Speaker: Venerable Master Chin Kung, 2022.04.11
The Venerable Master Bodhidharma arrived in China. The Venerable Huike met him and pleaded with Bodhidharma to help him bring peace to his mind. So Bodhidharma asked him, ‘Take your mind out and I’ll then help you find peace.’ Suddenly illuminated, Huike replied to the Master, ‘I look for the mind but it is unobtainable. I found nothing at all.’
Bodhidharma replied Huike, ‘I’ve found peace for your mind after all.’ Upon hearing Bodhidharma’s reply, Huike attained the Enlightenment. What we have here is spiritual. It is not physical, and it is not tangible substance. It does exist, but why can’t we obtain it? Because it is not something with a form or shape. It is not a physical form nor a form of thoughts.
All thoughts are false and illusory in nature. The mind is the original self of all phenomena and things. Without the mind, all phenomena will disappear. The mind is the true form of all phenomena and things. More importantly, we must understand that there is only one mind, not two.
‘Buddhas in the ten directions (of the universe) and of the past, the present and the future share one dharma body.’ The dharma body is the self-nature. The dharma body is the true mind. The mind that all Buddhas refer to is this one mind. Sakyamuni Buddha likened it to the ocean. The minds of all beings including us are like bubbles in the ocean. The ocean is one, but there are infinite bubbles in the ocean.
When the bubbles are intact, each of them thinks they have their own independent mind, ‘My mind is different from yours.’ When bubbles are burst they all return to the ocean. When burst, they are one. We then know that there is only one, not two or more.
This message is very important for us. Why? If we believe it, accept it and visualise it often, our afflictions will reduce and gradually dissipate. Our wisdom will then arise. The innate wisdom and virtuous traits in the self-nature will emerge.
Therefore, ‘all that are entangled’ refer to all afflictions. We must let go of them, completely let go. Then, we will be free and liberated. Why? Because we will have seen the true self-nature. When we see the true mind, we will be free and liberated. Wisdom, virtue, and extraordinary capabilities will all appear. All these are innate to the self-nature.