loss. There is no way to demonstrate this any further; one can only rely on oneself to ponder and practice it carefully and continuously. During the process of practice, one may use the mind consciousness to deliberate and understand; after thorough understanding, one must then apply the effort accordingly and practice contemplation.

Original text: 佛复告阿难。但自观身。善力自然。正念自然。解脱自然。何以故。譬如有人。精进直心。得正解脱。如是之人。不求解脱。解脱自至。

Explanation: The Buddha told Ānanda: You need only contemplate the body directly; the power of wholesome dharmas will arise naturally, right mindfulness will arise naturally, and liberation of the mind will appear naturally. Why is this said? For example, if a person cultivates diligently with a straightforward mind, he attains correct liberation. For such a person, although the mind does not seek liberation, the fruit of liberation comes of itself—attained without being sought.

The method of applying effort taught by the Buddha is very clear: just contemplate, contemplate directly, do not indulge in wild fantasies, filling in imagined scenarios, emotional thoughts, and intellectual interpretations, adding many extraneous matters and all sorts of twists and turns, which instead renders the practice ineffective. Apply effort directly in contemplative practice, without other thoughts, without other mental engagements. Just like the contemplative methods taught in the Sūtra on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, contemplate in accordance with reality; then the power of wholesome dharmas will naturally arise, the wholesome roots will grow and mature, and the stages of heat, summit, patience, and the supreme worldly dharma will naturally manifest. When the mind possesses right mindfulness and accords with the principle of the Four Noble Truths, body and mind will naturally be liberated. Although the mind never sought liberation, liberation appears naturally.

This is the method of applying effort in contemplative practice through the manas; all contemplative practice is like this—from the stage of the ordinary person to the stage of equal enlightenment, the Path is realized through such contemplative practice. In the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, the youth Sudhana visited fifty-three good spiritual teachers within a single lifetime; each good teacher taught him one dharma gate, and Sudhana would contemplate directly within meditative concentration until the meditative absorption (samādhi) appeared, at which point that dharma gate was accomplished and its cultivation complete. He would then go on to visit the next good teacher. In this way, Sudhana cultivated from the stage of an ordinary person all the way to the stage of equal enlightenment. When he visited the last good teacher, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra taught him to make the ten great vows of the King of Vows, guiding him toward the land of bliss (sukhāvatī), in hopes of perfecting the Buddha fruit.

Since Sudhana cultivated all the way to the stage of equal enlightenment through this very method of direct perception by the manas, we should not blaze some other trail, insisting on adding the mind consciousness's wild imaginings and using opportunistic shortcuts to obtain the true fruit of the Path. The fruit of the Path is not attained by the mind consciousness; it is cultivated by the manas, the master, and is obtained through direct perception. Therefore, in Buddhism there is no such thing as the mind consciousness realizing the fruits, or the mind consciousness seeing the mind and realizing the Path. Opportunistic methods using the mind consciousness are not to be adopted or employed; even if used, they are used in vain—they will not yield wholesome fruit, nor the fruit of true liberation.