The Environmental Protection Of The Mind

preface

Human beings have enjoyed material comforts to a great degree since the late 20th century. But in the mind there exists a void of emptiness and lack of satisfaction in the quest for the comfortable and luxurious needs in materialism. Things are thrown into disorder. The confusion of values and the moral downfall in ethics lead to multiple cases of mental disorders today.

The surpassing rate of medical researches cannot keep up with the increase of nutated and new diseases. Human beings have suffered a lot from their own excessive development and destruction of natural resources. Now humanity is beginning to reflect and clearly realize the fact that the pursuit of the materialism is, after all, not the only objective in life. It seems that the promotion of the spiritual life is something much more important and expedient than anything else in life equilibrium. Thus there is a need to consider the issues of the environmental protection of the mind, the revolution of the mind, the purifying of human minds, and so on. The promotion of selling activities about health of the mind are popular everywhere.the interpretation of the mind in Buddhism

Since the beginning of time there have been numerous subjects about the study of the mind. Religions have a deep understanding and detailed explanation about the mind. Among all different religions, the cognizance is the most thorough and complete in Buddhism.

When Buddha came to realize the truth under the bodhi tree, he said, “The Buddha wisdom is inherent in every sentient being. Yet, the sentient being cannot prove this great wisdom because of his delusion, inversion and attachment.” This reveals the fact that all human beings have the Buddha wisdom. The Buddha nature means the enlightening nature, in other words, the ability to perceive cold, warmth, the passage of time, to distinguish the true from the false, to differentiate between the white and the black, etc.

All human beings, including other living creatures, flying birds, crawling worms and so on, possess this inconceivable wisdom and perception. As to the enlightening nature, the sixth patriarch ever said, “The bodhi original nature is clear and pure in itself.” Once, the sixth patriarch instructed Hui-ming by saying, “Cease all conditions, and grow no thought of good or evil, at this very moment, you will attain the true original nature.” Hui-ming, all at once, fully understood it. This public case proves that the state of mind of inconceivable wisdom and enlightenment is clear and pure in essence. For instance, while listening to teachings attentively, you entertain no other thoughts but only one pure mind. In the instant, you have neither good nor evil in your thoughts. The mind is clear and pure, back to its original wholesome nature. The Chan (Zen) sect calls it the original face and points out further that the clear, pure mind with no delusion signifies truth. Hui-ming realized and fully understood that the true mind is inherent, originally clear and pure.

At the Lingshan meeting, Sakyamuni held up a flower and Kāśyapa smiled. All at once, Sakyamuni entrusted Kāśyapa with “treasury of the eye of the true law, nirvana marvelous mind, dharma of a magical formula, reality with no corruption, and excellent dharma.”

What did Kāśyapa realize? What did Sakyamuni see? By saying that he would hand down to Kāśyapa “treasury of the eye of the true law,”it signifies that the mind holding up a flower and the mind smiling come from the same pure mind. This mind is equal to that mind. This pure mind is owned by Buddha, founders of sects, ordinary persons, even by worms. So it shows that it makes no difference among the mind, Buddha and sentient beings.

Chan master, Xuán-jué in Yong- jiā said, “Being an absolutely chaste proficient practitioner, I do not painstakingly get rid of improper thoughts; nor do I intentionally seek after truth.” Chan master, Hon. Wéi-jué continued to explain that with no thought of the past, the present, and the future, with no improper thoughts, with no mind muddled, and with lethargy off, the pure mind is innate. This mind is not given by God, by King of Hell, or by your parents. His words clearly point out the deception of the mind of sentient beings.

To summarize, we understand the fact that the pure mind is inherent in every humanity. Nowadays, human beings constantly play out karma by whatever means they can find. Since time began we have been controlled by our mind. Though we are born with Buddha nature, the pure mind is polluted. It is just like processing gold, pure gold will manifest when the stones, sand, and other elements from the gold mine are removed. The procedure in washing gold is much like the cultivation and practice of the mind. At the present time, it is so-called the environmental protection of the mind.unconditioned environmental protection of the mind

In a narrow sense, Buddha has taught eighty-four thousand ways to cure sentient beings of the same number of illnesses. But in a broad sense, there are uncountable ways (dharmas) to cure innumerable diseases of the mind, such as a deluded mind, a greedy mind, an impure thought, and pride.

Human beings can sustain the pure, original mind with no thought of being good or evil, with no thoughts of neither arising nor ceasing. They can keep this state of mind of no delusion consistently. All the time, they will clearly understand that there are no wild imaginations in mind. The nature of mind is always kept unblemished. Every thought goes back to the state of being true, and every thought is very clear and pure. This is the environmental protection of the mind at its highest standard.the remedies for the environmental protection of the mind—the six perfections in the Great Vehicle

General sentient beings have many worries in their minds and at the same time they indulge themselves by keeping their old habits. They cannot do well in following unconditioned dharmas. It is good for them to cultivate themselves in discipline, to practice in meditation, to practice in virtue and to cultivate wisdom on affairs. In order to remedy afflictions in the mind, it is right to practice the six perfections (six transcendent practices).

The philosophers of the Small Vehicle urgently want to get rid of the suffering in transmigration and to escape from the three realms. The bodhisattvas of the Great Vehicle are very compassionate to human beings and have the intention of being helpful to others. They cease their own greedy minds and at the same time satisfy human beings by practicing generosity. Besides the material generosity, bodhisattvas practice the dharma of generosity in order to make themselves and all sentient beings to be free of perplexity and arrogance.
In practicing precepts, bodhisattvas can guard sentient beings from committing evil and corruption. They frequently make reflection, and they vigorously cultivate their minds. Thus they do not suffer from mental illnesses. In addition, they positively save and protect living creatures, offer generosity, promote the idea of purifying the mind. It is beneficial to both themselves and others.

In practicing endurance, one can cure oneself of ill-will and antipathy. One can tolerate others’ insult and endure one’s own sorrow. The power of perseverance is great and it can accomplish great exploits. It can effectively remedy the mental illnesses resulting from desire, anger and arrogance.

One can remedy idleness by diligence. As to worries and habits, one acknowledges the existence of them, but one does not totally abolish them because of inertness. As it goes in the Sutra of the Deathbed Injunction, “By diligence, there is nothing difficult to deal with, so one must makes great efforts. A small stream of water can penetrate through a stone day by day.” In practicing of the environmental protection of the mind, one can undoubtedly get rid of the mental illnesses resulting from being greedy, being ill-willed, or being ignorant. Then your mind is surely clear, pure, and unconditioned.

One can put right the state of being distracted by practicing meditation. Extensively-learned as Ananda was, he found that it is not until one has reached the state of being-totally focused, being intelligent, and being pure that one can thoroughly abolish his worries.

By practicing wisdom (cognitive acuity), one can effectively deal with his arrogance. Being arrogant means not believing the causality spanning the three periods, not knowing the conditioned genes (dependent origination) and emptiness in nature, and not understanding the true marks of all dharmas and the enlightening nature inherent in sentient beings. The wisdom of cognitive acuity can be classified into the following three.

First, causality will go through three periods. If you want to know the cause of the previous period, how you lived in this period will manifest it. And what you have done this period will decide the effect in your future period. Understanding the relation between cause and effect, then you will frequently reflect yourself and positively do good and abolish evil at the same time. Then you will surely live a meaningful and bright life. Secondly, as Buddha said, “All dharmas (phenomena) exist from causes and conditions, and all dharmas (phenomena) die out out of causes and conditions.” All dharmas (phenomnena) generate only under the condition that causes and conditions are dependently united. Realizing its being unreal of arising and ceasing, the conditioned genes (dependent origination) and its being empty in nature, then you will not be deeply attached easily. And it is possible for you to liberate yourself from the attached, not-rejecting mind. Thirdly, as you fully realize the principle of the true form of all things as they are and the principle of the inherent Buddha wisdom (enlightening wisdom), you understand that reality has no blemishes, that there is no sign, no defilement and that Buddha nature is inherent in all sentient beings. So you feel at ease in mind. As Diamond Sutra goes, “Do all good, and you will gain anuttara-samyak-sa□bodhi (omniscience; unexcelled complete enlightenment). Knowing the dependent origination and its being empty in nature, you are not attached to the good while you are doing it. Not being attached in mind, realizing the conditioned genes and its being empty in nature, you understand that mindfulness is empty, that dharma is empty, that reality has no blemishes and that there exist all signs in no purity. So by means of this greatest wisdom, you can completely do away with worries.

Prajana (the greatest wisdom) is the root of the six perfections. It is compared to man’s eyes and the other five perfections are compared to man’s feet. In practicing five perfections with feet but without eyes, you may gain rewards but you cannot effectively eliminate your afflictions and worries. It is not satisfactory to have eyes without feet. In other words, with principle but without phenomena, you still cannot liberate yourself. So the six perfections must be properly matched with one another in practice. Phenomena and principle must be equally emphasized. Then sentient beings will surely be free of inversion, delusion and attachment that have been afflicting them for eons. The six perfections are good remedies. If you can practice them constantly, then the illnesses resulting from the worries accumulated for eons will be cured. You will surely be recovering day by day.

5. conclusion

Chan master, Zhàn - rán in Jinxī ever said in the Essence of Beginning and End, “The three afflictions are in essence delusions.”The three afflictions can be classified as the affliction of ignorance, the affliction of dust and sand and the affliction of views and thoughts. As you can realize, it is in essence the function of mindfulness. By taking the medicine of the above-mentioned six perfections, we hope that we ourselves and all human beings can finally realize the futility and rationalism of the mind. As it goes in Heart Sutra, “When one perceives that the five aggregates are empty in their own-nature, he will surely get rid of all sufferings of calamities.”If one can fully realize the true meaning of what is said in the above sutra, the remedies for the environmental protection of the mind will be raised to absolutely incorruptible state. Then one will actually become an absolutely accomplished adept practitioner, not thinking of doing away with delusion or seeking after truth.