Conditioned and unconditioned mind

Early on in the history of Buddhism, the Mahasanghikas argued that mind has a pure nature although it is otherwise for those who have not seen mind's pure nature. This pure nature is unconditioned and eternal whereas the conditioned (sanskrita) mind is one of defilements which serve to hide and obscure the pure nature of mind.

In the absolute sense, while there is only One Mind (ekacitta), hence, only one universal substance, it is not so constituted that its unconditioned nature is easy to observe and engage with. In fact, all that we are aware of is conditioned mind, including a conditioned world. This conditioned mind is momentary and changing whether we are engaged in internal dialogue or thinking about something. It is always going from being/arising to non-being/ceasing then back to being again.

Paradoxically, we are mind's pure nature which can't seem to find itself in its being and non-being oscillations, or the same, find itself in its own modifications. No matter how hard we try, we come up short of our intrinsic pure nature meeting with itself such that it can distinguish (praj) itself from its oscillations ending its confusion (avidya).

To make any real progress in Buddhism means that we must begin to try and see our own pure nature, that is, pure Mind. Dharma centers can't help; neither can zazen which is little more than a ritual that honors the Buddha's awakening under the Bodhi-tree. We have to get our head around the proper course of action to take if we are to really advance in Buddhism. The only proper course of action is for us, in the midst of a defiled mind which is always conditioned, is to connect with the nature of mind, or the same pure Mind, which is totally conditionless.


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