Date: 10/11/2025 10/12/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Sitting Meditation
The Essence of Zen Practice: Directly Pointing to the True Mind
In Zen Buddhism, the essence of practice is not about techniques, rituals, or special experiences. It is about directly pointing to the true mind, the original awareness that underlies all thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. To “directly point to the true mind” means to look inward, beyond concepts and words, and experience the mind as it truly is—clear, aware, and unobstructed. Understanding this principle brings meditation from form to essence.
1. What Is the True Mind? The Innate Awareness Within
1. It is not thought
Thoughts arise and pass; awareness observes them.
2. It is not emotion
Emotions fluctuate; awareness remains unchanged.
3. It is not the body
The body grows and decays; awareness perceives it all.
2. What Does “Directly Pointing to the True Mind” Mean? Turning Inward
1. Do not seek truth outside
It is not in scriptures, teachers, or rituals—but in your own mind.
2. The true mind cannot be grasped by concepts
It must be experienced directly.
3. Turn inward rather than outward
The further you search outward, the further you go from the true mind.
3. Why Is the True Mind Obscured? Thoughts, Emotions, and Habits
1. Endless thinking clouds clarity
Thoughts are like clouds; the true mind is the sky.
2. Emotional reactions disrupt awareness
Strong emotions pull the mind away from its center.
3. Habitual patterns reinforce delusion
Repeated reactions keep us stuck in old conditioning.
4. Zen Is Not About Chasing Experiences
1. All states are impermanent
Light, bliss, or stillness arise and fade.
2. Attachment to experiences blocks insight
Confusing sensations with awakening leads to delusion.
3. Zen aims at awakening, not phenomena
Phenomena are shadows; the true mind is the source.
5. How to Approach the True Mind: Through Present-Moment Awareness
1. Breath awareness
A stable anchor into the present moment.
2. Body awareness
Sensation brings the mind back to reality.
3. Mind awareness
Observing thoughts arise and vanish without interference.
6. Key Method: Notice Thoughts Instantly, and Do Not Follow
1. Awareness the moment a thought appears
Seeing it breaks its power.
2. No suppression
Awakening is clarity, not force.
3. Maintain open awareness
An open mind is closest to the true mind.
7. How to Recognize Touching the True Mind
1. Quiet but not dull
Clear, bright, and relaxed.
2. Fewer thoughts without forcing
Silence arises naturally.
3. Stable awareness
A grounded presence that remains in all situations.
Conclusion
The essence of Zen practice is not technique but recognition—
recognition of the mind that knows, the awareness behind all experiences.
When one stops chasing states and turns inward, the true mind becomes clear.
When one lives with clarity, freedom, and non-attachment,
“directly pointing to the true mind” becomes fully realized.
