Unrestricted Awareness (the heart of Buddhism)

"Unrestricted Awareness", these are magic words.

It goes by many names in many traditions:

• Pali Canon: Unrestricted Awareness (Viññāṇaṃ anidassanaṃ)

  • Bahuna Sutta
  • Salayatanavibhanga Sutta
  • Ajahn Chah: "So most people don’t want to go to Nibbana, ¯ there’s nothing there; nothing at all. Look at the roof and the floor here. The upper extreme is the roof, that’s an ’abiding’. The lower extreme is the floor, and that’s another ’abiding’. But in the empty space between the floor and the roof there’s nowhere to stand. One could stand on the roof, or stand on the floor, but not on that empty space. Where there is no abiding, that’s where there’s emptiness, and Nibbana ¯ is this emptiness."
  • Ajahn Mun: "We become the witnessing of experience, abiding in pure consciousness or awareness."
  • Dipa Ma: “There is nothing ultimately to cling to in this world.” “However, life is not to be rejected. It is here. And as long as it is here and we are here, we can make the best use of it.”

• Mahayana: Non-dwelling Mind, Non-abiding Mind, Non-dwelling Awareness, Non-abiding Awareness.

  • Zen master Hui-Neng: "Mind that does not dwell anywhere"
  • Mind-King Bodhisattva "The mind has no abiding place and there is no mind that abides any place."
  • Diamond Sutra: "the mind should thus abide (without knowing where to and how to) and be subdued."
  • Diamond Sutra: "Past mind cannot be grasped, Present mind cannot be grasped, Future mind cannot be grasped."
  • Lankavatara Sutra: "You do not vanish into Nirvana, nor does Nirvana abide in you, for Nirvana transcends all duality of knowing and known, of being and non-being."
  • Niutou Farong: "Originally there is no “then”; See that there is also no “now.” See that there is also no abiding, And thus you will see your original mind."

• Vajrayana: Natural Mind, Rig-pa, Mahamudra

  • Drathalgyur Tantra: When you are physically resting in the natural state, you will have no desire to move; when you are verbally resting in the natural state, you will not want to speak; and by letting your mind rest in the natural state, all forms of discursive thinking will be purified on their own and vanish.
  • Tilopa: "Don't recall, don't imagine, don't think, don't examine, don't control, rest."

This list is not exhaustive at all. There are hundreds of references, especially in the Mahayana/Vajrayana literature.

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My thoughts on it:

It is very clear that while deluded and confused, with the lack of wisdom, we need the dharma-raft. So it doesn't mean that we relinquish the raft even before we get to the other-side. The raft is the expedient method used to break our attachments.

Our only sickness is habitual attachment and clinging.

For different sicknesses, we take in different medications for treatment. For example...

• When we are attached to an idea of emptiness, the medication of "emptiness equals form" is used to break attachment to that idea.

• When we are attached to an idea of "emptiness and form being equal", the medication of "no emptiness, no form" breaks attachment to that oneness idea.

• When even this medication becomes attached to, the medication itself is broken.

The sicknesses of attachment can be severe. For example, if we cling onto emptiness, we say stupid things like "the dharma are words, they are not needed", and we slander the words of the Buddha.

Awareness should be unrestricted, free with unlimited potential, not captured by attachment. Not captured by ideas of 'emptiness', of 'form', of 'dharmas', of ideations, of stories, of idolatry, of rites and rituals, of personality, of ego, and so on.

The problem isn't that they arise. Whatever is sown into memory will manifest when causes and conditions are ripe. But when they ripen, we replant these memories and reinforce them through restricted awareness, instead of unrestricted awareness.

As I type this, I cling onto a idea. And as I finish typing, I break these ideas so there is no attachment. If there is attachment, then these ideas are no longer potent.

If I cling onto these ideas, when challenged, the cause and conditions for anger, dissatisfaction and argument will arise. But if I disown them when they are not here anymore, then there will not be a problem.

But as soon as we try to make it a method, this method itself becomes an ideation that is attached to. So even the method itself must be abandoned, so that the natural, methodless mind can be free to do whatever is natural.

And here is how I think it applies to various practices in Buddhism. For example...

• Ethics:

  • Begging for alms. The Buddha always taught the monks not to discriminate between rich/poor or areas, or anything. Whatever comes, comes; Whatever goes, goes. It is a teaching of acceptance through awareness, and of non-clinging.
  • Giving, generosity. The Buddha said the highest giving is when there is not a single idea of being a benefactor, also when the giving is towards 'noble practitioners'.
  • Right thoughts, speech, actions, livelihood... All about supporting this training, so allow the mind to be less restless and reinforce the medication of no-self-Dharma.

• Samadhi:

  • Right mindfulness and Right samadhi... With right mindfulness, factors of the mind are balanced without discrimination of pleasure (foulness, impermanence as medication) or pain (equanimity as medication). And of course, many more methods.
  • Samadhi increases the sustainability and stability of a non-dwelling awareness, if not it would typically fade away within a few seconds. Therefore, it makes the counter-habit of awareness stronger than the typical habits of afflictions and the five hindrances.

• Wisdom:

  • With samadhi, there is stability and only with stability is there also an ability to be clear and aware (wisdom).
  • Therefore, the Mahayana and Vajrayana say that "mind is empty yet luminous". Instead of cultivating 'dead samadhi' where the mind is not clear and aware while in samadhi, a type of samadhi is practised where there is open, vivid clarity.

Just my thoughts about it. (and an idea very well to break attachment to!) The way I practice (or do non-practice), is to be clearly aware of what is going on (sensations, feelings, thoughts, habits, and so on) and then immediately break attachments to them (if any!).

The Chan master Hui-neng gave a beautiful formula to dispel our conceptions.

1. X is the same as X' (meaning opposite of X).

2. no X = no X'

3. Formula relinquished.

In application, it is something like this:

1. I believe in "permanence of the body". But X is X', permanence is the same as impermanence.

2. When there is no permanence, there is no impermanence.

3. No method, no insight.

The Diamond Sutra has a similar formula:

1. X is not x

2. Therefore it is called ‘x’.

These are all formulas for us to break attachment! And I am being the fool here now, typing words that I myself cling onto. But I thought this would be a great discussion that would involve all schools of Buddhism.

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