Posted on by Teoh Kian Koon

Bro Teoh’s Sunday class dated 17th June 2018

Dear Kalyanamittas,

Below are the audio links to our last Sunday 17th June 2018 recording for sharing by all. The outline short notes are as below:

Outline short notes for lesson 76 of the 6th Patriarch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra dated 17th June 2018 – Chapter X Final Instructions (Pages 383-385):

  1. Bro Teoh does a recap over the outline short notes dated 27th May 2018. Thisshort notes are very important because it summarizes to us all the understanding needed for cultivation.
  2. To understand meditation, one should start from the mind, i.e. investigate what this mind is. To understand the 2 aspects of mind, the silent/true mind and the mundane mind. The silent mind does not need sense data to function and isindependent of thoughts and conditions. The mundane mind is the opposite, it is dependent origination and it requires sense data and other related conditions to function.
  3. When the mundane mind is active, one cannot see the silent mind because one is lost in thoughts. When the mundane mind ceases, the silent mind will manifest.
  4. Mundane mind is the forerunner of all things. Through the mundane mind, wholesome and unwholesome thoughts arise, depending on one’s understanding and delusion.
  5. Consciousness and its content = Thoughts. Mental formation or activities (sankhara) that arise due to stirring of the mind clouds the silent mind.
  6. The N8FP cultivation is to develop right views (or wisdom) to remove all creationsof mind borne of wrong view to make the mind still so that one is always aware in the midst of life to arise the wisdom needed to realize the supra mundane mind (after the mundane mind ceases).
  7. Right view is very important because it leads to right understanding to enable one to cultivate correctly.
  8. Take care of Karma by avoiding all evils via keeping one’s precepts. Understand clearly what constitute evil then apply the 4 right efforts and cultivate mindfulness to constantly purify one’s mind.
  9. When the true mind arise, there is clarity and calmness. One is then able to see things as they are to awaken to the Truth without the interference of thoughts.
  10. When there is no duality, there is no creation of wholesome and unwholesome. Then there is no unwholesomeness to get rid of or any need to practice letting go or non-attachment.
  11. Duality: when this arise, that arise. When this ceases, that ceases.
  12. Observe to see clearly that everything within the condition world is dependent origination.
  13. When one attaches to words like non-duality, emptiness, practice letting go, non-attachment, etc. (which are viewed as wholesome), one will try to practice them to realize such states. This is wrong view borne of attachment to dharma and is not the way to cultivate. The proper way is to understand that duality is just a conceptcreated by the mundane mind and it exists within the mundane world. That is ‘duality is to be understood’ and only wisdom frees – nothing else.
  14. The ‘moment you understand you are free’ – no more need to practice non-attachment or letting go etc. The truth is there is no duality of wholesome and unwholesome when the mundane mind does not create. When this is understoodthen there is no need to try to get rid of unwholesomeness, no need to practice letting go etc. For understanding or wisdom cannot be practiced. It has to be awakened to.
  15. Understanding does not involve memory so don’t try to remember and retrieve Dharma from memory because ‘acting according to memory is not acting at all’. One should always act with wisdom and nothing else.
  16. Without wisdom, there is no real virtue.
  17. Do not refrain from thinking. The problem is not the thought. It is the user of thoughts which is more important. The user of thoughts must be wise to enable the arising of right thoughts. Thoughts are required in the conditioned world for one to live life.
  18. Use understanding to let the thinking or mundane mind settle down by itself. Do not force the mind to be still or quiet.
  19. Bro Song shares his recent experiences involving his cultivation. Bro Teoh rejoice with his good progress and advise him to remember to relax further into whatever mind states that arise, then maintain awareness or silence, leading to the 4thsupport of Trust throughout and always remember – ‘don’t try to know’ what is happening while meditating. The understanding will arise or unfold by itself.
  20. Sister Adeline’s question on whether contemplation and reflection are thought based cultivation. Bro Teoh’s reply it is ‘not’ because when the mind is heedful and peaceful with clarity within as a result of the stability of one’s daily mindfulness,one is calm and one can reflect, contemplate and inquire mindfully into all things clearly. Truth or dharma is everywhere – in the midst of life and nature so why can’t you see?
  21. Advise in a nutshell for true cultivators :

    – Cultivate the Bodhi mind with strong faith and sincerity until it is very stable.
    – Develop daily mindfulness until it is very stable and ‘don’t try to know’
    – Stabilize one’s formal meditation via the 4 supports of Relax, Aware (or mindful), 24 hours and Trust    until one can locate one’s gateway to one’s nature clearly.
    – After that learn to listen from the heart (stay at the heart with inner awareness within and remain silence at all time).
    – Reflect and contemplate all dharma until very clear (after coming out of formal meditation).
    – Experience all transformation with awareness and understanding from within.
    – Do not listen to questions from the thoughts/duality.
    – Have faith, sincerity and perseverance.

(Draft outline short notes was done by Sister Mun Yuen)

Bye! and with metta always,

Teoh

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