How to Understand the Mind. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

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СКАЧАТЬ Gross, Subtle and Very Subtle Minds

      From the point of view of its different levels, the mind is divided into three: gross, subtle and very subtle.

      THE GROSS MIND

      During our waking life we normally use gross minds such as our eye awareness through which we can see things, ear awareness through which we can hear sounds, nose awareness through which we can smell, tongue awareness through which we can taste, body awareness through which we can experience tactile objects, and mental awareness through which we strongly think ‘I’ and ‘mine’. These awarenesses are gross minds because they are relatively easy to recognize. Without these awarenesses we cannot communicate with others and we cannot perform our daily activities. However, these awarenesses are mistaken awarenesses. They perceive inherently existent objects, which do not exist, and therefore they cause us to experience suffering. For example, when our mental awareness thinks ‘I’ or ‘me’ through perceiving either our body or mind, we mistakenly perceive our body or mind to be our self. This is a hallucination, and because of this when our body is sick we think ‘I am sick’, when our body is old we think ‘I am old’, and when our mind experiences suffering or pain we think ‘I am suffering’ or ‘I am in pain.’ Because of this hallucination we experience suffering and problems throughout our life and in life after life without end. This is our normal, painful situation. Understanding this we should develop renunciation, the sincere wish to liberate ourself permanently from this hallucination by realizing the true nature of things, the emptiness of all phenomena.

      THE SUBTLE MIND

      During sleep while we are dreaming we use subtle minds such as our dream eye awareness, ear awareness, nose awareness, tongue awareness, body awareness and mental awareness, through which we experience the appearance of various kinds of dream things. All these appearances are mistaken appearances. In the same way that all our waking appearances are mistaken appearances, Buddha says, ‘You should know all phenomena are like dreams.’ Dream awarenesses are called subtle minds because they are difficult to recognize.

      Because the appearances in our dreams and during our waking life are all mistaken appearances and hallucinations, our normal activities both in dreams and while we are awake have no real meaning. So we should think, ‘What is the real meaning of our human life?’

      THE VERY SUBTLE MIND

      The very subtle mind is so called because it is extremely difficult to recognize. Without the very subtle mind we would have no life because our gross and subtle minds cannot hold our life. This is because they are only temporary minds, and very unstable. They suddenly arise and quickly disappear like clouds in the sky. Therefore only our very subtle mind holds our life continuously throughout the day and night, and in life after life until we become an enlightened Buddha. When we become a Buddha our very subtle mind will become a Buddha’s mind and our very subtle inner wind will become a Buddha’s body. Our very subtle mind, or ‘continuously residing mind’, is therefore our Buddha nature. Since our very subtle inner wind, or ‘continuously residing body’, will never die we have a deathless body that is our own body. In truth, our present body is a part of our parents’ bodies, and so it belongs to our parents and not to us.

      Our very subtle mind – our Buddha nature – is very ­precious, like a priceless jewel, but we cannot recognize it unless we engage in special methods for recognizing it that Buddha explained in his Highest Yoga Tantra teachings. These special methods are the meditations on the central channel, indestructible drop, and indestructible wind and mind. Through these meditations we can gather and dissolve our inner winds into the central channel. When all our inner winds completely dissolve into the central channel through the force of meditation, all our gross and subtle minds will also dissolve and our very subtle mind will naturally manifest. We will then be able to recognize it through our own experience. When our very subtle mind manifests through the inner winds dissolving into the central channel, this manifest very subtle mind is called ‘clear light’. It is so called because it is a clear perception and an inner light. Thus, whenever our very subtle mind manifests it is clear light. Normally, for ordinary beings, the very subtle mind manifests only during deep sleep and at the end of the death process, but Highest Yoga Tantra practitioners can manifest their very subtle mind during meditation by dissolving inner winds into the central channel through the force of meditation; this is the clear light of realization. There are three different clear lights: the clear light of sleep, the clear light of death and the clear light of realization.

      When we are in deep sleep our gross and subtle inner winds and minds naturally dissolve into the central channel, and as a result our very subtle mind manifests. This manifest very subtle mind is the clear light of sleep. However, normally we cannot recognize it because during deep sleep our memory is unable to function.

      At the time of our death, when we experience the death process, our inner winds naturally dissolve into the central channel. First our gross minds will dissolve and cease, and only the subtle mind remains. Then our mind becomes more and more subtle until finally, when all inner winds have completely dissolved into the central channel, our very ­subtle mind will manifest. This manifest very subtle mind is the clear light of death. Its nature is great bliss, it is extremely peaceful; and it perceives only emptiness, the mere absence of all phenomena. Normally we cannot recognize it because at that time our memory cannot function.

Primary Minds and Mental Factors

      From the point of view of its function, the mind can be divided into primary minds and mental factors. Primary mind, mentality and consciousness are synonyms. The definition of primary mind is a cognizer that principally apprehends the mere entity of an object. The definition of mental factor is a cognizer that principally apprehends a particular attribute of an object. These definitions were given by Maitreya.

      In the case of a pot for example, the pot itself is the mere entity of the pot, and the base, sides, shape, colour, size and so forth are particular attributes of the pot. Because a distinction exists within the object, there is a corresponding distinction on the part of the mind that cognizes that object. Thus, the function of a primary mind is to apprehend the mere entity of the object, while the function of mental factors is to apprehend particular attributes of the object. As each object has only one general entity but many particular attri­butes, any one object has only one primary mind but many mental factors observing it. Thus, when an eye awareness perceives a pot, for example, the primary mind principally apprehends the general entity of the pot – the pot itself – and the mental factors associated with that primary mind principally apprehend the particular attributes of the pot – its various parts.

      There are six types of primary mind: eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness and mental consciousness. The Chittamatrins posit two more primary minds: a consciousness-basis-of-all and a deluded mentality. According to them the consciousness-basis-of-all is a stable consciousness that does not cease at death but maintains the continuity of the person from one life to the next. It is the repository of karmic potentials and the source of all other consciousnesses. The deluded mentality observes the consciousness-basis-of-all and mistakenly apprehends it as a self-supporting, substantially existent self. The Madhyamika-Prasangikas conclusively refute both the consciousness-basis-of-all and the deluded mentality. There are only six types of primary mind because there are only six types of object – forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects and phenomena. Here, ‘phenomena’ means phenomena that appear only to mental awareness.

      The quality of a primary mind depends upon the mental factors that accompany it. If the mental factors are virtuous the primary mind is virtuous, but if the mental factors are non-virtuous or neutral the primary mind is non-virtuous or neutral. Non-virtuous mental factors cause suffering and virtuous mental factors cause peace and happiness. Thus, if we wish to experience lasting peace of mind we must make a determined effort to eliminate non-virtuous mental factors and cultivate virtuous ones.

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