The Six Identities of Buddhahood: Identity in Name
If we want to walk the Bodhi path — steady and complete — the very first thing to do in what we call true practice is listen to the Mahāyāna teachings.
(2) Identity in Name
At last I hear the song of the unborn, For the first time, the deathless melody; Now I know this very being is it — I only regret the years I've let slip by.
If we want to walk the Bodhi path — steady and complete — the very first thing to do in what we call true practice is listen to the Mahāyāna teachings.
The Mahāyāna differs from the Śrāvaka path and from the human and celestial vehicles. As a śrāvaka, you can dwell in the mountains — watching a hundred flowers bloom in spring, seeing yellow leaves fall in autumn — and awaken to impermanence on your own. That's possible. But the domain of true practice is the inconceivable. The teaching of True Suchness comes only through the transmission of the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and spiritual friends — no exceptions.
So from the very start, we need to listen to the Mahāyāna Dharma and grasp the principle of the unborn and the deathless. Unborn means no arising; deathless means no ceasing. In other words, you first need to recognize that within your own mind abides a True Suchness that neither arises nor perishes. Get hold of this first.
We ordinary beings carry a mind in which the true and the false are woven together. The true mind lies deep; delusive thought stays on the surface. Most of the time, we take those delusive thoughts to be ourselves — having lost sight of the true, we give rise to delusion, then mistake that delusion for the real.
Think about it: when we eat something delicious, we say, "I'm so happy right now." But actually it's just a delusive thought that's happy — a passing thought releasing a signal of pleasure. That thought was triggered by an external object; it's a momentary fabrication. Yet we read it as "I am happy." Then someone provokes us, and we read it as "I am miserable." In reality, all of that is just feeling and imagination generated by thoughts that arise and cease. Only when you peel away these delusive thoughts — only when you let go of what arises and ceases — does the true and lasting begin to show itself.
So the first thing to understand is that the essence of our mind is unborn and undying. This arising-and-ceasing mind is not who you are. It's just an image cobbled together from momentary feelings, imaginings, and attachments — a false appearance.
So for anyone undertaking true practice, the first thing is: at last I hear the song of the unborn, for the first time, the deathless melody — knowing that these thoughts which arise and cease have nothing to do with you.
And then: now I know this very being is it — I only regret the years I've let slip by. Of course, we shouldn't reject delusive thought outright, because once it's tamed, its very substance is the true mind. It's like waves: what you see are waves, but when they settle, there is simply calm water.
So from the principle that delusion itself is the true, we feel a pang of regret for all our wasted time. Looking back, it was just one thought of inverted delusion grasping after more of the same — giving rise to afflictions, creating karma, suffering the pains of saṃsāra for nothing. Truly senseless.
From the perspective of True Suchness practice, then, there are two things to do, as this verse indicates:
First, learn to tell the true from the false. When a thought arises, you need the ability to judge: "This is arising-and-ceasing mind; this is unborn mind." You need this discernment. You may not be able to change your delusive thoughts yet, but at the very least you can recognize them for what they are. If you can't even tell they're delusive, how are you going to practice? You wouldn't know what to let go of and what to rest in.
The criterion is simple: whatever arises and ceases in dependence on external conditions is delusive thought. Remember — anything the world gives you, it will also take back. The pleasure an object brings will inevitably be carried off by that same object. It isn't yours; you've only borrowed it from your surroundings. So any thought produced through contact with external objects is a delusive thought.
What, then, is the true mind? When you set aside all delusive thought, there remains that ever-abiding true mind — that unborn, undying, luminous awareness. This is your inherently pure nature. This is the true mind. It doesn't arise with delusive thought, and it doesn't cease with it. It is still yet ever luminous, luminous yet ever still. That is the true mind.
So when we practice the Lotus Sūtra, the first thing is knowing how to observe: What is the true mind? What is delusive thought? That's the first task.
Second, you have to be willing to own it — to take it on directly. Telling true from false is a matter of understanding. What comes next tests your faith — your root of faith. You have to believe that the inherent nature all beings possess is the very Dharmakāya realized by all the buddhas. This is: now I know this very being is it — I only regret the years I've let slip by.
There's a saying about Chan Master Zhaozhou: "At eighty, Zhaozhou still traveled on foot — only because his heart hadn't yet found peace." He was still going everywhere, visiting spiritual friends, even at eighty. Then one day he broke through and said: "I wore through iron shoes searching everywhere — nothing. Then it came without the slightest effort." Before his awakening, he had gone everywhere seeking spiritual friends, chasing the supreme Dharma gate, the supreme wondrous teaching. Only then did he realize: that supreme wondrous teaching is found the moment you turn the light inward. You already have it, in full. It was just that we'd been confused by delusive thought all along.
So, friends — the biggest difference between us and ordinary scholars is that we're disciples of the Three Jewels. Once you've understood the principle, what do you do? You take it on. Now I know this very being is it — I only regret the years I've let slip by. No more hesitation. This, right here, is my True Suchness nature.
So how do you know whether you've entered the stage of Identity in Name? Two criteria. First, you can distinguish the true from the false — you may not be able to control your delusive thoughts yet, but you recognize them as delusive, and that's enough. Second, you can take the true mind on as your own, directly and without flinching. These two marks tell you that you've entered the stage of Identity in Name.