It has been transmitted that Shakyamuni Buddha said, purify your mind. It has been transmitted that Shakyamuni Buddha said, refrain from all evil. Do all that is good. Purify your mind. This is the teaching of all Buddhas. To whom is Chakyamuni Buddha speaking in this way? To whom is Shakyamuni Buddha speaking when he says, purify him? At first one might suppose that he is addressing one who thinks that there is an independent self who can act on his own in such a way as to refrain from all evil.

[01:19]

and practice all good. Finally, this one might suppose that this self would be able to purify its own mind. If one thinks that she exists independently and can act on her own, then certainly the best way for her to proceed is to do refraining from all evil and practicing all good. This would be the best karmic approach. This would be the height of the world. If one were to dedicate oneself in that way, then one would somehow apply one's karmic consciousness with the goal of purifying it.

[02:45]

by using some dualistic karmic strategy to purify the mind. Which could be pure or impure from the outset. I will try wish well anyone who attempts that course. It's hard for me, actually, because I see the disaster ahead. The disaster of trying

[03:50]

yourself to purify your mind by your selfish dualistic intentions. For bodhisattvas, to purify the mind ultimately means to clear away all impulses to achieve and dwell in purity. to clear away all impulses to improve oneself and purify oneself. In clearing away these self-improvement, self-purification agendas, one must be gentle and gracious.

[04:57]

These impulses to purify our own mind are to be set aside, and the setting aside needs to be careful and respectful. Setting aside our ancient karmic tendencies. to purify and benefit ourselves is like retiring an old tool that is no longer appropriate to our present goals, like training wheels on a bicycle. They may be useful at a certain point, but giving them up may promote the development of greater skill and freedom in writing.

[06:11]

Using crutches for getting about on land or sea may be helpful and even healthful in recovering from some injuries or diseases. Still, the time may come when it's best for us to set aside these crutches and walk on our own two feet. Even get used to our crutches and find it quite difficult to give them up. We're grateful to them for their services. Perhaps sorry to see them put in some old closet and get all dusty. They were such good friends for a while. Even though now we can run and dance, still we may not have completely given up the habit of using crutches.

[07:30]

If we feel sad about our obsolete, that sadness is good because it helps us let them go. Some of us have a deeply established habit of self-improvement. To let it go would be difficult even if you saw, even if you understood that it was no longer useful or appropriate. Even because of habitual use, which was sad. But the sadness is good. It shows you're starting to recognize and let go.

[08:38]

Which also means to let go of the habit of thinking of ourselves as able to act independently. It may be difficult for us to let go of any habits of purifying ourselves, of purifying our karmic consciousness. worldly existence. There seems to be some idea consciousness should be cleaned up.

[10:02]

Gotten rid of or perhaps revealing some silver lining that we could depend on. Giving up such self-improving intentions, even if you see the logic in such renunciation. In being upright, from this start, one is not concerned with mind. In being upright, one is not concerned with purity.

[11:16]

This lack of concern for our own purity is the short course on purifying your mind. One day, the great teacher Guishan asked his luminous disciple, Yangshan, if someone suddenly appears and asks about the teaching that all sentient beings just have karmic consciousness, boundless and unclear, with no fundamental to rely on. How would you test and prove this in experience?

[12:27]

Yangshan said, if someone comes, I would say, hey you! When he turns his head, I would say, what is it? If he hesitates, I would say, not only do they only have karmic consciousness, boundless and unclear, but there's no fundamental to rely on. Good boy. This is how Yangshan and Guishan test and see if a monk is being upright.

[13:43]

In the midst of being a sentient being, of only having karmic consciousness, a mental to rely on, When called to, when asked, what is it? How will you respond? Will you hesitate? Will you look for some fundamental to get the answer from? When called to, hey you, the head turns. This is just karmic consciousness. That's all it is. It's boundless. It's unclear. However, like that, you're not reaching for a fundamental to rely on. You're not looking for something deeper than your deluded mind to answer the call.

[14:53]

You just turn your head. At that moment, You have not done anything more than responding karmically. If you don't speak English, you will not know what they're talking about and your head won't turn. And your head not turning is also karmic punishment. You're just a robot. You're totally unclear, and there's no end to it, and there's not something deep down that you can reach to promote yourself above being a karmic robot. When you turn your head, that's all there is. You're perfectly upright, and your mind is pure. When asked, then you look, oh, now I'm supposed to give a good answer.

[16:04]

Now I'm supposed to say something profound. Where will I get it? You're completely lost. You're completely lost, looking for some fundamental to rely on. It's not that you're defiled at that moment. It's just that you're looking for the pure answer. There's nothing wrong with you. It's just you think there is. And you're looking for something to give a good answer and prove you're alright. A monk asked the Zen teacher, There is in the Avatamsaka Sutra the saying that the fundamental affliction of ignorance is itself the immutable knowledge of all Buddhas.

[17:17]

very profound and difficult to understand. Nanyang said, oh yeah, it seems easy to... The monk said, please explain. Nanyang said, see that boy over there sweeping? The monk said, yeah. He said, watch this. The boy turned his head. Then Nanyang said, What is Buddha? The boy hesitated and stumbled off in bewilderment. Nanyang said, When he turned his head, was that not the immutable knowledge of all Buddhas?

[18:33]

When he hesitated, the fundamental affliction of ignorance. What's the difference between the two? One is just being uprightly a sentient being who is just karmic consciousness and has no truth, no reality, no fundamental to reach for, to bring in, to deal with life. That has all been renounced. That has been swept away. In the other case, we're trying to stand outside of ourselves and purify ourselves.

[19:41]

We're reaching for something outside ourselves, something outside of our common consciousness, some pure mind to get the answer to the Zen teacher's question, what is Buddha? Listening to this teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha, Purify Your Mind, I don't really hear him addressing an isolated, independently-occupied world and saying, you refrain from. I teach you to refrain from. I teach you to refrain from all evil. I don't hear that. I hear him suggesting that you are refrained from.

[20:47]

Not you are the one who refrains from. You are refrained from all evil. You are the refraining from all evil. You are the not doing any evil. Thus, we practice Buddha's teaching of purify your mind. through the Self that is just the Self with no fundamentals. We purify the mind through the Self which is just karmic consciousness. And the self, that is just karmic consciousness, is refrained from all evil.

[22:04]

This is to purify your mind through refrained from, which is just you. I do not understand the Buddha saying, you do. You do good. You are the one who does good or should do good. You are doing. You are the doing. You are just karmic consciousness. with no fundamentals. Thus, we purify our mind through this self, which is just karmic consciousness.

[23:14]

We purify the mind through the self that is the doing. We purify the mind through the self, through the you that is the doing of all that is good. This is to help us realize the you that is you. The you that is mine. The you that is refrain from. The you that is due. The you that has nothing but doing. The you that trusts that

[24:26]

and does not reach for anything to purify itself, to improve itself. This you cannot do good. This you cannot refrain from evil. This you has no truth to rely on to practice good. This you has no truth to reach for, to refrain from evil. It has nothing but itself and it is just boundlessly unclear karmic consciousness. This you is satisfied with nothing but that. Completely

[25:30]

satisfied with having nothing to work with than a cosmic consciousness, unclear, unending, unreal, and making no more of it than that. You, this poor self, cannot do good and cannot refrain from evil. It is doing good and it is the refraining from evil. It is the immutable knowledge of all. And it is nothing but the fundamental affliction of ignorance. The bodhisattvas clear away all the impulses to make more out of it than that.

[26:40]

They graciously, graciously, kindly, carefully encourage all beings to just turn the head when called. And when you're asked, what is it? You have something to say. It's not much good. It's just karmic consciousness responding. But that's all you'll ever have. And knowing that is the immutable knowledge of all Buddhists. Acting like that is realizing the immutable knowledge of all Buddhas. This is how I understand Shakyamuni Buddha's teaching of purify your mind.

[27:52]

This is exactly the same as being upright. This is exactly the same of letting your mind completely, thoroughly into being just your mind. One call and she turns her head. Do you know the self or not? Vaguely like the moon through ivy. A crescent at that. as soon as she falls on the road to boundless destruction as such a sovereign.

[29:11]

If I call to you now, you can't turn your head because it's already turning towards me. I could tell you to look at the one behind you and then call you. And you could turn it back. And then I could say, what is it? What he got? What he got for me? Got something? What is it? Is it good enough? Should it be... Should it be purified a little bit before public exposure? Or is it all you've got, actually? Sad little gift of the moment.

[30:23]

Brought to you by you know who. So sad that this is the immutable knowledge of all beings. So sad. So sad. That karmic consciousness is bringing me... Anyway, I'm having trouble getting used to reality, iconic consciousness. I'm having trouble getting used to something that's not even reality. I wouldn't have trouble getting used to reality. Give me reality. I'll work hard at adapting to that. But I'm supposed to adapt and get used to something that you're telling is not even reality?

[31:28]

This is sad, isn't it? But they say that's all we've got. So we have to be... I don't know what. I could say courageous. That's a little too much. Resign. with a tinge of hope that if we could totally resign there might be a great release. If we could resign so totally that we even forgot about the hope or who was going to be helped.

[32:35]

to be so dirty and diluted that we forget all about them. All the way. It's hard to be upright. Karmic consciousness uses Karmic consciousness to weave a world. How funny it is to be using Karmic consciousness to weave the story of liberation from Karmic consciousness. Today's talk Seems to be much shorter than yesterday's.

[33:48]

But that could change. I'm indulging, I'm perhaps indulging, I'm savoring the contemplation of being a sentient being. I'm savoring the contemplation karmic consciousness, being un-campered with, being just left at that. Not saying anything more than that.

[35:03]

Just letting it be. Just let it be. In other words, embracing life as it deludedly appears, to continue to savor this fundamental ignorance. I vow to savor this moment by moment. not even quite remembering that it is beings. And also understanding that this is the immutable knowledge of our beings. In that way, this talk will be longer than yesterday's.

[36:07]

It will go on as long as I practice this vow. As long as I practice this vow, that's what I'm doing when I meet you. I'm savoring my karmic consciousness. I'm savoring that I have no fundamental to rely on relating to what I deludedly imagine is not me. I can't stop. But although I can't stop, I can occasionally stop.

[37:04]

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