In Tea Words: Early Chan Lectures in America (2013), Master Sheng Yen distinguishes between "true" and "false" mind:"False mind is the state of ordinary sentient beings; it is the mind that suffers vexations arising from a self-centered view of the world. True mind is a mind free of vexations, a mind of wisdom" (p.7). This part of Master Sheng Yen's teachings suggests that "true" and "false" are related to a certain attitude one takes toward phenomena, not the phenomena itself. To use a simple example: my seeing a garden hose and confusing it for a snake is not necessarily in itself a sign of "false" mind. If I am not attached to either the phenomena or "garden hose" or "snake", then in fact the phenomena could be one or the other, and I don't suffer attachment or vexation as a result. If on the other hand, I am heavily invested in avoiding the snake (hatred) or thirsting after water from a garden hose (greed) then no matter whether it turns out to be a garden hose or a snake, I am approaching the phenomena with an attitude of self-attachment. In this sense, false mind arises to approach that phenomena.
Another analogy I might think of to flesh out the example is that of being in a dream. Some people clearly don't know they are dreaming: you can see them tossing and turning in their bed and behaving as though they are "running away" from something that is only really arising in their consciousness. On the other hand, there are some moments when a person is truly knowing they are in a dream. One dream that I had very recently turned out to be so ridiculous (something about losing my knapsack in a crowded place) that I had to conclude that surely it must be a dream (why would I leave my knapsack anywhere when it's always attached to me everywhere I go?). In these moments, a person usually awakens from the dream because they are no longer engaged in it or invested in the self as a dreamer. I have had similar experiences where I dreamed that someone was shooting at me with a gun, only to reflect: "this surely isn't really happening to me; it's too crazy or improbable". In that moment, sure enough, I did wake up!
Master Sheng Yen continues: "true mind arises when the mind is totally free from self centeredness; at this point it is no longer subject to the vexations of ordinary human consciousness" (p.7). This means, for me, that self-centredness is the root of vexations, not phenomena itself. If I am not attaching any labels or significance to what is arising in mind (such as "I like this" or "I don't like this"), then in actuality I am no longer pushed or pulled by the phenomena itself. It's not related to a central self anymore. This is not easy but sometimes I do experience it in the form of no longer attaching any significance or meaning to what I am doing or experiencing in groups. Regardless of whether a person is happy with me or not, my reaction to it is based on how attached I feel to a sense of self. If I find ways to challenge and experience something beyond the fragile sense of self, then I am more aware of something that is not subject to birth or death, and confidence then arises.
Sheng Yen (2013), Tea Words Volume Two. Elmhurst NY: Chan Meditation Center.
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