The nature of mind and no-mind

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The disciple is writing his mind, but I have to correct him.

 

The nature of his no-mind is basically empty, neither pure nor impure.

 

And you can see why I am correcting it because if it is mind, it cannot be

empty. Mind is always full of thoughts; mind is nothing but a container of

thoughts. Mind is another name for the thought process. In the day it is

thinking, in the night it is dreaming, but it is always filled with something.

It is never empty.

 

And mind is always either pure or impure. It depends on what kind of thoughts it

has going through it. If you are thinking of murdering someone, or if you are

thinking of stealing something, or you are thinking of helping someone.... If

you are filled with a compassionate thought, a loving thought or a destructive

thought...it will depend what kind of content is in your mind, and mind is never

empty. Hence, either it will be pure or impure, or it will be both together.

Because your mind is such a mess, impurity and purity, good thoughts and bad

thoughts, all are standing there as a crowd. Hence, I want to change the word

mind to no-mind. Then only can the statement become meaningful: The nature of

his no-mind is basically empty, neither pure nor impure because the no-mind is

beyond duality.

 

Mind can never be beyond duality. It is always thinking for or against, it is

always divided and split, it is always schizophrenic; it is never total. A part

of it is always hesitating. Whatever you do, a part of you will not be with you;

it will go on saying: "Don't do it, you will repent if you do it."

 

That is one of the causes why every human being is in misery. Because whatever

you do, it doesn't matter what, the part that has not cooperated is going to

take revenge with vengeance. It will say to you: "Listen, now look, I have told

you before, don't do this, but you never listened." If you had listened to it,

then too the situation would not have been different because the other part that

was saying: "Do it," will wait and watch for its opportunity to condemn you

saying: "You never listen to me." You are always in such a catch-22: whether you

do this or do that, you are always wrong.

 

Only no-mind can be without any duality, because it is empty. The no-mind is

choicelessness. The no-mind is pure awareness. It is just the empty sky.

 

Bodhidharma: The Greatest Zen Master