94. How to Find the Mind
By Luang Pu Thate Desaraṅsī
August 8, 1981
Today I will explain how to find the mind. The mind is the most important thing. Everyone born as a human being has a mind. But if we do not see the mind — we are born because of mind, we exist because of mind, and we will die because of mind. What is the true mind? This mind has no form or self. You cannot see it by looking. Feeling, perception, and thinking — that is the mind itself. Therefore, you cannot see it with your eyes open. If you close your eyes, though, you will see it.
If we do not see the mind itself, the mind will drag us to wander and wallow in everything. All defilements arise from the mind alone. What is spoken of as cetasikas (mental factors) — the countless defilements, the hundreds and thousands of them — all originate from this single mind. Those who know many things speak according to the texts, but they don't see the true mind. Defilements and craving are discussed in terms of the five aggregates, the six sense bases, and so on. The five aggregates are form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. These reduce to two things: form and name (mentality). Form can be seen, but name — the mind — cannot be seen.
How then can we see the mind? If not, the mind will keep us spinning around, traveling north and south, in every direction. If we cannot control the mind, cannot guard it, it will cause us to suffer, to burn with distress, sorrow, grief, and longing. Without the mind, our body would be just like a log or a piece of firewood — no matter who chops it, burns it, or does anything to it, there is no feeling at all. The appearance of seeing an image through the eye is called "mind," but people who do not see the true mind think that the eye seeing an image is the mind seeing. That is not the mind; it is the eye seeing. When light strikes, seeing occurs. The ear hearing a sound is the same: the sound enters the ear and strikes, and hearing occurs. The nose smelling, tongue tasting, body touching — none of that is the true mind. It is merely contact. After contact, it passes away. So where is the mind? Try looking for it right within this body of yours. Search through everything. See where the true mind is. When you cannot find the mind — the one who is searching doesn't see it. Who is the one searching? There is still another layer. Who is the seeker? You see the object you are looking for, but you don't see the seeker. For instance, you see a form — that form is seen, but who is the one seeing? You must find that one in order to see.
The mind must be one. If it is not one, it is not the mind. When the mind becomes one, it turns into the heart. The mind itself becomes the heart. That which is still, neutral, not thinking, not forming — that neutral feeling itself becomes the heart. The mind becomes the heart. The scriptures say: "Whatever mind, that is heart; whatever heart, that is mind." Sometimes they call it mind, sometimes heart. For example, Manopubbaṅgamā dhammā — "All phenomena have mind as their forerunner." Mano means heart. That which first thinks and inclines — that is not discursive thought; that initial inclination is the heart. Manoseṭṭhā manomayā — "Mind is chief, mind-made." They speak of mano as heart. Now they speak of mind: Pabhassaramidaṃ cittaṃ — "This mind is radiant." And yet it is defiled by adventitious defilements. The mind is always radiant and pure. It is defiled by defilements that come from outside. If the original mind were defiled, who could purify it? No one. Therefore they say, Pabhassaramidaṃ cittaṃ — the mind is always radiant. How do we know the mind is radiant? When mind and heart merge together. When they merge, it becomes the heart. Radiance means the mind not thinking, not forming, not concocting. Only then do you see the mind — and that is called heart. If you are still thinking, forming, concocting, it is defiled. If the mind is truly radiant, it must be pure, free from thought, perception, fabrication, and construction — that is called heart.
So we strive to scrub away defilements right there — those adventitious defilements — not allowing them to arise in that place. Then we will know and see things. "Clear and pure" — it can see, can't it? How could it not see? Clear, pure water can see your own reflection. Diamonds, gems, and jewels, when cut and polished, become clear and pure because their substance was originally clear. If it were iron, it would not be radiant because by nature iron is not clear and pure. The human mind is originally clear and pure. Therefore, when we scrub away all defilements, it sees that clarity and purity — and that is called Pabhassaramidaṃ cittaṃ (this mind is radiant). At that point we no longer call it mind; we call it heart. We call that naturally clear, pure state "heart." When we practice effort in meditation, making the heart neutral, still, and at ease — that attains the heart. That ease is the heart. That neutrality is the heart. No past, no future, no merit, no demerit. That neutral state has nothing at all. Thinking, perceiving, fabricating, concocting — those emerge from the heart and are called "mind." The mind is the thinker, the perceiver, the fabricator. The mind commands everything in the world. The heart is peaceful and stable.
Therefore, the Buddha's teaching leads to the heart — that is, it leads to the ultimate, which is purity itself. The ultimate is the end of suffering. If you reach the heart, there is no suffering, no fever, no fabrication, no thought, no perception. That's the end of it all. If you fabricate, you will go on endlessly, deluded without end. That is why it is said that human beings have never seen their own heart since time immemorial. You are born because of heart; when you die, it is because the heart fabricates and thinks of all kinds of things. Most people talk about the heart all the time. Buddhism also speaks of the heart: a meritorious heart, a wholesome heart, a sinful heart, a cruel heart, a malicious heart — every kind of heart. They speak of goodness and beauty as a meritorious heart, a wholesome heart, a clear and pure heart. They speak of only one heart.
The heart must be one, not many. That multiplicity is the mind. The Buddha's teaching is to reach the one — this heart itself. Then you will see all things. If you don't see the one, you won't see any of them. It's like counting from one as the beginning. Count one first. One two times is two. One three times is three. Four, five, up to nine, ten times — that gives four, five, up to nine, ten. All come from that single one. Whether you count to ten or a hundred, actually you're counting from that single one. Human beings forget the one and go counting two, three, four, five. If you count the one, that's the end of the matter. Therefore, practicing meditation to control the mind and reach the heart, unifying into one — that is what the Buddha taught. He taught only the heart. Most people think that meditation is not the duty of laypeople, only of monks. And even some monks say it's not their business, only the business of monks who practice kammaṭṭhāna. Actually, every human being has a heart. Whoever can reach their heart is practicing kammaṭṭhāna, is practicing meditation (bhāvanā), is practicing concentration (samādhi). The only exception is if we don't do it.
This explanation of the heart — to search for the heart, to investigate and reach the heart — I will conclude here.
(Luang Pu then instructs on sitting meditation.)
Merit (puñña) is of several kinds. Making merit is one thing, giving alms (dāna) is another, performing wholesome actions (kusala) is another. Giving alms means giving things — that is called dāna. The objects we give are called dāna. It doesn't matter what kind of thing. Humans or animals — you can give to anyone. Rice, goods, anything can be given. That is giving alms. Whether faith arises or not, just give. For example, contributing to a collection — without thinking of merit or wholesomeness, just giving to get rid of annoyance — that is called dāna. Making merit (puñña) involves faith and confidence. You set the intention that by making merit you will gain merit and blessings, be reborn in heaven, and obtain happiness in human wealth, celestial wealth, or Nibbāna's wealth. Making merit seeks a reward — that is called puñña. Performing wholesome actions (kusala) means the mind intending to do what is good and proper, thinking of goodness and virtue. That is kāmāvacara kusala (wholesomeness of the sense sphere). If you contemplate kammaṭṭhāna and your own physical body, that is rūpāvacara kusala (wholesomeness of the form sphere). The mind contemplating the four formless jhānas is arūpāvacara kusala (wholesomeness of the formless sphere).
Lokuttara kusala (supramundane wholesomeness) refers to performing wholesome actions free from all desire and concern, done only to adorn one's own heart, without any aspiration whatsoever. Those who have reached the highest path, fruit, and Nibbāna have no merit or demerit at all, but they act to adorn themselves while still alive. Therefore, after giving alms and making merit, we also perform wholesome actions by sitting in meditation. This is the highest in stages. Hence, we should all set our minds to meditate firmly, to bring the mind down to one, letting go of everything, every single thing at this moment. Do not think of what has passed. Do not bring the future to consider. Take the present, right now, and make it firm and fully settled. Let it settle down in whatever way it can.
Initially, use a meditation word (parikamma) like Buddho, or mindfulness of breathing (ānāpānasati), or "rising, falling", or sammā arahaṃ — whatever. Take that meditation word as your object. When the mind settles down into unity, it will let go of the meditation word on its own. It lets go by itself. Even if it doesn't let go, you must let go. Then fix on that state of stillness and stability as one. That is seeing your own heart — which is the most important thing of all. Because seeing your own heart is excellent and noble. It is what we must use to know our own affairs. If you don't see your own affairs, don't see your own heart, you won't know anything — whether you are doing good or evil.