The Marvelous Function of the Discriminating Mind and the True Mind

"Mahamudra: Essence and Practice" ( Book II)

The Marvelous Function of the Discriminating Mind and the True Mind

◎Chen Yixin: By virtue of the wisdom from the true mind, is the discriminating mind also a kind of wisdom?

●Xue Mo: Yes, it is. When you can retain the true mind, the discriminating mind has already become a marvelous function of wisdom. The discriminating mind is the watchfulness. Wisdom being the essence, the discriminating mind is its function. When the marvelous function of the true mind starts to work, the discriminating mind is turned into wisdom. This is another form of “attaining cognition by transforming the consciousnesses.” At this time, retaining the true mind is a kind of practice. Let the waves in your mind calm down. The world reflected by a calm surface of water is vivid and clear. And this state of clearness is wisdom. When the water of your mind fluctuates, there is no way to see the truth and what you see is but the waves. When the sea of your mind is still, it reflects the world clearly. There are two approaches to Buddhist practice, One is seeking insight through cultivation. You begin with the cultivation of concentration and end with the attainment of wisdom. The other approach is basing cultivation on insight. You attain that wisdom first and then try to remain in the bright state of emptiness. But the alertness in that state is one variety of the discriminating mind, for in comparison with cessation, observation is a kind of discrimination, a marvelous function of the true mind. Despite the discriminating observation, however, it cannot sway the essence of wisdom, which is unmoving and immovable. In other words, it won’t yield to the temptations of the world, because the true mind is like a mirror, which won’t turn red itself after something red has been reflected in it or melt when it is reflecting flame. The phenomenon reflected in the mirror of the essential wisdom is is a marvelous function of the discriminating mind. The reflected image keeps changing, but it is only a reflection of the world. If there is a flame in front of the mirror, there will be a flame in the mirror, but the flame won’t melt it. If there is a weeping woman in front of the mirror, there will be a woman weeping in the mirror, but the mirror itself won’t weep. Although the reflections in the mirror are different, they won’t affect the essence of your mind.

With the acquiring of wisdom, the awareness or alertness is the marvelous function of the true mind and the discriminating mind (which has become one with the former). Then, whoever comes, the peace, brightness of your mind is not disturbed. Your heart won’t beat wildly because someone has come to you. The mirror won’t look down upon a man because he is a beggar. At this stage, the discriminating mind, which used to create defilements, has become wisdom.

If we truly are able to retain the true mind let its marvelous function work, the five poisons of craving, ill-will, ignorance, pride, and jealousy, which affect psychological health, will be transformed into the five cognitions of a buddha.

Take craving for example. Because of craving, a person is keen to do something. However, by virtue of the wisdom from the true mind, craving, without affecting the essence of wisdom, can become a powerful impetus for accomplishing something.

Take ignorance. It can be dullness, muddle-headedness, or inability to tell good from bad. By virtue of the essence of wisdom, however, ignorance becomes intelligence as the fundamental nature of the universe. Whether someone is beautiful or ugly, whether someone praises your or curses you, you don’t care, you don’t differentiate, and you are not attached. That is the real “great wisdom resembling ignorance.”

Take ill-will. A person with strong ill-will tends to be hypercritical, which is a variety of the discriminating mind. Without essential wisdom, ill-will leads your mind away and creates defilements. On the contrary, by virtue of essential wisdom, it becomes marvelous observing cognition. You can tell instantly who is feeling a pang of jealousy or who craves material gain. This ability is a marvelous function of what used to be the ill-will and doubt in your mind, which are transformed into wisdom by virtue of the true mind. Of course, despite its marvelous function, the essence is always bright, peaceful, and clear.

Now let’s take jealousy. As you are jealous of a person, you are bent on surpassing him. By virtue of the essential wisdom, jealousy becomes a competitive power. Only it won’t affect the essential wisdom.

After the hindrances to cognition are broken down, what used to be hindrances also become a marvelous function of the essential wisdom. The wisdom of your mind interacts with this world by means of the discriminating mind.

I need to add that the five cognitions I mentioned above are only a superficial metaphor. They are not the five kinds of wisdom strictly defined in Buddhism. You may treat what I have said as a marvelous function of my discriminating mind.

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《光明大手印：实修心髓》下

分别心与真心的妙用

◎陈亦新：在真心智慧的观照下，分别心是不是也是一种智慧？

●雪漠：是的。真正能安住真心之后，所有的分别心其实便成了智慧的妙用。分别心就是那种警觉的观照，智慧为体，分别心为用。当真正生起了真心妙用之后，分别心就转而成为智慧，这便是另一种意义上的“转识成智”。这时的安住真心就是修炼。要让你心灵中的波澜静静地停息下来，变成宁静的水面，而水面中照出的世界是非常清晰的，而这种清晰的光明就是智慧。当心中的水在波动的时候，是看不到真相的，你看到的只是波澜。当心灵的大海静下来之后，海面上映射出的就是清晰的世界。修行有两种，一种是修中求见，从修定入手，最后得到智慧。另一种是见上求修，就是先明白这种智慧，然后安住于光明空性之中。但是，那时的警觉心也是分别心的一种，因为相对于“止”，“观”也是分别心的一种，是真心生起的妙用。虽然有分别之“观”，但这“观”动摇不了如如不动的智慧本体，换句话说，也就是他的心不会因为世界的诱惑而随之而去。因为真心就像一面镜子一样，它不会因为遇见红色就染红了，不会遇见火焰熔化了。这种本体智慧的镜子中照出的那种现象就是另一种妙用的“分别心”。虽然它在不停地变化着，但它的变化只是对这个世界的反映，如镜前有火，镜子里面就出现火光，但火光熔化不了镜子；如果镜前有一个哭的女人，镜中也会有女人哭，但镜子是不会流泪的。镜中的诸种显现虽然也有分别，但它已影响不了你本体的心。

拥有智慧之后的那份观照和警觉就是真心、分别心相融无二的妙用。此时，不管是谁到来，都不会影响到你心的宁静、光明、朗然。不会因为某人的到来，真心就开始狂跳不止，六神无主；更不会因为乞丐到来，镜子就看不起他。这时，原来生起烦恼的分别心，已成为一种智慧了。

真正能安住真心并生起妙用时，贪嗔痴慢妒这五种影响心灵健康的“毒”，就化成了佛的五种智慧。

比如贪。人因为贪，就特别想做一件事情，但是在真心智慧观照下的贪，在不影响智慧本体的前提下，就会变为做成某件事的巨大动力。

比如痴。它可能是一种糊糊涂涂、昏昏沉沉、不辨好坏的愚痴。但在那种本体智慧观照下，它就变成大痴法界体性智。无论某人很漂亮，还是某人很丑；无论有人赞美你，还是有人诅咒你，你都不在乎、不分别、不执著。这才是真正的“大智若愚”。

比如嗔。假如嗔心很重，总喜欢挑剔别人。这种挑剔就是一种分别心。如果没有智慧本体观照的时候，它就会把你的心牵走，让你生起烦恼。相反，当在一种智慧本体观照下的时候，它就会变成一种妙观察智。你总是能在瞬间就看出哪一个人眼中产生了一种嫉妒，哪一个人的功利心特别强。这种东西就是曾经心中的嗔和疑产生的一种妙观察。这时，在警觉妙用下，你会有一种超人的直感。心中的嗔、疑之毒，在真心的“调度”下，化为智慧了。当然，即使在妙用的时候，本体还是那样光明、宁静、朗然。

比如妒。你因为嫉妒这个人，所以你一定要超过他。如果在智慧本体观照下，嫉妒就变成了一种竞争力。只是虽有竞争的妙用，但影响不了智慧本体。

所知障破除之后，那种“所知”在智慧本体的观照下，也会成为一种妙用。你心灵的智慧，正是通过分别心和这个世界发生着关系。只是这时的分别心已经影响不了你的真心，只会成为你真心的一种妙用。

需要补充的是，以上的五智之说，只是一种浮浅的比喻，它不是佛教词条中的五智。你同样可以当成我的一种妄心“妙用”。

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