Buddha taught that everything depends upon the mind. To realize this, we must first understand the nature and functions of the mind. At first, this might seem to be quite straightforward since we all have minds and we all know what state our mind is in – whether it is happy or sad, clear or confused, and so on. However, if someone were to ask us what the nature of our mind is and how it functions, we would probably not be able to give a precise answer. This indicates that we do not have a clear understanding of the mind.
Some people think that the mind is the brain or some other part or function of the body, but this is incorrect. The brain is a physical object that can be seen with the eyes and that can be photographed or operated on in surgery. The mind, on the other hand, is not a physical object. It cannot be seen with the eyes, nor can it be photographed or repaired by surgery. The brain, therefore, is not the mind but simply part of the body.
There is nothing within the body that can be identified as being our mind because our body and mind are different entities. For example, sometimes when our body is relaxed and immobile, our mind can be very busy, darting from one object to another. This indicates that our body and mind are not the same entity. In the Buddhist scriptures, our body is compared to a guesthouse and our mind to a guest dwelling within it. When we die, our mind leaves our body and goes to the next life, just like a guest leaving a guesthouse and going somewhere else.
If the mind is not the brain, nor any other part of the body, what is it? It is a formless continuum that functions to perceive and understand objects. Because the mind is formless, or non-physical, by nature, it is not obstructed by physical objects. Thus, it is impossible for our body to go to the moon without travelling in a spaceship, but our mind can reach the moon in an instant just by thinking about it. Knowing and perceiving objects is the uncommon function of the mind. Although we say, ‘I know such and such’, in reality it is our mind that knows. We know things only by using our mind.
There are three levels of mind: gross, subtle, and very subtle. Gross minds include sense awarenesses such as eye awareness and ear awareness, and all strong delusions such as anger, jealousy, attachment, and strong self-grasping ignorance. These gross minds are related to gross inner winds and are relatively easy to recognize. When we fall asleep or die, our gross minds dissolve inwards and our subtle minds become manifest. Subtle minds are related to subtle inner winds and are more difficult to recognize than gross minds. During deep sleep, and at the end of the death process, the inner winds dissolve into the centre of the heart channel wheel inside the central channel, and then the very subtle mind, the mind of clear light, becomes manifest. The very subtle mind is related to the very subtle inner wind and is extremely difficult to recognize. The continuum of the very subtle mind has no beginning and no end. It is this mind that goes from one life to the next and, if it is completely purified by training in meditation, it is this mind that will eventually transform into the omniscient mind of a Buddha.
It is very important to be able to distinguish unpeaceful states of mind from peaceful states. States of mind that disturb our inner peace, such as anger, jealousy, and desirous attachment, are called ‘delusions’. These are the principal causes of all our suffering. We may think that our suffering is caused by other people, by poor material conditions, or by society, but in reality it all comes from our own deluded states of mind. The essence of Dharma practice is to reduce and eventually to completely eradicate our delusions, and to replace them with peaceful, virtuous states of mind. This is the main purpose of training in meditation.
Normally we seek happiness outside ourself. We try to obtain better material conditions, a better job, higher social status, and so on; but no matter how successful we are in improving our external situation, we still experience many problems and much dissatisfaction. We never experience pure, lasting happiness. In his Dharma teachings, Buddha advises us not to seek happiness outside ourself but to establish it within our mind. How can we do this? By purifying and controlling our mind through the sincere practice of Buddhadharma. If we train in this way, we can ensure that our mind remains calm and happy all the time. Then, no matter how difficult our external circumstances may be, we shall always be happy and peaceful.
Even though we work very hard to find happiness, it remains elusive for us, whereas sufferings and problems seem to come naturally, without any effort. Why is this? It is because the cause of happiness within our mind – virtue – is very weak and can give rise to its effect only if we apply great effort, whereas the internal causes of suffering and problems – the delusions – are very strong and can give rise to their effect with no effort on our part. This is the real reason why problems come naturally while happiness is so difficult to find.
From this we can see that the principal causes of both happiness and problems are in the mind, not in the external world. If we were able to maintain a calm and peaceful mind all day long, we would never experience any problems or mental suffering. For example, if our mind remains peaceful all the time, then even if we are insulted, criticized, or blamed, or if we lose our job or our friends, we will not become unhappy. No matter how difficult our external circumstances may become, for as long as we maintain a calm and peaceful mind, the situation will not be a problem for us. Therefore, if we wish to be free from problems there is only one thing to do – learn to maintain a peaceful state of mind by practising Dharma sincerely and purely.