GUI SHAN (771-854) and YANG SHAN (813-890)
BACK TO THE FLAMES OF AWARENESS
Guishan asked Yangshan, "How do you undersand the immaculate mind?
Yangshan replied, "Mountains, rivers and plains; sun, moon and stars."
Guishan said, "You only get the phenomena."
Yangshan replied, "What did you just ask about?"
Guishan answered,"The immaculate mind."
Yangshan asked, "Is it appropriate to call it phenomena?"
Guishan said, " You are right."
It is the acceptance of the pure phenomena that is the immaculate mind and this is best realized in the day-to-day contemplation of nature, where discriminations of like, dislike and even intellectual indifference have no place. Thus, one is open continually to the pure sensing just beyond that point where the system confirms that correct and natural sensing is taking place. One opens then one's mind to the pure sensing that is taking place. This pure sensing takes place even before any conditioned emergency responses to danger and before there is identification of any sensation as being "recognized".
The Abode of Buddha
Yangshan asked Guishan
"What is the abode of the real Buddha?"
Guishan replied, "Using the subtlety of thinking without thought, think back to the infinity of the flames of awareness. When thinking comes to an end, return to the source, where Essence and Form are eternal and phenomenon and noumenon are non-dual.
The real Buddha is being-as-is."
It is the subtlety of thinking without thought that forms the state of unconscious observing which is the "True Self" that Buddha spoke of.
The Hidden Harbour
Guishan in his admonitions declared:
"If you want to study the Path by intensive meditation and make a sudden leap beyond expedient teachings, let your mind merge with the hidden harbour; investigate its subtleties, determine its most profound depths and realize its true source.
When you awaken to the true basis, this is the stairway leading out of materialism. This shatters the twenty five ways of being in the three realms of existence. Know that everything inside and outside is all unreal.
Arising from transformations of the mind, all things are merely provisional labels; don't set your mind on them.
As long as "discrimination" (emotions) do not stick on things, how can things hinder people? Leaving them to the all-pervasive flow of reality, do not cut them off, yet do not continue them either. When you hear sound and see form, all is normal; whether in the relative world or in the transcendental absolute, appropriate function is not lacking."
The Method of Guiyang (Kuei-Yang)
It is useless to torture consciusness in order to know the profound significnce of Dharma.
The adequate obervations do not depend upon understanding. One must maintain one's volition, setting aside all thoughts. One must listen only with "shén".
The function of hearing is to be limited to audition alone, the function of sound is to be limited to hearing and touch limited to the sensation of touch without content. It is so with all the senses. Thinking is to be limited to the experience that "thinking is taking place."
BUILDING THE LAST CONCEPTUALIZATION
The building of the Last Conceptualization of Zongmi we said that the perfect state within a conscious mind that is unstained by Identity is one also of perfect harmony.
Let us examine Zongmi's six characteristics now with respect to Guiyang.
Composition and Discomposition
The rising and falling away in consciousness.
All is formed within consciousness from a uniform base
It is Universal, but the parts all of one kind may yet be Specified.
All is Homogenous with available Clarity of detail (Sharpness).
As with Caodong and Fayan, the task then of Contemplation is to allow these six characteristics to operate without the contamination of Identity and be free of the Duality which destroys these characteristics. The ideal Last Conceptualization then is one which accomplishes the pure Last Conceptual Experiences for Awareness, which are composed of these six characteristics.
This is accomplished by an Awareness of Reflectivity of the Self-Nature, the Pure Sensory Awareness, in which the information available at that point is simply that Six sense-door sensing is taking place. But the nature of the approach is slightly different because of Guiyan's temperament and that of the adept who may be in harmony with Guiyan.
Now for the building of the Last Conceptualization for the Contemplation, be it a physical sittng meditation or a constant "sitting" of the mind, for the case of Guiyang within the REFLECTION of VITAKKA it begins by reflecting upon the six characteristics of Sensory Awareness, which are
Composition and Discomposition
Universality and Specifiabality
Homegeneity and Sharpness
It is the Homegeneity and Sharpness of Sensing that however becomes the principal focus of the Reflection. This, as it were, is drawn out of the six-point set and as the Reflection falls away there will be an arising of the cognitive experience of this as a Cognitive EXPERIENCE without words or concepts.
The Homegeneity is captured but the Sharpness reveals a state of Observing that is free from Identity. It is neither greater nor inferior to the great homeogeneity.
This is the True Self which Buddha spoke of and it is not in any way a controlling factor, just an observing one. It is indeed this observing which permits cognition to invent the stained SELF controller as Identity. But this right-hemisphere attribute is pure and completely functional as an operating principle.
This, of course, is a guide to that first REFLECTION, which is really particular and individual at the moment of access to the Contemplation.
In this contemplation there may be a sense of fluttering between the Homogeneity and the Observing presence which should not be discarded or considered in
any way with the cognitive mind.
One simply dwells within that Vicara EXPERIENCE when it arises. The breakthrough to the unconscious related experiences will arise without any intentionality on your part.