How to Understand the Mind. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

think, ‘What is the real meaning of our human life?’

      THE VERY SUBTLE MIND

      The very subtle mind is so called because it is extremely difficult to recognize. Without the very subtle mind we would have no life because our gross and subtle minds cannot hold our life. This is because they are only temporary minds, and very unstable. They suddenly arise and quickly disappear like clouds in the sky. Therefore only our very subtle mind holds our life continuously throughout the day and night, and in life after life until we become an enlightened Buddha. When we become a Buddha our very subtle mind will become a Buddha’s mind and our very subtle inner wind will become a Buddha’s body. Our very subtle mind, or ‘continuously residing mind’, is therefore our Buddha nature. Since our very subtle inner wind, or ‘continuously residing body’, will never die we have a deathless body that is our own body. In truth, our present body is a part of our parents’ bodies, and so it belongs to our parents and not to us.

      Our very subtle mind – our Buddha nature – is very ­precious, like a priceless jewel, but we cannot recognize it unless we engage in special methods for recognizing it that Buddha explained in his Highest Yoga Tantra teachings. These special methods are the meditations on the central channel, indestructible drop, and indestructible wind and mind. Through these meditations we can gather and dissolve our inner winds into the central channel. When all our inner winds completely dissolve into the central channel through the force of meditation, all our gross and subtle minds will also dissolve and our very subtle mind will naturally manifest. We will then be able to recognize it through our own experience. When our very subtle mind manifests through the inner winds dissolving into the central channel, this manifest very subtle mind is called ‘clear light’. It is so called because it is a clear perception and an inner light. Thus, whenever our very subtle mind manifests it is clear light. Normally, for ordinary beings, the very subtle mind manifests only during deep sleep and at the end of the death process, but Highest Yoga Tantra practitioners can manifest their very subtle mind during meditation by dissolving inner winds into the central channel through the force of meditation; this is the clear light of realization. There are three different clear lights: the clear light of sleep, the clear light of death and the clear light of realization.

      When we are in deep sleep our gross and subtle inner winds and minds naturally dissolve into the central channel, and as a result our very subtle mind manifests. This manifest very subtle mind is the clear light of sleep. However, normally we cannot recognize it because during deep sleep our memory is unable to function.

      At the time of our death, when we experience the death process, our inner winds naturally dissolve into the central channel. First our gross minds will dissolve and cease, and only the subtle mind remains. Then our mind becomes more and more subtle until finally, when all inner winds have completely dissolved into the central channel, our very ­subtle mind will manifest. This manifest very subtle mind is the clear light of death. Its nature is great bliss, it is extremely peaceful; and it perceives only emptiness, the mere absence of all phenomena. Normally we cannot recognize it because at that time our memory cannot function.

Primary Minds and Mental Factors

      From the point of view of its function, the mind can be divided into primary minds and mental factors. Primary mind, mentality and consciousness are synonyms. The definition of primary mind is a cognizer that principally apprehends the mere entity of an object. The definition of mental factor is a cognizer that principally apprehends a particular attribute of an object. These definitions were given by Maitreya.

      In the case of a pot for example, the pot itself is the mere entity of the pot, and the base, sides, shape, colour, size and so forth are particular attributes of the pot. Because a distinction exists within the object, there is a corresponding distinction on the part of the mind that cognizes that object. Thus, the function of a primary mind is to apprehend the mere entity of the object, while the function of mental factors is to apprehend particular attributes of the object. As each object has only one general entity but many particular attri­butes, any one object has only one primary mind but many mental factors observing it. Thus, when an eye awareness perceives a pot, for example, the primary mind principally apprehends the general entity of the pot – the pot itself – and the mental factors associated with that primary mind principally apprehend the particular attributes of the pot – its various parts.

      There are six types of primary mind: eye consciousness, ear consciousness, nose consciousness, tongue consciousness, body consciousness and mental consciousness. The Chittamatrins posit two more primary minds: a consciousness-basis-of-all and a deluded mentality. According to them the consciousness-basis-of-all is a stable consciousness that does not cease at death but maintains the continuity of the person from one life to the next. It is the repository of karmic potentials and the source of all other consciousnesses. The deluded mentality observes the consciousness-basis-of-all and mistakenly apprehends it as a self-supporting, substantially existent self. The Madhyamika-Prasangikas conclusively refute both the consciousness-basis-of-all and the deluded mentality. There are only six types of primary mind because there are only six types of object – forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects and phenomena. Here, ‘phenomena’ means phenomena that appear only to mental awareness.

      The quality of a primary mind depends upon the mental factors that accompany it. If the mental factors are virtuous the primary mind is virtuous, but if the mental factors are non-virtuous or neutral the primary mind is non-virtuous or neutral. Non-virtuous mental factors cause suffering and virtuous mental factors cause peace and happiness. Thus, if we wish to experience lasting peace of mind we must make a determined effort to eliminate non-virtuous mental factors and cultivate virtuous ones.

      Each primary mind is accompanied by at least five mental factors, without which it would be unable to function. These are feeling, discrimination, intention, contact and attention. They are known as the ‘five all-accompanying mental factors’. Just as a car cannot function if any of its wheels is missing, so a primary mind cannot function if any of these five mental factors is absent. For example, all physical objects are composed of eight substances – the four elements (earth, water, fire and wind) and the four transformed elements (forms, smells, tastes and tactile objects) – and just as even the simplest physical object must have all eight substances, so even the most basic primary mind must have all five all-accompanying mental factors. Even very subtle primary minds have these five mental factors.

      We should not think of a primary mind and its mental factors as being separate entities, like a leader and his subjects, because each mental factor is a part of a primary mind. However, although a mental factor is a part of a primary mind, it is not a primary mind, just as a hand is a part of the body but not the body.

      The Tibetan word for mental factor is ‘sem jung’, which literally means ‘arisen from mind’. Thus, a primary mind can be likened to a candle flame and its mental factors to the rays of that flame. Just as a candle flame has many rays of light, so one primary mind has many mental factors; just as the rays of light come from the flame and exist simultaneously with it, so mental factors come from the primary mind and exist simultaneously with it; and just as the flame illuminates objects by depending upon the rays of light that emanate from it, so a primary mind knows its object by depending upon its mental factors.

      A primary mind and its mental factors are the same entity and possess five similarities:

      1 Basis – they have the same dominant condition

      2 Object – their observed object is the same

      3 Aspect – their engaged object is the same

      4 Time – they arise, abide and cease simultaneously

      5 Substance – one primary mind has only one of each type of mental factor

      The meaning of dominant condition, observed object and engaged object are explained in Part Two.

      For example, when a tongue awareness tastes tea, both the primary mind and the mental factor feeling associated with it develop from the same uncommon dominant condition, the tongue sense power, and so their basis is the same. Their observed objects are the same because they both focus on the same object – the taste of the tea; their engaged objects are