The Glass in Muddy Water

 In Buddhism there is often a term used to explain the mind as having a lot of agitation. The mind is sometimes compared to a kind of jar of muddy water, where all the contents of that water are frequently stirred up or agitated. Once the mind is fully settled, such as through the practice of stillness, it is able to see itself and its environment much more clearly. Master Sheng Yen thus remarks, in the practice of samatha, "The goal is to bring the mind to a standstill. This process can also be thought of as clarifying and settling the mind. One can use the analogy of a glass of muddy water that becomes clear once the water is still and the dirt sinks to the bottom" (p.11)

As in much of this first talk in Tea Words Volume II, Master Sheng Yen is not creating any needless duality between the "true" and "false" mind. Rather, he is pointing out the ways that the mind can be harmonized so that it can see that both true and false are just creations of the mind. In meditation, I am thus not trying to sort my "good" from "bad" thoughts. More so, by allowing all the thoughts to settle and thus lose their capacity to captivate the mind, one can see the nature of all thoughts. Delusion is not the result of the thoughts themselves, but rather my tendency to cling to these thoughts and excessively identify with them.

Samatha is only one part of meditation, but it often seems necessary in this busy time to allow the mind to be like that muddy water that gradually sinks all its contents. When cleaning my apartment, can I think of all the things around me as settling thoughts that have their own place in mind, and which don't need to be fretted with? If I am clinging to everything I do and think, then all my chores become heavy demands. On the other hand, if I adopt the attitude that mind is only this clear and natural space, then all the contents in it are not so relevant. And I can put them away smoothly.

Sheng Yen, Tea Words Volume II. Elmhurst NY: Dharma Drum Publications