We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track. If this problem persists help us by reporting it so we can investigate it.
Watch this talk
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Log in or create an account
The Five Particulars - 5 Tâm sở biệt cảnh
Getting to Know Our Different Modes of Consciousness
Thầy begins this teaching by emphasizing the importance of the bell-master in renewing our attention and providing moments of rest during the Dharma talk. This practice of stopping and breathing is contrasted with unwholesome habits like smoking, highlighting how we can program our environment—including our computers—to support mindfulness. Thầy then transitions into a deep exploration of the mechanics of intention, explaining the neuroscientific and Buddhist perspectives on how “pre-intention” functions at an unconscious, metabolic level before manifesting as a conscious mental formation.
The talk delves into the relationship between mind consciousness (manovijñāna) and store consciousness, questioning the extent of our free will. Thầy suggests that much of our daily activity, from eating to walking, is the fruit of “implicit learning” and processing within store consciousness. He challenges the notion of an objective reality, explaining that our world is largely a collective mental construction shaped by our sense organs and karma. Using the analogy of a table appearing as food to a termite but a writing surface to a human, Thầy introduces the three realms of perception: the thing-in-itself (svalakṣaṇa), representations, and mere images.
Finally, Thầy explores how practitioners can use “mere images” and visualization as powerful instruments for transformation. He shares a traditional novice’s practice of visualizing the interbeing nature of the “one who bows and the one who is bowed to,” using the image of Indra’s net to erase the barrier of duality. By understanding the modes of cognition—direct, indirect, and incorrect—practitioners can use mindfulness and concentration to eliminate errors in perception. Thầy concludes by encouraging the Sangha to use their “lazy day” to observe these mental landscapes and use mindfulness to transform their daily lives into the Pure Land or the Kingdom of God.
This is the eighth talk in a series of fourteen given during The Feet of the Buddha, twenty-one-day retreat in the year 2004. Thầy offered this talk at the Lower Hamlet, Plum Village, France.
Part of the following collection
Questions and Answers