The point is to realise the empty mind ground – here and now – and not be distracted by other thoughts that would divert the practitioner away from this vital objective. On the one hand, there is the cycle of the external world, which quite often requires a type of timed ritualistic behaviour, and then there is the imminant need to focus the attention firmly within, and directly perceive the all-embracing empty mind ground. Which is it to be, outer convention or inner revolution? For Ch’an, the direction is clear – nothing else matters other than the realisation of the empty mind ground. This is the caee despite all living Ch’an Masters occupying a living body that inhabits the material world. The facilitator of the empty mind ground must live by eating, wearing clothes, living within a building, and earning a living, etc. All these things, which includes social, cultural, and political interactions, turn-out to be vitally important on the one-hand – and completely pointless on the other. And yet some type of anchorage in the material world must be established if Ch’an is to be effectively taught. 

​This is a paradox that possesses no single answer. There is no blue-print or set manner in response to this need. How a Ch’an teacher manifests – is how they manifest – and that all depends on the personal situation of the teacher in question. A homeless monk, for instance, can effectively teach, as can an ordinary person, or a person in a high position. Status does not matter. That is merely a necessary window-dressing. What is important is that those who are searching for the empty mind ground must also understand that the expedient circumstances of an effective teacher are irrelevant – if the student can effectively grasp the huatou and decisively “look within”. The reason externality does not matter at this point is that to be overly concerned with externality is to fall into the trap of “attachment” as taught by the Buddha. Attachment to externality is to be ensnared in the distraction of a sideways thinking that diverts from “looking within”. Non-attachment dissolves part of the habitual power of delusion and assists in the clearing of many barriers to achieving inner awareness and profound insight. Of course, once the empty mind ground is fully realised – and the form and void integrated – then the state and function of the external world can be altered for the better using “wisdom” – if such an alteration is required.

​By 2004, I was discussing with Richard Hunn about the possibility of him relocating back to the UK and living in Sutton – in the same street as my family. At that time, things were very good in the UK, and this idea was a very real possibility. Richard Hunn had lived in Japan since 1991, and had achieved every one of his primary (academic) research objectives. Furthermore, after 13-years in Japan – Richard was beginning to yearn for a return to his native English culture. Not only this, but he very much appreciated the Anglo-Chinese set-up we had going in the Sutton area. The perfect integration of English and Hong Kong culture. Richard Hunn had been teaching English in Kyoto whilst researching the roots of Chinese Ch’an in Japan. This research had been more or less completed by 2004. Richard wanted a return to tea, fish and chips, and Chinese cooking! The problem was that he started to experience alarming health episodes which started off as apparently minor, but got steadily worse - until the terrible diagnosis of terminal cancer during late 2005. Richard opted to stay in Japan and adjust himself to circumstance. This he did until his final breath - taken during October 1st, 2006, whilst sat-up meditating in a Kyoto hospital bed. 

(Translated By Adrian Chan-Wyles PhD)

​27.5.2017 – Source: Lineaage Transmission Network

​“Give-up all attachments and do not give rise to a single thought.”

​These are the prerequisite for practicing genuine Chinese Ch’an meditation. Now that we know this, how can we achieve this objective?

​The first example involves the most karmically able - who will immediately cease their thinking-processes forever (achieving a permanent “stillness” of mind) - whilst directly perceiving the empty mind ground. The state of “no-birth” is then entered. Bodhi is attained in an instant (like a finger-snap) - without any hesitation. When all this happens correctly (and in good order) - no further words are required.

​The second level of karmic-ability involves the cultivation of logic and reason as a means to eliminate the uncontrolled stream of thought, and to modify behavioural-patterns when interacting in the material world. This method possesses many stages that vary according to the character of the practitioner. There is seated meditation, physical discipline, and much additional thought on the subject when not meditating - as a means of building resolve and motivation to practice. It must be understood that the “Original Nature” is pure and clean from the very beginning - and cannot be polluted by any expedient thought or action. By cultivsting this type of “wisdom” (Bodhi) – all “troubles” (klesa) will eventually come to an end. Birth, life, death and nirvana are all false constructs. 

​These things are like insubstantial and non-permanent dust that cannot pollute the “True Nature”. Everything is a dream, and an illusion. The four elements of the body the mountains, the rivers, and the earth, all manifest and pass-away within the “True Nature” without staining the empty essence one iota. Cultivate non-attachment to all phenomena as it arises, manifests, and passes-away. Do not chase after life, death, reward, wealth, or any worldly activity. None of these things exist within the empty mind ground. Give-up right and wrong, like and dislike – and become like a dead tree stump – or a body with no reaction to (internal or) external stimulus. Remain indifferent to all things. This is how rhe root-cause of greed, hatred, and delusion is uprooted and the stream of consciousness “purified”. 

​All troubles and difficulties will automatically disappear. In this way all pain, discomfort, suffering, happiness, hunger, cold, fullness, warmth, honour, disgrace, life, death, misfortune, fortune, good or bad luck, disgrace, gain or loss, safety or danger - are all laid to aside. Only in this way can we say that we have let go of the force of (ignotant) karmic-habit that keeps us trapped in duality – continuously fixating over fleeting externals which produce human suffering. Once you let go - you must let go of everything - forever. This is called “letting go of all attachments”. When all attachments are let go, delusion disappears, discrimination does not arise, and attachment ceases. At this point, non-thought (“stillness”) is achieved, the perceived True Nature is bright - and expands throughout the physical body - and out into the environment without limit. At this point, all the conditions for effective Ch’an meditation are met. If you work hard to truly meditate and study, you will be able to see your empty mind ground and (expansive) True Nature.

​Chinese Language Text:

​虛雲老和尚：禪修入門 參禪的先決條件 萬緣放下

2017/05/27 來源：傳承網

「萬緣放下，一念不生」是參禪的先決條件，我們既然知道了，那麼，如何才能做到呢？

上焉者一念永歇，直至無生，頓證菩提，毫無噦唆。其次則以理除事，了知自性本來清淨，煩惱菩提、生死涅磐皆是假名，原不與我自性相干，事事物物皆是夢幻泡影，我此四大色身與山河大地，在自性中，如海中的浮漚一樣，隨起隨滅，無礙本體，不應隨一切幻事的生住異滅，而起欣厭取捨，通身放下，如死人一樣，自然根塵識心消落，貪嗔痴愛泯滅，所有這身子的痛癢苦樂、饑寒飽暖、榮辱生死、禍福吉凶、毀譽得喪、安危險夷，一概置之度外，這樣才算放下。
​
一放下，一切放下，永遠放下，叫做萬緣放下。萬緣放下了，妄想自消，分別不起，執著遠離，至此一念不生，自性光明，全體顯露，至是參禪的條件具備了，再用功真參實究，明心見性才有分。

Demystifying the enlightening experience is not a trivialisation of this experience, on the contrary, it is a clarification. As an exercise in logical thinking it also seeks to uproot and exclude the pretensions associated with pseudo-enlightenment and the exploitation contained therein. Is enlightenment a real experience? Yes – in my experience it is – but this statement should not be taken as a support for religion or religious dogma of any sort. It is a subjective experience which marks a radical shift in how an individual consciously perceives and interacts a) with consciousness itself, b) their physical body, and c) the material environment (and everything within it). I used the hua tou method for years (1989-1992) in an intense and dedicated manner, whilst living in relative isolation and receiving instruction from numerous individuals (with the guidance of Richard Hunn proving decisive). What happened? Through seated meditation throughout the day and night, I looked for certainty in a mind that was forever moving. My root consciousness would grasp this fleeting state, or that fleeting state which temporarily passed before it as being ‘the one’, as I had no real knowledge of what I was seeking. The act of regular meditation pursued through a highly regulated and disciplined outer lifestyle granted me security and stability in the physical world, so that I could direct all my available energy into the interior of my being. Endless thoughts and feelings traversed the surface of my mind and led to all kinds of vivid imaginations, usually as opposite and equal responses to the Vinaya Rules. (For instance, a complete lack of sexual activity in word, deed ad thought, led, for a time, to an intensification of thoughts and feelings premised upon ‘desire’). Initially, the surface mind would ‘quiet’ and a dull emptiness would appear – similar to a mirror made dull my smears and layers of still dust. On other occasions, this admixture of filth would manically swirl around. I could sense the true void behind this interchanging activity, but could not quite see through to it. (Later, I learned that this is stages ‘1’ and ‘2’ of the Caodong School methodology). After two years of meditation, and having my words ‘turned’ by Richard Hunn, a major (and permanent) breakthrough occurred. Whereas my words of enquiry were invariably jumping from one aspect of externality to another, Richard Hunn would expertly switch the emphasis away from the external (objective) to which I was attached – back toward the ‘root’ of the word-thought nexus, and into the empty mind ground. He performed this duty for me continuously and without fail. There was no pretence, no attachment to the external world – just Ch’an function returning to principle. 

Eventually, after being shown the empty mind ground enough times, my mind-state radically shifted. A deep and profound ‘emptiness’ manifested that was nothing but complete ‘bliss’ to experience – like a continuous sexual orgasm throughout the mind and body, but completely divorced from the sexual function. Richard Hunn explained this as stage 3 of the Caodong School – further describing this awareness as ‘relative enlightenment’. The temptation was to stay in this magnificent state and never come out of it (once described as ‘samadhi suicide’). I could imagine living in a forest or on top of a hill, and permanently experiencing this ‘bliss’ for as long as my physical body existed. However, Richard Hunn warned me against this, and stated that the journey was not yet over. Being attached to this state of ‘oneness’ and ‘bliss’ was like being detained on a journey by a deceptive gold chain. This was also the stage of being sat atop of a hundred-foot pole – the key now was to ‘jump off’ - but how to do this? Although my mind had ‘cleared’, I still subtly mistook the now calm (and reflecting) surface mind (guest), as being the profoundly empty mind’s eye (host) – without knowing at the time that I was doing this. Stages ‘4’ and ‘5’ of the Caodong School explained this, but it was a difficult teaching to understand. Richard Hunn explained that I could meditate or not, and that he was saying nothing more about any of this.  

I decided to continue to meditate and to read the sutras (particularly the ample Ch’an literature translated by Charles Luk), as previously I had not read a word for a few years. When I first read a Buddhist text (the first of any text for two years), it was like the words were tumbling from mind, through my eyes and onto the paper...  Surely an indication of what the Lankavatara Sutra terms the ‘turning about’ in the deepest recesses of the mind. This is where genuine Ch’an literature (and recorded dialogue) come into play. These enlightened (I.e. ‘non-inverted’) utterances orientate the mind and clear away confusion (although for the ego the opposite effect is observed). I altered my practice to periods of intense Ch’an meditation interspersed with elongated periods of worldly activity, as this entire affair appeared to turn on how ‘stillness’ and ‘activity’ was understood and undertaken. Richard Hunn simply advised that my ‘virya’ will carry me through. 

My mind in my head remained ‘still’ in the face of the ‘moving’ external world. For about a year I endeavoured to ‘balance’ this reality in various ways (the ‘not one’ of the ‘4th’ Caodong stage), always seeking the ‘not two’ (‘5th’ stage of the Caodong School). This is how it seemed to me then, with Richard Hunn stating that no genuine Ch’an master would say anything beyond the ‘3rd’ Caodong stage. Try as I might, I could not get beyond the duality of my ‘empty’ mind and the ‘moving’ world. I decided that the key lay in finding the ‘emptiness’ within the ‘empty’ mind. All of this was the world viewed from the ‘3rd’ stage of the Caodong School - looking inward and looking outward – there was the basic duality that I could not transcend. In the meantime, my hua tou practice matured. Whereas I had ruthlessly pursued ‘Who is hearing?’ - using the hearing capacity to control, organise and transcend the stream of thoughts in my mind, I now used this practice to simultaneously ‘return’ ALL my six senses (simultaneously) to the empty mind ground – although I always remained just this side of a major breakthrough. I began to see that ‘subject’ and ‘object’, although expediently disconnected, where in fact (and in some way) intrinsically connected. There was ‘oneness’ and there was ‘twoness’ all at once – but Richard Hunn (out of his compassionate wisdom) would not affirm or deny any validity to my observations – an I was always thrown back upon my own devices. 
​
Since my initial realisation there had been a tension of sorts. This provided the inner power to continue the journey. An ‘inner potential’ built-up through right intention, and correct meditational effort. One day, I was sat meditating out-doors, as I found the open air conducive to expanding the mind’s awareness. Whilst ‘returning’ all sensation to the empty mind ground, a gentle breeze blew across my face and front of my body. At this exact moment (around August, 1992), my perception finally altered and I adopted the ‘host’ and ‘host in host’ position – an integration of stages ‘4’ and 5’ of the Caodong School. My awareness, which had been confined only to my head, suddenly ‘expanded’ to encompass the entire environment. The awareness penetrated through my body and united the sense organs with sensory stimulus and sense objects into a profound (and empty) oneness and was vibrant and diverse. Reality was both ‘empty’ and yet ‘full’, and there was no contradiction to this understanding.  My mind finally ‘turned’ so that I now perceived the world directly through the mind’s eye (host), rather than through its reflection in the surface mind (guest). Around 8 years later (in summer, 2000), Richard Hunn confirmed this experience as being genuine and correct (although in the years between 1992 and 2000 I had travelled to Hong Kong and Mainland China to visit relatives and meet various Ch’an monastics and lay practitioners, all of whom issued the appropriate recognition).  As the ‘guest’ became the enlightened function of the ‘host’, the delusive quality was transcended so that the ‘guest’ became the ‘host’, or reality was now comprised of ‘host in host’. The ‘form’ and ‘void’ were clearly distinguishable (hence ‘not one’), and yet the ‘form’ and ‘void’ exist simultaneously integrated without contradiction, boundary or limit (hence ‘not one’). Everything continued as it was before (with Richard Hunn becoming my friend), and yet my mind was permanently (and radically) altered.