Since the moment of our birth till the present, we set many goals. Some of those goals have been achieved, but we continue to pursue others despite the consequences they could bring. The pursuit of worldly accomplishment will never end, because what we want is really an inner state of peace of happiness that does not come from the outside. The world of duality does not work like a fairy tale in which the prince and princess live happily ever after.

Everlasting happiness comes from the realization of the truth about life.

Each moment, the thought that comes forth in your mind will be perceived as correct and accurate. This is the nature of our thought pattern. However, it does not mean the content of your thought–the ideas and concept–is right. You can believe in one thought and later question it, but your questioning, as a new thought, again becomes the belief you pursue. Thus, we live in the perpetual cycle in which we take each thought to be true and correct.

If we set aside religion, what is there for a human being to do? What is there to believe, and what will you believe? What is the purpose of your life? As living beings, we can have thoughts, and thoughts change constantly. The physical body changes constantly, too. The entire world changes continuously. It is all part of what we call impermanence, which is inevitable. Because everything is subject to constant change, you have two choices in each moment: to make yourself change for the better or allow yourself to become worse?  However, you have just one purpose: to transform your life–including the situation you inhabit right now–for the better. This is the only thing a human being can do. No matter what religion or belief you have, the only path is to make yourself better and better in every single moment. It is an inescapable fact of life, called impermanence. No one, not even the Buddha, can escape it.

Everything we do in life should be for the purpose of improving ourselves. Why do we go to school to learn things? So we can then become better people. Why do you go to a monastery or a church? You do so in order to become a better person. I became a Buddhist because I studied and learned about Buddhism. What was my purpose in becoming a Buddhist? The purpose was not simply to become one. The real purpose was to become a better person.

Reality changes constantly, and every day the world is different. It is impossible to know whether a world war will break out tomorrow. As reality continues to change, we too must change. We can do this because the true nature of the mind is a hundred percent flexible. Look at yourself honestly, though. Right now, your personality and view of reality–the jail of the mind–are stubborn. We define people and things, just as we define everything. These definitions function like the walls of a jail cell, isolating us from what is true. This means the ever-changing reality is always in conflict with your mind’s habitual pattern, which is not flexible enough to accept reality as it is.

When we have anger, when we experience depression,  that means we do not want to accept the reality. However, anger and depression—and any habitual thinking—cannot change reality from what it is. There is always a gap between reality and the habitual thought pattern that tries to redefine the reality. If we do not remove the habitual pattern, we will be trapped between those two opposing forces. The consequences of such an existence are pain and misery.

It is a Zen saying that “the most wonderful mind is like water.” Water can fit into a bottle; water can fit into a river; water can fit into a sewer line; and water can fit into anything. The reality is like water, because it is flexible. If you can make your mind flexible, life will be happier and more enjoyable.

Despite having the potential to be like water, we tend to rely on habitual thought patterns. I create my own pattern, which is based on my experience. However, no habitual thought pattern can properly handle everything that happens. There is a persistent gap between us and reality, and we cannot change our reality.

The only way to change reality is to first accept reality as it is. This is the first step. Usually, we accept our definition of reality but do not accept the true reality. Once we realize that our time-worn habitual pattern does not work–that it’s a vicious, repeating cycle of suffering–we want to be free of it. Once we get a brief glimpse of a higher state, we realize that it is infinitely preferable to our routine, painful existence. Once we see that the tool we use–our habitual pattern–has failed to achieve the goal of happiness, we can let go of attachment to our old thoughts and emotional habits.

One could say that life is cruel, just as life is practical. If you simply want but do not know how to create the life you want, the problems you have faced will return endlessly. You must know what a real life is. You have to see the purpose in your life, or you will be like the blind man who must choose his way at the crossroads. So, you must be honest and introspective. You must face yourself. If you have been right all along, why do you continue to experience so much misery? Why must you continue to suffer now, if you have already suffered in the past? Have you no means to correct the situation? Obviously, you are not always right. If you continue to think, “I am so right,” subconsciously you will believe it. You create a gap between what is true and what you imagine the truth to be.

Remember, thoughts, emotions and feelings are merely tools. You are the one who wields them, so you must master them. After all, who can generate thoughts? You can. Who can generate emotions? You can. If you have taken up wrong tools, put them down immediately because they will ruin your life!

Fundamentally we are free, because the mind is formless. However, out of this formless mind we create a thought pattern and become attached to it. This attachment prevents us from experiencing freedom, so we blind ourselves to the freedom that is already within us. Remember that you are the master of your life. You are the master of your thoughts and feelings, just as you are the warden of the jail within your mind. If you set aside your negative emotions, you will find it is much easier to change your thoughts. Set down the negativity, and positive thoughts will arise in the mind.

You can have a new life, in which you have mastery over thought and emotion. It is essential to realize that you are not what you have always assumed yourself to be. You are much bigger than what you think. You are not simply your thoughts, so fear and suspicion cannot define you. You are not merely your emotions, so anger and sadness cannot control you. You are not just your feelings, so you do not have to respond as they would dictate. Each of us is given the same set of tools, and each of us must use them, or otherwise be used by them. Do not let habitual patterns define reality. Instead, accept the reality that comes from the source of life, and your life will flow like a river of joy.

I. Our Mind Creates Phenomena

Occasionally, a student asks what it means to realize one’s mind. This is a very good question.  First, we should ask ourselves what keeps us alive.  The ability or function that keeps us alive can develop different routes–call them styles–for one’s life.    Actually, it is not the matter of the style that we are living. Instead, it is the matter of what keeps us alive.  We should realize this, since it is very important.  However, if we do not know what keeps us alive, how can we develop the style of living we want?  Every single moment we have breaths and thoughts, and the mind. Because of the mind, it makes each of us a living being.  As a human being, first we should realize what the mind is.

The mind creates your thoughts; the mind reacts to your thoughts and actions; the mind reflects the thoughts it is generating and manifests the thoughts according to the rule of cause and effect.  We should understand and be aware of what the mind is.  The mind creates phenomena.  All the goals or principles in the life of a human being are forms.  They are simply phenomena created by the mind.  In a Christian faith such as Catholicism, God creates the phenomena for us as human beings.  So, the purpose of our life is to realize what makes us living beings; to realize what makes us alive.  Every style of living consists of the phenomena created by one’s mind.  Most practitioners, as human beings, only focus on the phenomena as a means to discern their purpose in life.

We are all pursuing those phenomena right now.  We set a goal, such as, “I want to become rich,” or “I want to become enlightened.”  The route through which we pursue the goal we have set is also the one by which we pursue the phenomena created by the mind.  Somehow, we are deeply involved with phenomena.  We set a phenomenon as our goal, and then we call it the meaning of our life or the purpose of our life.  The phenomenon is therefore subject to the principle of impermanence.  We have already set forth the meaning of our life, or the goal.  In order to achieve that goal, we give it our best efforts.  When we do our best, we tell people, “I am pursuing my dream for the future, and I am accomplishing my goal now.”  We also tell people, “This is the meaning of my life–the pursuit of my chosen goal.”  Most people think this way: pursuing their goals and pursuing their dreams.  We think this is the meaning of our life.

When you were a child, a teacher probably asked you, “What do you want to do in the future, when you grow up?”  You probably replied, “I want to be a scientist, a doctor, a rich person, a famous person, own a big house or a castle, become an actor or actress, or become the President of the United States.”  The goal is already there: the person we want to be and the goal we try to reach.  They have been there since we were kids.

Right now, we are on the way in pursuit of those goals.  This is the reality.  We try to accomplish our dreams, and that effort is the meaning of our life.  Our goal is to be a scientist, a rich person or a famous person; it is our dream, or the meaning of our life.  Without the goal or identity like that of a rich-and-famous person, our life has no meaning.  Is that not so?  If I tell kids that they are not going to be rich people, scientists, actors or presidents, and that instead they are going to be nobodies, will they lose their motivation in life?

So, “yes” is answer to the question of whether one can achieve his dream.  Otherwise, the person will totally lose the meaning of his life.  If we drop all the goals, we will not know where to go.  We will not know the meaning of our life.  In the meantime, when we set the goal of being a famous person, president, scientist, doctor, nurse, or fireman, no matter what, are we pursuing the phenomenon?  Yes, we are.  A rich person is a phenomenon, the president is a phenomenon, and an actor is a phenomenon.  We try to accomplish our goals, but actually we are accomplishing the phenomenon.  When someone accomplishes his dream, his goal or the meaning of his life, he is pursuing phenomena.  Is that not so?  I think that the answer is “Yes.”

II. The Characteristics of Phenomena: Impermanent, Temporary and Changeable

Thus we have the question of how one pursues a goal without pursuing a phenomenon. In other words, we wonder:  “Without pursuing phenomena, what can we do as human beings?  There is no goal for us anymore, because there is no target for us to pursue, so we lose purpose.   ”  Being a practitioner has nothing to do with destroying or eradicating the phenomenon.  One way or the other, we should understand what the phenomenon means.  This is much more important.  As practitioners, we are not trying to destroy or eradicate the phenomenon, because phenomena come and go.

We should therefore realize what the phenomenon means before we set the goal or pursue the meaning of our life.  How are the phenomena formed?  What are the characteristics of phenomena or forms?  The scientist, following his pursuit of that goal, ultimately disappears.  He will pass away, and all his articles will disintegrate in time and space.  In the meantime, as we pursue the goal of becoming a scientist or the president, we pursue the habits or worries of a scientist or a president.  We also pursue something that will be destroyed by time and space.  As human beings, somehow our goal–the meaning of our life, the goal we are pursuing or what we have set forth as the meaning of our life–will disappear or be destroyed by time and space.  If so, after the goal disappears we will try to pursue another one.  Is that not the case?  Yes, it is.  Somehow, we go through life in pursuit of something that will one day disappear.

Could one say that the pursuit of phenomenon is temporary or superficial, just as phenomena are?  As practitioners, we try to uplift ourselves.  But, after uplifting ourselves, what will the world be like?  Does this world have no more phenomena?  The answer is, “No.”  The phenomenon remains.  This is why I mention that we pursue the phenomenon as a goal of our life.  Before we set a goal, we need to realize the rule of impermanence, or the characteristics of the phenomenon.

Ask ourselves four questions:  How is it that the phenomenon is there?  What type of phenomenon is there?  How can we make it happen?  If we do not realize the characteristic of the phenomenon, how can we make it happen?  As practitioners, we are not trying to destroy or eradicate the phenomena, , because the phenomenon is manifested by the mind.  The phenomenon always goes with you.  The phenomenon is the reality, and the phenomenon is manifested by the mind.  If you try to destroy the phenomenon, it means you are trying to destroy your mind.  This is not right. As a practitioner, one tries to elevate himself, uplift himself and purify the mind.  After we do this, our mind will have more ability and capability to create and manifest a better phenomenon for ourselves.  In this way, we can pursue our goal without side effects.  It is because we realize that the phenomenon is passive and created by the mind.

If there is no phenomenon, there is no life.  The phenomenon is impermanent.  Remember, without phenomena there is no life. Life must come with phenomena.

Many practitioners misunderstand the concept.  They assume that they must get rid of all relationships; that they must get rid of everything in the mundane world.  They think this is a mundane world.  Then they try to uplift themselves.  After years and years of trying, they find that they never can leave the phenomena.  The phenomenon always comes with the mind.  If there is no phenomenon, there is no life.  If there is no phenomenon, there is no mind.  It is very important to understand this.

First, realize that the phenomenon is created and manifested by the mind.  I do not mean to say we don’t need to have a goal or a dream. I do not mean that we should not pursue our goals and dreams.  However, we should realize the characteristics of the phenomenon and goal.  Then, after we accomplish our dream or achieve our goal, there will be no side effect for us.  On one hand, we can reach the goal and enjoy it; and on the other hand we have no side effect.  Otherwise, if we do not realize that phenomena are created by the mind, eventually you will feel very disappointed because you are pursuing something that is empty.  You are not pursuing something, but instead you are pursuing a void because of impermanence.

You need to realize that phenomena are created by the mind, and every single person possesses a mind.  Phenomena are created.  This is a very important point.   Once you realize that you possess the mind–that the mind can generate, create and manifest the phenomenon–you can have your goal and more fully realize the meaning of your life.  Otherwise, you pursue something that will ultimately be destroyed by time and space.  For example, when you studied in elementary school, you did so in the hope of attending a good high school.  Then, as you neared the end of your high school studies, you wanted to apply to a well known college or university.  This is the goal.  The goal is similar to the meaning of life.  After you graduated from the college or university, what was left?  So, we continue the pursuit of goals, one after another, but each goal is created by the mind.  In this case, it means that everything we pursue in life–such as elementary school, high school and college–is impermanent, ultimately with nothing left.

As a human being, if you do not realize the mind and what the meaning of your life is, you will not understand the process.  You just repeat the process over and over again, lifetime after lifetime.  It is one in which we achieve a goal and then the goal disappears; we then achieving another goal and then that goal disappears.  How many goals have we set, and how many have we achieved?  Do you think your life is becoming much better?  Some goals are probably helpful, but some are not.  Therefore, it is very important to realize the characteristics of phenomena.  They are impermanent, changeable and temporary.

A student came to me after he had studied the sutra.  He said all phenomena are illusions and therefore subject to impermanence.  He said they are not real.   I asked the student that if, in this world, one cannot find one real thing except the fake phenomenon,  “isn’t the fake one real?”  Some practitioners misunderstand, and as a result they try to get rid of phenomena.  This is not what the Buddha told us.  One way or another, we try to make phenomena better and create a better phenomenon for ourselves.  It is because we live with phenomena.  The thought, the physical body and the relationship are all phenomena.  Without phenomena, there is no life or relationship.  Without phenomena, there is nothing.  So, we must live with better phenomena.  This is the meaning of life.  But, how can you make it so?  How is that possible?  Remember, phenomena are created, and we have the ability to create them.  Each of us possesses a mind, and it creates phenomena.  In the meantime, as we pursue our goal, it is a process through which our mind creates phenomenon for us.

A mind is like a big machine. We need to keep the machine in good shape. Otherwise, we can only create and produce defective products.

III. Open the Mind, Open the Realm: Better Mind, Better Phenomena; Better Phenomena, Better Mind

If you cannot put down your self-attachment and lift yourself up from the bottom of your mind, you will never change your life.  If you cannot change the basis of thinking in your mind, you will remain the same.  The better the phenomenon is, the better the mind is.  The better the mind is, the better the phenomenon will be.

If our life has been tied down by phenomena, such as relationship troubles or certain situations, we are already tied down by the thinking pattern in mind.  We do not know how to open the realm, and consequently our practice has nothing to do with getting rid of phenomena.  As a real practitioner, you should be able to open the realm.  Before you try to open the realm, open your mind.   Open your mind first, and then you will be able to open the realm.  Once you have opened the realm, you can create a better phenomenon.

Of course, we need to live with phenomena.  Thoughts are phenomena.  Can you live without thoughts?  That is impossible.  Can you live without your physical body?  That is impossible, too.  Can you live without relationships?  No, they are essential.  This is why we have an obligation to uplift ourselves in order to live better.  Many practitioners think they are focused on the mind, but they have failed to realize what the mind is. Phenomena are like prints made by the mind.  Realize the mind through the form.  As everyday people, we should at least know this concept.  Many practitioners ignore the phenomena, so they can never learn from them.

Phenomena are like prints made by the mind.  Realize the mind through the form.  As everyday people, we should at least know this concept.  Many practitioners ignore the phenomena, so they can never learn from them.  Some try to get rid of phenomena and tell other practitioners, “I don’t care about phenomena.  I can practice well, and my practice is very good.”  Such people are trying to walk blindly, pretending they can do so.  This is not right.  This is not the meaning of practice.

Phenomena are prints of our mind.  The better the mind is, the better the phenomena are; the better the phenomena are, the better the mind will be.  This is the principle.  If you can follow, understand and realize this principle, you will have a better life.  Once you realize this, you can set any goal you like without a side effect.  You will know how to live with happiness, how to live in joy and how to enjoy life.  Otherwise, it will be as if you are trying to walk with your eyes covered.

Sometimes it can be difficult to practice meditation with mindfulness, especially with all the things that go on in our lives. Sometimes, one might feel tired after a day’s work, so at the time set aside for meditation one cannot keep from falling asleep. This happens occasionally. However, you can get up a bit earlier in the morning and practice before you go to work. Then, at noontime, you can practice during your break. It is okay to sit in a chair during your meditation.  If you have five minutes, you practice for five minutes. If you have ten minutes, you practice for ten minutes. At least, you need to have some quiet time to practice each day, either in the morning or in the evening. After you get up in the morning, you can practice. Then, in the evening you can practice again before you go to bed.

We feel tired after a day’s work, so we tend to fall asleep when we try to practice meditation. This is a normal thing. If you want to practice meditation after a day’s work, you still can do so. You can practice yoga before seated meditation, or you can do some exercises to move your body and relax your body. Then you can start meditation. If you sense that you will fall asleep after ten minutes, try moving or swaying your body to stay awake and then continue your practice. However, if you still fall asleep once, twice or even three times, my suggestion is to go hug your pillow. This is very important since we need some pressure to practice.

I used to tell my students we need thirty percent pressure when we practice. Without pressure, you can never grow. It is because you always follow the old path, but the old path is the wrong one. It is like driving a car: You try to change your path. What can you do? Hit the brakes, right? First, when you hit the brakes, heat is produced. It is the same way when you want to change the course of your daily life. Sometimes you feel uncomfortable. Some people feel uncomfortable when they practice meditation, so they quit right away. They tell themselves “this is not right.” However, you should remind yourself that change is your goal. The thought is yourself, the feeling is yourself, the emotion is yourself and the physical body is yourself. Now you try to change yourself. It is like trying to make a turn while driving: You need to hit the brakes first. Otherwise, if you drive too fast and try to make a turn, there will be the risk of danger.

If we want to change the course of our life, we need to pass thirty percent pressure. We need the ability to handle that much pressure. Some people feel pain in the body when they practice meditation. They have back pain, leg pain, and pains everywhere, but they think it is not right because the master said that meditation can heal the physical body and make the mind calm. They tell themselves, “When I practice meditation and experience pain, I feel uncomfortable and I feel a lot of emotion. This cannot be right.” Let me tell you, it is completely right! Please be sure of this! At the very beginning, we will experience some uncomfortable situations. This is very normal. For example, we all know that smoking is not a good habit. So you try to quit your smoking habit. In the very beginning, do you feel comfortable or not? You will probably have to chew gum throughout the day. You have no choice. You are trying to change the cause, which is the pattern you have created. In the very beginning, it causes problems.

We can say that we have two types of problems in life. One type of problem makes you grow up, and the other type causes you to have more problems. If you carry a defective personality, it is a problem. You carry many problems around with you, and you want to dissolve those problems, but you only make more of a mess. This kind of problem is very harmful. However, once we realize ourselves and see that we need to practice, we start doing so. In the beginning, meditation will cause some uncomfortable feelings, including in the physical body and the mind. This is something that can be overcome. Once we overcome the problem, it means we are on the right path. This is the right thing to do.

Practitioners can be deluded sometimes. They can have misconceptions. For example, one might think it is okay to lie down, listen to music or do anything one wants, as long as one is comfortable. This idea is right, but is also wrong. Yes, we need to adjust. The purpose of adjusting ourselves is to change ourselves. You’re used to listening music, and maybe your teacher told you listen to music so that your body would relax. One thing I want to point out is that many young people carry iPods all the time, and one might think their minds are very calm. Of course, that is true in a way. But without music, they become crazy, right? The same thing applies here: If you used to listen to music during practice, what will you do after the music is turned off? Is your mind still calm? It probably isn’t calm. If so, could you carry a radio or iPod all the time to make your mind calm? This is not the right thing to do.

To practice is to get rid of habitual thinking patterns. We are not trying to buy some more equipment such as a radio or speakers for us to carry and attain calmness of mind. This is not right. Sometimes, listening to music works for us. It works only on some levels, though. It does not work all the time, either. When your mind is moody and you have huge emotions, at that moment, it probably helps to listen to music. However, if your mind is calm and you try to make your mind calmer, the music probably becomes an interruption. It can disturb your mind instead. It is all relative. It is not that listening to music is always bad. It depends. Before we have calmness in mind we must go through some situations that are uncomfortable for the body. This is normal. So, you can practice in the morning. At office, if you have five minutes you can practice then. You can sit in a chair and practice. If you have ten minutes, you can still practice. If you want to practice in the evening, it is doable; it is okay. When you fall asleep, wake yourself up and try to practice again. If you still fall asleep, go to bed.

When we talk about practice, we are talking about adjustment. If we have the ability to adjust our emotions and moods, it means we have flexibility. We can generate a different thought to fit the reality. It is essential to have flexibility.

In Zen practice, there is a saying: “The most wonderful mind is like water.” If you pour water in a cup, it becomes water in a cup. The water in the river is water in the river. If your mind is soft enough, your mind can fit into all kinds of realities without emotion–only joy and happiness. This is a very important idea. No one can help you in regard to a single thought, nor can anyone keep you from generating a thought.  Only you can generate your thoughts. If you do not know how to adjust your thoughts, problems will occur.

Our friends, family members, colleagues only serve as helpers, or facilitators. We are the only persons who can really help ourselves. If you are in a bad mood, even if ten people massage your physical body, you will never show a happy face if you have burdens or a mind filled with worries. And you will not feel happy if you still refuse to put down your emotions. Remember, as long as you generate even a single happy thought, you will show a happy face. One single thought coming from your mind is much stronger, bigger and more useful than anyone else or any outside phenomena. Your one single thought can beat ten people’s arms. How powerful the thought is! Let go of your worries; let go of your wandering thoughts. This is the key to happiness in life.

To adjust is to have flexibility. All thoughts are generated within one’s own mind. We need to learn how to handle our thoughts, otherwise we will not fulfill the pursuit of happiness. We all have different types of worries, since we all have different types of problems. It is because we are human beings. I used to tell students, “If you want to get rid of a human being’s problems, the only way is not to be a human being.” This is the only way. For example, if you were a dog, would you have the problems of a human being? Consider the question of how to get rid of one’s temper, or, in other words how to get rid of angry emotions. Do not allow yourself to become a person who is easily angered. If you continually allow yourself to generate angry thoughts, how can you get rid of angry emotions? It will be impossible! However, when you generate a single happy thought, you will be a different person. You will immediately rid yourself of the angry emotion. This is the way to dissolve the problems in daily life.

People tend to think they have bad luck and that all the troubles come to them. We can easily feel this way, but it is wrong to do so. Each of us is an individual with a mind; a mind that generates  negative thoughts opens similar doors and encounters similar problems. It is not true that the problem comes to us.

So, when I generate angry thoughts, I compel my mind to keep generating them. Do you ask yourself why it is that you get mad so easily? It is because you allow yourself to keep generating angry thoughts. This is the only answer. So, if you do not want to have the problems a human has, do not be a human. You can become a heavenly being instead. When you have all the good thoughts and all the good deeds, you will become a heavenly being despite having the form of a human. When you generate an evil thought, you are doing what a bad person does, but it has nothing to do with whether you are handsome or beautiful. Inside your physical body, if you are generating an evil thought, you are evil. If you are a very ugly person and your mind generates a good thought, you are already a nice person. You are an angel. It has nothing to do with form. People are so easily misled and cheated by form. Our mind and thoughts decide where and who we can be. It has nothing to do with one’s physical form.

Practice must be continuous. It is not as if one goes to the Zen hall and practices for an hour, and then plays for ten hours before coming back to meditate again. We unconsciously cultivate our habits in our daily lives. The more we generate the thought, the more powerful the thought will become. This is a principle that applies to both the positive and negative sides.

Unfortunately, most of the time in daily life we unconsciously cultivate the negative side of our habits. Ten minutes, half an hour or one hour of meditation would have difficulty dissolving what we have accumulated in the course of a day.

How many hours do we need for our stomach to digest a meal? It is similar in the case of meditation. During the day, when we see things, we eat through our eyes; when we hear someone talking, we eat through our ears. We also eat through our feelings. In one day, we eat a lot. We eat tons of food, in this sense. We eat a lot of garbage. How much time is needed to digest it? People ask me, “Master, can I practice from ten minutes?” I reply, “You must practice at least ten minutes.” What can you do in ten minutes? If you do not want to spend time to calm your mind, you will spend more time dealing with the problems caused by a wild mind.

Sometimes, people say they are so busy. Actually they are trying to handle life with a stormy mind. Yes, of course they are busy. But one might have done a lot without achieving good results. Why does this happen? What is the reason? With a calm mind, you will be very productive. In one day, how many thoughts do you have? They are countless! How many thoughts do you need in order to finish your task in your office or at home? About thirty percent of our thought is enough to finish the day’s work. The rest of our thought is wasted. We constantly waste our energy.

Consider, then, that every single thought is energy, and that we alone create that energy. We have a saying: “The human mind is the most inefficient factory in the world.” It is because we constantly turn out products that are semi-finished or defective. However, we still tell people how busy we are. You are busy creating worries, which is different from being productive.

Accept the reality. The reality tells us if we are right or wrong.

Students occasionally ask me about how to prepare for meditation. In reply, I ask a question: Do you need to prepare to generate an angry thought? Then, you do not need to prepare. You just meditate.”

Such a student might also ask, “Is there a goal I should have in my meditation?” Yes, you can set a goal, which is to have a calm mind. You need to practice gradually. As I have often said, if you have five minutes, practice five minutes. Later on, you can increase the time to six minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, and so on. No matter how many minutes are available, it is okay as long as you can reach calmness. If you practice only one minute and can make your mind calm in that amount of time, congratulations! It is similar to when a person tries to make money. You go to work and earn money. If you do not earn money for working, then why do you go to work? Why do you go to your office? You need to have a goal or a purpose for your practice. If you cannot achieve your goal or purpose, why do you practice? There is no point, otherwise. Simply do your best and you will have wonderful results.

If we cannot attain the result we want, we need to check ourselves to see if the process is wrong, the idea is wrong or the method is wrong. Then, we must try again. The results tell us whether correction is needed. A smart person follows the reality, accepts the reality and changes himself, while a person with a very rigid mind challenges the reality. The reality is the truth, and the reality has already told us what the truth is. So, all the conversations and ideas about reality are useless. They are assumptions; they are not real. The reality is real, and it is there. A smart person will do some introspection to check himself and see if he has made any mistakes. He will ask himself why he cannot reach the destination.  Because he has not reached the goal, he will check to see if he made a mistake in the very beginning.

So, smart people will accept the reality and check themselves in order to have the right reality and right results. When we accept the reality, then we are able to change ourselves. Do not challenge the reality, but instead make the right efforts in order to get the right results.  It is not right to challenge the reality. Challenging the reality only wastes your energy and creates too many wandering thoughts. It is unnecessary.

Remember, the reality tells you if you are right or wrong. It has nothing to do with your explanations. Let’s say you have started a company. You do so much and you try so hard, but you make no money. What is the meaning of your effort? The reality tells you if you are right or wrong.

For example, you feel uncomfortable; you are ill. You have negative thoughts in your mind. You should check yourself in order to recover from the illness. Some people start to complain when they get ill. “If you are in a bad mood, you are already wrong. We do not need to tell anyone, nor do we need to complain.

Smart people check themselves and change themselves from within. Think about this. If you do not change your personality, attitudes and thinking patterns, even though the whole world changes you will still have suffering. So, it has nothing to do with outside things.

Accept the reality. The reality tells us if we are right or wrong.

In Zen Buddhism we talk about sitting Zen, which is commonly called sitting or quiet sitting but also Zen sitting. None of the methods and ideas of sitting Zen deviates from the purpose of restraining all the phenomena created by the mind. Without the mind, there is no phenomenon. For every function arises from the mind, there is a corresponding phenomenon that is instantaneously experienced and felt. All forms are the expressions of the mind: Delusional mind function begets delusional phenomenon, pure mind functions begets pure phenomenon. Joy, anger, sadness, happiness and even nirvana work the same way.

Reality and Delusions Are Dependent on the State of the Observer:

‘Horizontal view is the mountain range, side view is its peak’

Wandering thoughts, delusional thoughts, mindless thoughts, emotions and feelings are all attachments and confused functions of the mind. Without the mind, there is no vexation, delusion, cycle of rebirth or anything else. Illusion comes from the mind, as does reality. All phenomena and things are produced by the mind. The mind can produce Buddha, and it can produce sentient beings. If Buddha and bodhisattva are considered real, the sentient beings in the six realms of the cycle of rebirth are illusions created through delusion and attachments. Without the mind, no form of existence, whether real or illusory, can be established. Only through the mind can there be the feelings and life of what we call a sentient being. Only through the mind can there be changes of thought and changes of phenomena, which make possible the cycle of rebirth.

Attachments, vexations and emotions are created by the mind. Awareness and ignorant thoughts are also created by the mind, and the conscious and subconscious levels are created by the mind. If you leave the mind, there will be neither reality nor illusion, because the mind is their substratum. The mind transcends reality and illusion, but reality and illusion cannot exist without the mind. If the mind has confusion, attachment, delusion or vexation, it is like a mirror covered with dust. When the mind is covered and confused, this condition results in illusion, distortion and vexation. It begets the cycle of life and death.

If the mind is pure–when it is free of ego, confusion or attachment–whatever it manifests is reality or, in other words, eternity, joy, the self and purity. Thus the cycle of rebirth ends. Like a mirror without dust, the reflected world is clear and undistorted. Because it is clear and undistorted, any attempt to correct distortion is unnecessary. The six realms and the cycle of rebirth exist because the mind is polluted. They are the result of the distorted functioning of the mind, and it cannot directly manifest according to the mind’s intrinsic principle. That is why we say the cycle of rebirth is a condition of life caused by distortion and misunderstanding.

If we do not understand the functioning principle of the mind, our reality will be distorted. Consequently, we must work to resolve these distortions. This work is necessary, because our lives are of our own making, and that is why there is life and death, or the cycle of rebirth. If the principle by which we abide does not conform to the mind’s intrinsic principle, it is like “forcing a square peg into a round hole,” as discussed by the founding Zen master. It is impossible to insert a square peg into a round hole. The six realms and the cycle of rebirth are conditions of life caused by the failure to understand the mind. They are caused by the mind’s confusion and attachment, and by ignorance in regard to the nature of things. We may say the purpose of the six realms and the cycle of rebirth is to learn, or that they are the wheel-turning and grasping caused by a lack of understanding and one’s attempts to seek reality outside the mind. When we lack clarity, we submit to the cyclical turning of life and death, in which there will be suffering.

Suffering is caused by the inability to calmly abide in the principle of the mind. It results from the inability to resolve the mind’s delusional and distorted functions. Even though the six realms and the cycle of rebirth are caused by the mind’s delusions and distortions, they are still creations of the mind. They are expressions of its confusion, and thus they cannot be separated from the mind. To experience liberation is to know one’s mind; to return to and calmly live according to the principles of the mind; to become enlightened to one’s mind essence; and to use one’s intrinsically pure mind to make real, unsullied and undistorted manifestations. Thus liberation is spiritual attainment, the departure from suffering and the attainment of happiness. It is the absence of life and death and the cycle of rebirth. It is nirvana, and it is life’s reality. If we want to reach this kind of goal, we must practice diligently….

To READ MORE, please see the “Zen Meditation Guide” by Zen Master Miao Tsan

The mind has no form. Thoughts are energy, material things are energy, and reality is energy. Thoughts come from the mind, and reality comes from the mind. Therefore, in the whole universe there is only one cause, one creator: your mind.

Thoughts are not the cause that results in the reality, because thoughts are generated by the mind. A thought is one tiny part of the overall picture. Where the thought is, the reality is there also. This is because thought and reality are energy. They cannot be separated. One might say that we change the reality when we change the thought. They come together. If you can change your thoughts, it means  that you can change your mind’s pattern of delivery or manifestation.

Therefore, if you can change your thought, you can change the thinking pattern in your mind. This thinking pattern in your mind is one that you use to deliver energy outward. The thinking pattern in the mind is like a piping system through which you deliver all types of energy and manifest your reality. A thought is created. Where a thought is, there is manifestation also. It is similar to saying, “Where the head is, the physical body is also.” It is not to say that your head causes your physical body. There is only one cause, which is the mind.

However, there must be skillful means to help people understand. Initially, if you state that the mind has no form but can create everything, people feel confused. They cannot understand this concept. Now, if you tell people that you have a thought, followed by an action and then a result, it is easier for them to understand. That is why I say that by changing your thought, you are able to change your result. By changing your thoughts, you are able to change your future. It is because the mind has no form.

Let me ask you aquestion: Can you say, “When I change my mind, I change my future?” People think this way, as if to say that the mind is the cause. “By changing my mind, I change the whole universe.” It sounds reasonable. So, let us pursue the idea further. The mind is the first cause and only cause, and it can manifest all reality and energy combinations. By changing your mind, you are able to change your future. However, if the mind has no form, where is the spot you can stand on? Where is it? This is the answer: There is no spot.

A person simply realizes, “I am going to change my mind, and by doing so I can change everything.” Still, the mind has no form. How can you change the mind if it has no form? Nevertheless, the mind functions. You cannot see the function of the mind. So, the mind generates a thought, and by making the transition to a different thought you “change your mind.” By changing the creation of your mind, the assumption is that you “change” your mind. The mind has no form. How can you change something that has no form?

Be honest, and ask yourself a question: How can you change your mind? The function of your mind is completely equal to the function of Buddha’s mind or that of someone else. By changing and creating different thoughts, different realities or different phenomena, we change the mind.

Now I am using my mind, and based on the function of my mind, it is generating an angry thought. Can you change this function of your mind? You cannot. Can you change the intrinsic ability of your mind? Again, it is impossible. However, when your mind is generating another happy thought, we say that you are changing your mind. A different thought means a different angle; it is a different tube amid the piping system of the mind. You will be able to deliver a different energy, and this is why we say, “Change your thoughts and you will be able to change your life.” To change your thoughts is the only way to “change your mind.”

A thought is a form of energy.  Each thought causes a brainwave, which has its own energy wave. A physical body and material things are also energy. They are energy forms; energy cannot be separated. I try to make this idea clear to people, because it is very useful. When you have a thought, you will have an action that produces a result, or a reaction. A thought is first, followed by an action and then the result. The concept that everything happens simultaneously can be difficult for people–beginners, especially–to understand..

The mind has no form, but the mind is the creator. The concept of a creator must have some conditions. In other words, the creator exists everywhere and can manifest everything simultaneously; the creator generates everything but has no form. No matter if this creator is the God of Islam, Christianity or another religious faith, the concept of God presents certain conditions. Without those conditions, it cannot be.

Buddhism states that every single person possesses a Buddha nature. This means that in the future, no matter how far forward it might be, you will become a Buddha. It is because this nature of yours is completely like the nature of the Buddha. The Buddha nature is intrinsic to every person. Thus the Buddha nature is the creator. You can say the concept of Buddha nature equates to the concept of God in Buddhism. In Zen Buddhism, however, we avoid the terminology “Buddha” or “Buddha nature” but instead use the idea of the Mind. The function or ability of the Mind is  equal to the idea of Buddha nature, or to the idea of God.

So, this is the difference between Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. For example, in Catholic society or Muslim society, God is the only one. In Buddhism or Zen practice, the mind of every single person is God. This means that every single person needs to take responsibility for what he or she has already done. Each person needs to take responsibility for what he or she faces. It is because you are the creator and you create your own reality. This is completely different from other religions. Therefore, in Buddhism it is called Buddha nature. In Zen, we call it the Mind.

Let me help you to clear up an idea. In the book, Just Use This Mind, I use the pure “Mind” with a capital “M” and the mundane human mind with a small “m.” You have your mind, and a Buddha has his. What distinguishes the two? What makes your mind different from Buddha’s? The function and ability of your mind are completely the same as the Buddha’s. They are equal. However, in Buddha’s Mind it is pure. There is no attachment or ego, so it is like a spotless, dust-free mirror. An everyday person’s mind is like a clear mirror as well, but there is dust on it. However, even with dust on the mirror, the mirror’s function remains.  When the mirror has dust, it manifests a distorted reality. So, in the book, Just Use This Mind, the functions of the Mind and mind are the same. The mind, however, belongs to an everyday person, and consequently there is dust and self-attachment. The eyes of the Buddha’s Mind do not see through colored lenses, but the eyes of the ordinary person do. When your eyes are shaded with colored lenses, the reality is distorted. The eyes are clear, but their vision is hindered by colorful glasses. This is what we refer to as the mundane mind.

What is the difference between the mundane mind and Buddha’s Mind? Buddha’s Mind is a mind without illusions and attachments, and a mundane mind is burdened by illusions. There is a saying: “The Buddha is an everyday person without worries and attachments. The everyday person is a Buddha with a lot of worries.” This is an important idea. Besides the mundane mind, can you find a pure mind? You cannot.  However, within the mundane mind exists a pure Mind. So the practice of Zen has only one goal: to get rid of the pollutants that cloud one’s perception like the dust on a mirror. Our practice does not try to create a pure mind but instead to get rid of illusions and attachments. It is like removing all the dust that covers the mirror. This is the only purpose.  In Zen, we emphasize enlightenment. If you try to achieve enlightenment, this is a good purpose and a wonderful goal in your practice. The key is to let go of your attachments. You cannot carry your ego and self-attachments with you and achieve enlightenment. It cannot be done.

Enlightenment is a status of your mind. What kind of status is it? Enlightenment is the purity and tranquility of the mind. When your mind is tranquil, pure and aware, it is in the state of enlightenment. People have illusions, such as, “I am practicing,” or “I am trying to achieve enlightenment.” This is a good idea, but how can one make it a reality? By letting go of attachments and letting go of the dust that covers the mirror, you will manifest a shining reflection of the truth. This is the meaning of enlightenment.

Thoughts come and go, and the physical body is a combination of energy. The physical body changes constantly. Can thoughts or the physical body be used to achieve enlightenment? They cannot. When your mind manifests its own intrinsic purity, enlightenment is achieved. It has nothing to do with your physical body or your thoughts, because thoughts are created and generated. Purity of mind has nothing to do with one’s emotions, worries or thoughts, nor does it have anything to do with your physical body. Intrinsically, every single person’s mind is born with this purity, but we have attachments, which in turn pollute the purity of the mind. The right thing to do is to let go of the pollutants, or the attachments in the mind. Many practitioners delude themselves and think they are practicing meditation, reciting sutras, practicing mindfulness and trying to achieve enlightenment. Such achievement is the right idea, but somehow it is also the wrong idea. People have the wrong idea, because they are subject to deep self-attachment. When you say “to achieve,” who is trying to achieve enlightenment? Be honest with yourself: Who is trying to achieve enlightenment?  You will say, “I am trying to achieve enlightenment,” but let me ask you, “Who is the real ‘I’”? Ask yourself this question.

It is the ego, of course. You assume that the thought, ego and body will eventually achieve enlightenment. To make this assumption is to put more dust on the mirror. If you practice this way, you only create more pollution within your mind. This is why I say that people have illusions in regard to practicing. They think they should “try” to achieve. They carry their self-attachments as they try to achieve something. It is like putting more of a burden on your shoulders and then forcing yourself to walk faster. This is unattainable.

So, when we talk about achieving enlightenment we really mean letting go of attachments in the mind. The idea of letting go of attachments in the mind means that thoughts vanish as soon as they appear. They come and go instantaneously. Do not follow them. For example, when you see food on the table, you generate a first thought: “It is good food.” Your second thought is, “I want to have some of it.“  Then after that you create thoughts continuously. Instead, when a thought appears, just let it go. Thoughts will come and go, so do not pursue them. That is why, when wandering thoughts appear during our practice of meditation, we do not follow them. Otherwise, we will lose our focus and instead create more wandering thoughts. When we practice, we try to manifest purity; the intrinsic purity of the mind. This is the purpose, and this is the goal. Thoughts come and go; combinations of energy and the physical body occur and change constantly. However, every phenomenon–each thought and every energy combination–exists only temporarily in the moment.

Let us return to the idea that the mind has no form. There is a saying, “If you think that ‘I’ achieve enlightenment, it means you never achieve enlightenment.” This is because you are still attached to the concept of “I.” If someone truly achieves enlightenment, he can say he has done so. It is okay. However, for the everyday person to say, “I have achieved enlightenment,” the attachment to the concept of “I” denies it. A better way to say “achieving enlightenment” is to say “manifesting the purity of your mind.” This is the goal. We are here to practice, not to create the purity of the mind; we are here to let go of attachments in order to manifest that purity.

All thoughts originate from ego. This is the concept. First, one should remember that the mind is formless. The mind is the source of all phenomena and the source of all manifestations. The mind is the creator, but this creator has no form. When you can manifest a formless mind, you reach enlightenment. You are not subject to reincarnation and ego, which is true liberation. You can do everything free of any attachment. We have a saying: “Enlighten your mind and dwell on nothing; hold nothing.” The Mind is formless, but it does everything for us. Remember this concept.

Consider the measurement of brainwaves in a hospital. Different thoughts cause different brainwaves, but the specialists cannot tell where your brainwaves come from or where your thoughts come from. It is because the Mind is formless. It is not the “energy” type, because energy has form but the mind does not. Your thoughts have form, just as your physical body does. The Mind, however, has no form.

Let us compare it with other religions: God exists everywhere, but God has no form; God creates everything. This way, it is easier to understand. Let me ask you a question: What can exist everywhere? Only emptiness can. Do you think a form could exist everywhere? It cannot, because form is a combination of energies.

We are mundane. Our habits have been present since long, long ago. From the formless mind, it will manifest the phenomena corresponding to its own actions. When your mind generates a single thought, it is of the “energy” type. When your mind is working, it simultaneously manifests in the direction that corresponds to how the mind is working for you. Appearance and disappearance take place at the same time. Phenomena appear and disappear; energy appears and disappears; and appearance and disappearance occur simultaneously. When I clap, the sound appears and disappears simultaneously. The formless Mind, however, means there is no single direction. When your mind is working for you, following some specific direction, the habitual thinking pattern is evident. When a habitual thinking pattern exists, no matter when your mind is working for you, it is only following a specific thinking pattern. That pattern is habitual thinking.

We refer to the combination of habitual thinking patterns as go.Ego is not one identity, though. Ego is the way your mind works through your habitual thinking pattern. When your mind is working through your habitual thinking pattern, it means you insist on your thoughts and habitual thinking patterns. This is ego. The habitual thinking pattern means that, when you see something, you say “this is that” and immediately recognize it as such. It is from your thinking pattern, so it is not real. Ego is evident when your mind works this way. The habitual thinking pattern is there, ego is there, and illusion is there. A habitual thinking pattern will distort reality.

Remember, we most often fail to see the truth. Instead, we see our own definitions.

You might say, “I heard someone say the truth.” No. In fact, you have simply heard your own definition of the truth. Your mind works through your habitual thinking pattern, and your mind is working through your ego. However, ego is not one thing. It is not something concrete that you can hold. When your mind works through your habitual thinking pattern, ego and illusions are created. You insist that you are right no matter where your thinking pattern might originate. When you meet a person and your mind generates a thought, you think, “This is a particular kind of person. The thought comes from your experience and habitual thinking pattern. Do you think this person matches your definition of who you think he or she is? No, because we distort the reality.

People often say they are telling the truth or seeing the truth. Actually, they are simply referring to what is in their mind. This is the only truth in that regard. A person will always tell you what is in his or her mind, but he or she can never tell you the truth. Only the person without ego can tell you what the truth is.