The Conventional Mind, The Mind Released

　　Once the mind has been well-cleansed so that it”s constantly radiant, then when we”re in a quiet place, without any sounds — for instance, late in the still of the night — even if the mind hasn”t gathered in concentration, we find that when we focus on that center of awareness, it is so exceedingly delicate and refined that it”s hard to describe. This refinement then becomes like a radiance that spreads all around us in every direction. Nothing appears to be making contact with the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and feeling at that moment, even though the mind hasn”t gathered into the factors of concentration. Instead, this is the firm foundation of the mind that has been well-cleansed and displays a striking awareness, magnificence, and sensitivity within itself.

　　With this type of awareness, it”s as if we weren”t dwelling in a body at all. This is a very refined awareness, pronounced within itself. Even though the mind hasn”t gathered in concentration, still — because of the refinement of the mind, because of the pronounced nature of the mind — it becomes a pronounced awareness, without any visions or images appearing at all. This awareness is preeminent exclusively in itself. This is one stage of the mind.

　　Another stage is when this well-cleansed mind gathers into stillness, not thinking, not forming any thoughts at all. It rests from its activity — its rippling. All thought-formations within the mind rest completely. All that remains is simple awareness — which is called the mind entering into stillness. Here even more so, nothing appears at all. All that appears is awareness, as if it were blanketing the entire cosmos — because the currents of the mind aren”t like the currents of light. The currents of light have their end, near or far, depending on the strength of the light. For example, with electric light, if the candle power is high, it will shine for a long distance. If low, it will shine for a short distance.

　　But the currents of the mind aren”t like that. They have no ”near” or ”far.” To put it simply, there is no time or place. The mind can blanket everything. Far is like near. ”Near,” ”far”: They don”t really apply. All that appears is that awareness blanketing everything to the ends of the universe. It”s as if all that appears in the entire world is this single awareness, as if there were nothing in our consciousness at all, even though everything still exists as it always has. This is what it”s like: the power of the mind, the current of the mind that has been cleansed of things that cloud and obscure it.

　　Even more so when the mind is completely pure: This is even harder to describe. I wouldn”t know how to label it, because it”s not something to be labeled. It”s not something that can be expressed like conventional things in general, because it”s not a conventional reality. It lies solely within the range of those who are non-conventional, who know their own non-conventionality. For this reason, it can”t be described.

　　Now, the world is full of conventions. Whatever we say, we need to use a conventional picture, a supposition, to make comparisons in every case. ”It seems like this. It seems like that.” Or, ”It”s like this. It”s like that. It”s similar to that.” For example, take the word, ”nibbana.” Ordinary defilement — our ordinary mind — requires that we think of nibbana as broad and spacious, with nothing appearing in it. But we forget that the word nibbana, which is a conventional word, still has some conventionality to it. We might even think that there”s nothing in nibbana but pure people milling around — both men and women, because they both can reach purity: Nibbana has nothing but those who are pure, milling around to and fro, or sitting around in com…

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