What Scripture is That Thinking Mind?
Long ago, there was a Zen master named Doeung.
One day, a monk was sitting in his room reading scripture. The master, passing by the window, overheard him and asked:
“What scripture are you reading?”
The monk replied, “I am reading the Vimalakirti Sutra.”
The master responded, “I am not asking about the Vimalakirti Sutra. I am asking, what scripture is that thinking mind reading?”
At that moment, the monk suddenly attained enlightenment.
What is the Mind?
What exactly is the mind? Typically, we think of the mind as the source of thoughts, emotions, desires, and conflicts. However, the “mind” we refer to is merely an illusion, not a true entity.
For instance, when I say, “Train!” an image of a train may appear in your mind. But that mental image is not a real train. A train is the physical object running across the tracks out there in the field. What you experience is the train, and the shadow of that experience is the mental image of the train in your mind.
Your mental train is not the actual train. Yet, we often mistake the shadow of our experience for reality. We live immersed in this shadow world, believing it to be the real world.
The Illusion of Language
No matter how eloquent or precise our words may be, they can never fully reveal the essence of reality. Language is not capable of describing the true nature of things. It is merely a label attached to sensory impressions.
All your suffering, anguish, wandering, and even your moments of happiness arise from this shadow world. Enlightenment means freeing oneself from the illusions of this shadow world and realizing one’s true essence.
The Metaphor of the Water and the Droplet
When a stone is thrown into a lake, water droplets splash into the air. Most people identify with the droplets, thinking, “This is me.”
But the true “I” is not the droplets; it is the lake itself.
The ancient Indians made a clear distinction: they called the splashing droplets Ahamkara (ego), and the lake itself Atman (true self).
This applies not only to humans but to all things. Just as our true nature contains Atman, so does the magnolia tree have its Atman—the essence of life itself.
The Indians called the universal essence Brahman. Brahman and Atman are the same. Enlightenment is realizing that Atman and Brahman are one and the same.
The Zen Master’s Question
Returning to the monk and his scripture: when the Zen master asked about the Vimalakirti Sutra, the monk responded with the title of the text he was reading.
Books, especially philosophical ones, are often saturated with shadows. The monk, too, was traversing the forest of shadows as he read.
The master’s question—“What scripture is that thinking mind reading?”—was not asking about the book title. It was probing whether the monk was living in the shadow world or the true world.
Awakening from the Shadow
When the master asked, “I am not asking about the Vimalakirti Sutra. What scripture is that thinking mind reading?” the monk suddenly awakened.
In that moment, the monk realized the difference between the conceptual world of the Vimalakirti Sutra as a shadow and the true world of his essence, where his concepts arose.
Through this awakening, the monk transcended the world of droplets and grasped the world of water.
The Legacy of the Zen Masters
The stories of ancient Zen masters are filled with teachings like this. They used such methods to transmit the light of true essence. By distinguishing between the conceptual mind and the true self, they guided individuals into the true world of their essence, allowing them to perceive the light of reality.