First let us review the important factors.
The "Buddha-nature that knows" is the "mind of true consciousness" that is capable of awakening to Buddha-nature through the elimination of all Identity stains.
The "Buddha-nature that is known" is that of the Nature of Dharma, which can be described as the Uncarved Wood, the direct access to which is attained through contemplations by way of the Ultimate Conceptualizations of Emptiness, Awareness and the Living Force, which correspond to access to the direct experiences on Undifferentiated Form, Essence and Function.
Here we are concerned with entry by FUNCTION.
When the scriptures call the highest teaching "Buddha-nature," or when they call the middle-way "Buddha-nature," they are referring to the "nature that is known", which Huiyuan explicitly declares penetrates everywhere, both within and without.
The Function Contemplation then begins by establishing the Direct Cognitive Experience of the "Buddha-nature that knows", the "mind of true consciousness"
How can one directly establish an experience of the "MIND OF TRUE CONSCIOUSNESS" without Shenxiu's REFLECTION?
THE TRUE SELF IS THE BUDDHA NATURE THAT KNOWS
The Buddha Nature that knows is the TRUE SELF. Such Self has, from the very beginning, been under cover of innumerable defilements. That is why man cannot see it.
THE STOREHOUSE
In the Nirvana Sutra, which Huineng studied for a year with Yintsung, Buddha declared:
"The Tathagata now reveals to all beings the Storehouse of Awakening, which is the Buddha-Nature, as it is called."
and furthermore:
THE UNHOLY SELF
... "The Tathagata, in order to save beings, gives them the teaching of non-Self.
"Having practised the Way thus, beings do away with the mind that clings to self and
gain Nirvana. All of this is to do away with people’s wrong concepts, to show them the
Way and cause them to stand above, to show them that they adhere to self, that what obtains in the world is all false and not true, and to make them practise non-Self and purify themselves.
"For practising the Void, I say that all do not have the Self..."
THE TRUE SELF
... For example, even when a person is told of the unholy self, he cannot know
the true quality of the Self. The same is true of my disciples. As they do not befriend a good teacher of the Way, they practise non-Self and do not know where it [Self] is.
They do not know the true nature of selflessness. How, then, could they know the true nature of the Self itself?
We can say then that the consciousness of knowing the True Self is knowing the true nature of SELFLESSNESS.
THE TRUE SELF IS THE STOREHOUSE
Buddha in the sutra also said:
"Only a chakravartin, high in virtue, appearing in the world can arrive at the true value of his medicine because of happy circumstantial concatenations.
"The same is the case, O good man! The taste of the hidden store of the Tathagata is also like this. Overspread by all the growths of defilement, the beings clad in ignorance cannot hope to see it. We speak of the "one taste". This applies, for instance, to the Buddha-Nature.
“The nature of True Self is nothing other than the hidden storehouse of the Tathagata”.
"Buddha-nature that knows" is the "mind of true consciousness" and the hidden storehouse of the Tathagata.
The Buddha said: "O good man! Do you desire to be informed
about the hidden storehouse of the Tathagata?"
SUFFERING AND BLISS
Common mortals play with words and dispute, betraying their own ignorance as to the Tathagata’s undisclosed store.
When it comes to the question of suffering, the ignorant say that the body is non-eternal and all is suffering. Also, they do not know that there is also the nature of Bliss in the body.
If the Eternal is alluded to, common mortals say that all bodies are non-eternal, like unfired tiles. One with Wisdom discriminates things and does not say that all is non-eternal. Why not? Because man possesses the seed of the Buddha-Nature.
When non-Self is talked about, common mortals say that there cannot be Self in the Buddhist teaching. One who is wise should know that non-Self is a temporary existence and is not true.
Knowing thus, one should not have any doubt. When the hidden Tathagatagarbha is stated as being empty and quiet, common mortals will think of ceasing and extinction. “One who is wise knows that the Tathagata is Eternal and Unchanging.”
THERE IS NO DUALITY IN THE BUDDHA NATURE
If it is stated that things sit on [depend on] consciousness, common mortals say "two", which are “samskara” [volition, mental impulse] and “vijnana” [consciousness]. But the wise know that its nature is not-two and that the nature of the not-two is the "svabhavika" ["own-nature", "self-nature"].
But the wise know that the nature is not-two and that the nature of the not-two is the real nature. When it is stated that all things end in suffering, common mortals say that this is two. But the wise know that the nature is not-two and that the nature of the not-two is the real nature.
If all things have no Self and the undisclosed store of the Tathagata has no Self, common mortals say that the nature is two. But the wise know that it is not-two and that not-two is the real nature.
There cannot be the two things of Self and non-Self. This is what the undisclosed store of the Tathagata refers to.
This is what is praised by uncountable, innumerable, boundless numbers of all Buddhas. I, now, in this all-perfect sutra, explain all. There is the not-two in the nature and characteristics of Self and non-Self.
There are not the two phases [aspects, phenomena] of Self and non-Self. So the "Buddha Nature that knows" sees that there is the "not-two" of self. This means that the consciousness that is pure is aware of both selves, which are one. This is an essential part of Unity and Diversity.
SEEING THE BUDDHA NATURE IS PROFOUND AND DIFFICULT
Bodhisattva Kasyapa said to the Buddha: "It is exceptionally wonderful, O World-Honoured One! The so-called Buddha-Nature is profound to know; it is hard to see and attain."
The Buddha said: "O good man! It is thus, it is thus! It is just as you praise [it]; it does not differ from what I say."
Bodhisattva Kasyapa said to the Buddha: "O World-Honoured One! To what extent is the Buddha-Nature profound and how difficult is it to perceive and get into?"
Although innumerable Bodhisattvas may well perfectly practise the paramitas [spiritual perfections], they might only reach the stage of the ten abodes [“bhumis”] and yet may not be able to see the Buddha-Nature...
The case is like this. The Bodhisattva of the stage of the ten “bhumis” thus sees the nature of the Tathagata within himself. And, likewise, what he sees is not clear...
..."O good man! The Buddha-Nature that one has is the deepest and the most difficult [thing] to see. Only the Buddha can know it well.
THE TRUE SELF IS THE BUDDHA NATURE
"Noble Son! A Bodhisattva-mahasattva is also like that -he appears in the world and expounds the true nature of the Self.
"Foolish ordinary people say, ’Everybody has Self! Everybody has Self'.
"But they see the self in different ways.
"In this manner people do not know the nature of the Self, ordinary people do not but impute various false concepts to the Self. These ordinary people generate false views in succession from one on to the other.
"In order to eliminate such false views, the Tathagata reveals and discourses on the non-existence of a self.
"Noble Son, the True Self that the Tathagata expounds today is called the Buddhadhatu [Buddha-Nature].
THE BODHISATTVA
"Noble Son, should there be any ordinary person who is able well to expound this, then he [speaks] in accordance with unsurpassed Buddha-Dharma.
"Should there be anyone who is well able to distinguish this in accordance with what has been expounded regarding it, then you should know that he has the nature of a Bodhisattva."
To accompany the Contemplation of Function the daily practice of a Bodhisattva is essential.
THE DIRECT EXPERIENCE OF VICARA WITHOUT ACCESS BY REFLECTION
Can we now build the cognitive experience without access to REFLECTION?
Do you remember the first quote of Huineng used on the web page?
Non-form is to be separated from form even when associated with form
No-thought is not to think even when involved in thought
Non-abiding is the original nature of man.
The first line refers to the Contemplation of Undifferentiated Form
The second line refers to sensations free of Words and Concepts
The third line refers to the development of Function.
This third line is the important bridge that we require. In building the Cognitive Experience of the Function of the Function of the Buddha Nature we cannot use reflection at all and must use NON-ABIDING.
WHAT IS IT UPON WHICH WE MUST NON-ABIDE?
We must NON-ABIDE on the function of:
THE TRUE SELF IS THE BUDDHA NATURE THAT KNOWS
CONSCIOUSNESS OF "KNOWING THE TRUE SELF" IS KNOWING
"THE TRUE NATURE OF SELFLESSNESS"
THE MIND OF "TRUE CONSCIOUSNESS" IS THE
"HIDDEN STOREHOUSE OF THE TATHAGATA."
THE TWO SELVES ARE ONE BY UNITY AND DIVERSITY
THE BUDDHA NATURE IS DIFFICULT TO SEE
AND ONLY A BUDDHA CAN KNOW IT WELL
THIS TRUE SELF HAS THE NATURE OF A TRUE BODHISATTVA
THE BUDDHA NATURE KNOWS BOTH SUFFERING AND BLISS
NON-ABIDING
These seven points must be gathered by Non-abiding and tranformed into one Cognitive Experience free of words and concepts.
This becomes the Last Conceptualization of the FUNCTION and leads to the deeper EXPERIENCE of the true function of the Buddha nature.