Surangama Sutra Exposition
by Living Buddha Lian Sheng, Grandmaster Sheng-Yen Lu
Is there only one mind? Or many minds? If there is only one mind, there are many cases where the mind is not functional, such as the inability to know what is inside the body. If there are many minds, then it is like many Anandas inside one body. Therefore, both are incorrect.
In the earlier discussion, the Buddha had asserted that the mind is neither inside, outside, combined with the eyes, nor both inside and outside. In this fifth proposal, Ananda indicated that the mind represents the thoughts, which arise upon sensing phenomena.
Ananda said: “Once, I heard the Buddha teach the Fourfold Assembly: ‘When the mind arises, all phenomena arise; when phenomena arise, all kinds of minds arise.’ Now, as I reflect upon it, is this thinking faculty itself my true mind? Wherever there is interaction, the mind seems to be present—neither inside, outside, nor in between.”
The Fourfold Assembly refers to monks (bhiksus), nuns (bhiksunis), male lay practitioners (upasakas), and female lay practitioners (upasikas).
Ananda contemplated that thoughts represent the mind. The mind combines with the eyes to perceive sights. When the mind arises, everything arises; when the mind ceases, everything ceases. The mind arises as a circumstance arises and is inseparable from the sensory faculties.
The Buddha replied: “Ananda, you claim that ‘when phenomena arise, all kinds of minds arise,’ and that the mind exists wherever there is interaction. But if the mind has no intrinsic substance, what could it interact with? If something without substance can interact, then the nineteen realms could merge with the seven dusts—yet this is absurd!”
The Buddha probes Ananda by asking whether the mind has any substance. If the mind lacks form, how can it combine with anything? If a formless mind can interact with the environment, it would lead to an impossible scenario of nineteen realms merging with the seven dusts. The eighteen realms consist of the six roots [sense bases: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind], their corresponding six dusts [sense faculties: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, mental formations] and the six consciousnesses of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind. Adding the void would make nineteen realms.
“If the mind has substance, when you pinch your own body, does your perceiving mind come from within or without? If from within, it should first perceive your inner organs. If from without, it should first perceive your face.”
Ananda said: “Seeing is the eye’s function, but knowing is the mind’s. To equate them is incorrect.”
The Buddha said: “If the eye alone could see, would a door ‘see’ when you’re indoors? Corpses still have eyes, can they see? If they see, how are they dead?
“Ananda, your ‘aware and knowing mind’:
If it has substance, is it one or many?
Is it pervasive in your body or localized?
If one, pinching one limb should be felt everywhere—but it isn’t.
If many, you’d have multiple minds—which one is ‘you’?
If pervasive, pinching one part would be universally felt (but it’s not).
If localized, touching your head would leave your foot unaware.
Thus, your claim that the mind exists ‘wherever there is interaction’ is untenable.”
Seeing is done by the eyes, while knowing or perceiving is done by the mind. Therefore, there is a distinction between the mind and the eyes.
The Buddha asked Ananda whether the mind is one or many. If it’s just one, then pinching a finger would cause sensations all over the body, but that’s not the case.
Does that mean that if you don’t feel anything in a particular spot, then the mind is not present there? Saying that the mind is only one is wrong. On the other hand, if you say the mind is many, it would be like having multiple beings inside one body—how would you know which one is the real “you”? This is like having multiple Anandas. Hence, the mind is neither singular nor multiple, neither everywhere nor in one place.
Everyone has facial features like eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, ears—a face. Some people seem pleasant to you and looking at them creates certain sensations or cognizance. Where do these come from? Why do some appear nicer than others despite having the same facial features? Although people have similar features, our perceptions differ because of the mind.
When the mind perceives something, phenomena arise. Phenomena and the mind affect each other—they are interconnected.
In sum, what is the mind made of? What is it, really? It is difficult to define.
Grandmaster Lu said that the mind can be likened to water. It is both correct and incorrect to say that “water is solid,” “water is liquid,” or “water is gaseous.” It is correct because water can be solid, liquid, or gaseous. It is incorrect because water is not always solid, liquid, or gaseous—it depends on the circumstances.