Empty Mind Ground

[Shi Da Dao]

The empty mind ground in constant, stable and forever the same. It is the basis of ALL existence and yet is not attached to any particular facet of physical existence and does not change as the external world inevitably changes and transforms. All things arise within and change throughout the empty mind ground - such is its broad accepting and wide supporting function - and yet at no place does it change or is it effected by the change it supports. Regardless of what is going on in the outside world - the underlying empty mind ground renains'still' and shining. The teachings of the Chinese Ch'an Masters emphasis the immediate realisation of the empty mind ground by applying the hua tou and effectively 'looking within.' In this regard, a gong-an may help you establish an effective hua tou practice by short-circuiting the chattering surface mind (and rendering it 'silent' so that the attention cane be used to direct the 'hearing' capacity back to its 'root' of both perception-non-perception and neither perception nor non-perception. Neither attached to the void - nor hindered by phenomena.