Contemplating Mind

 I have been dwelling for some time on distinctions between Chan and therapy approaches. What does Chan itself contribute to the alleviation of difficulties and problems? Master Sheng Yen remarks, "Chan recognizes that suffering, vexation, and confusion are mostly created within the mind rather than from the external world" (p.13). What this means is that we should not try to look outside of mind for answers. Quick fixes or ways of "controlling" the world around me so that I don't suffer vexation is not the right approach, and nor is indulging in all sorts of external stimulation. Master Sheng Yen also notes that there are two different paths of practice, "contemplating mind" and "transcending thoughts". I will look at Contemplating Mind in this section, based on Master Sheng Yen's remarks.
    What is the practice of "contemplating mind" and what does it entail? Master Sheng Yen refers to it as "to keep your attention on the present moment and focus on some external object, a feeling or part of the body, or simply a thought or an idea"  (p.14). An example of contemplating mind method might be that of watching the breath. When I am watching the breath, I am aware of all my previous thoughts, but I am able to observe such thoughts from the perspective of the current attention to breath. The way I described it during the group sitting practice tonight is that, by having a single thought to return to, I can really see how my other thoughts are running around in the mind. If I don't have such a method, it's nearly impossible for me to objectively know how I am doing in mind. Sheng Yen also notes that this method "helps to overcome the mind’s disorganization—the usual state where thoughts come and go in a disorderly, random manner" (ibid). Thus, not only does this method calm the mind, but it also allows one's thoughts to come out in a more clear way.
    Single methods are quite frequently prescribed on meditation retreats, but can such a contemplative approach also apply to daily actions? I believe that this is the case. It requires a certain relaxed but clear dedication to what a person is doing from moment to moment. For example, as I am writing these words, I can either decide that they are frivolous and unimportant---there are more "exciting" things out there to watch and read on the Internet---or I might tell myself that it's important to stay here with what I am writing. These two attitudes make a world of difference, because the latter approach is a decision to treat what I am doing now as important. You might think that things are granted importance by their inherent qualities, and the media world certainly reinforces that point by making things seem very attractive and hard to resist. However, have you ever taken this moment, right now, and decided that what you are doing right now is of supreme importance? We hardly do this, instead opting to keep looking for the brightest and the best. In meditation practice, on the other hand, we inherently acknowledge that whatever is arising through our method is of utmost importance; it is the best thing we are doing, the only thing we are doing, in fact.
  The point is that regardless of the method, it is sometimes the earnestness of the vow that gives meaning to what we are doing. If I look at my own work from a long view, I might say that in 200 years, none of the people I am currently serving will be alive, so there is not much point in trying. But this is an attachment to the idea of emptiness. It is not considering that what I am doing is important because of the attention I give to it, not because of what it does for me. If I am not mistaken, this approach is an attitude that we can derive from the methods of contemplating mind.

Sheng Yen (2013). Tea Words Volume II. Elmhurst, NY: Dharma Drum Publications