Читать книгу How to Understand the Mind - Geshe Kelsang Gyatso - Страница 9

Follow the path to enlightenment

What is Our Mind?

We often say, ‘My mind, my mind’, but if someone were to ask us, ‘What is your mind’, we would have no correct answer. This is because we do not understand the nature and function of the mind correctly. The nature of the mind is clarity, which means it is something that is empty like space, always lacking form, shape and colour. The mind is not actual space because produced space possesses shape and colour. During the day it can be light and during the night it can be dark, but mind never possesses shape and colour.

As I said, the mind is empty, but we should not say the mind is emptiness. What is the difference between empty and emptiness? In Buddhism, emptiness has great meaning. It is the real nature of things and is a very profound and meaningful object. If we realize emptiness directly we will attain permanent liberation from all the sufferings of this life and countless future lives; there is no greater meaning than this. So emptiness is a very meaningful object, but an empty is just empty – it has no special meaning. Therefore, we have to say that the mind is empty, which means it always lacks form, shape and colour; and we have to say that space is empty, which means it lacks obstructive contact. When we say, ‘My purse is empty’, this means there is no money inside it. Through this we understand that different empties have different meanings.

The function of the mind is to perceive or understand objects. We normally say, ‘I see such and such’; this is because our mind sees that object. Because our mind understands things we say, ‘I understand.’ So our perception and understanding are functions of our mind; without mind we are powerless to perceive and understand objects.

Also, one of the main functions of the mind is ­imputing things. Without names things cannot exist. A name is imputed by mind thinking, ‘This is this.’ So things exist only because mind imputes them. Through this we can understand that everything including the world is created by mind. There is no creator other than the mind. This truth is not ­difficult to understand if we check it carefully.

In conclusion, the definition of the mind is something whose nature is empty like space, always lacking form, shape and colour, and whose function is to perceive or understand objects. Through understanding the nature and function of the mind correctly, we can understand that our mind is ­completely different from our body, and this proves that after our death although our body will cease the mind will not. The mind leaves the body and goes to the next life like a bird leaving one nest and moving to another. Or, for ­example, during sleep when we are dreaming our body is as if dead, and our mind leaves the body and goes to the dream world experiencing a dream life, which is a new life. Through contemplating this alone we can understand clearly the existence of our future lives.