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Observing The Mind

[This poem is based on the notes I made during a talk I heard at IBPS, Xiang Yun Temple, Austin, TX (06/16/2004). The talk was given in Chinese and there was an English translation of the talk by Jin Chiu. I have taken liberties to rearrange what I heard. All errors are mine and if anything good, it should go to the abbess who gave the talk and to Jin Chiu who acted as a translater during the talk and clarified it for me in an e-mail. I especially like the similes/metaphors used in the talk. The talk is about the Platform Sutra and the topic is Observing The Mind.]

When the mind is pure
There is pure land.
If one's mind is pure
One is already there!

Our mind is like a factory
Manufacturing thoughts.
If the mind is pure,
So are our thoughts!

Mind is like a storage house.
It stores lots of thoughts - good and bad.
We show some,
And then hide some.

When the mind is sick,
The body becomes sick!
When the mind is healthy,
The body is healthy.

Secrets in one's mind
Keeps one ill-at-ease
And very uncomfortable.
No secrets! One is happy!

If one is not attached to anything,
Then one is not afraid of anything.
Fear comes from attachment.
No attachments! No fear!!

Good thoughts: If it is not in your mind, then grow it,
If it's already there, then nurture it.
Bad thoughts: If it is not in your mind, then prevent it from coming.
If it's already there, then eliminate it.

When anger arises,
Evil doors open.
Anger has the power
To destory all our virtues!

Mind is like a monkey. Hard to control!
It keeps moving ... from here to there!
From there to somewhere! Giving no moment of peace!
Hard it is to control this monkey-mind.

Mind is like lightning! Fast!
The speed of changing thoughts is like a lightning!
In an instant it can visit Europe,
And imagine the scenario over there!

Mind is like a deer. Always searching.
Searching for something! Like a thief!
The thief robs our money and possessions,
The mind robs us of our merits!

One can easily capture a thief,
Even if he hides in a mountain!
Hard indeed it is to capture the robber,
Who is with in us.

Mind creates rivalry.
It creates afflictions.
And make us suffer,
And suffer endlessly!

Our mind like a servant
Driven by external influences
One should master one's mind.
And not be mastered by it.

Mind is like a commander-in-chief,
Commanding our five sense organs,
And consciousness producing feeling,
Thoughts and knowledge.

There are 10 realms - humans, animals, heaven, asura, Buddha (arahats), bodhisatva, Pratyeka Buddha, sravaka, ghosts and hell.

Our mind keeps changing realms!
Moving from one realm to other constantly.
When one helps the old lady cross the street, one has the Bodhisatva mind!
When one buys unneeded stuff at Super Market (because they are cheap), one has the greedy mind!
Mind can travel from Bodhisatva realm to hell realm in an instant.

Mind is like a spring that is never dry.
One should search the source of wisdom
From within one's mind.
Not from the outside.

Mind is like a painter
Painting all kinds of objects.
Good ones and bad ones!
Our expressions are reflections of our minds.

Mind is boundless,
Like the vast sky.
One should expand one's mind,
Like the sky that includes all!

The power of mind is hard to imagine.
Mind not only controls one's thoughts
And one's behavior.
It also shapes one's lives!

Sages only look after their mind
And they purify their mind.
Commoners look after their body
And they only look after their body!

Copyright 2004 by Satish Reddy