Beginners may think that when they meditate, there should be no thoughts and emotions at all; and when thoughts and emotions do arise, they become annoyed and think they have failed. However, this is not the case. As long as you have a mind, there will be thoughts and emotions. Just as the ocean has waves or the sun has rays, so the mind’s own radiance is its thoughts and emotions.
Of course, thoughts are not necessarily deluded. When thoughts, distractions, and emotions weaken or slow down, the mind is still working, but its radiance gradually transforms into wisdom. As discrimination diminishes, wisdom increases. The consciousness turns into wisdom: The sixth consciousness turns into the discriminating wisdom, which is also the mind’s function. The seventh consciousness (self-attachment) turns into the wisdom of equality, which can transform self-attachment. Previously, our self-attachment is always there, clinging to the existence of a self. After eradicating self-attachment through meditation, the seventh consciousness will turn into the wisdom of equality. It’s still working, as where there is a mind, there is bound to be its function. When the eighth consciousness (the fundamental ignorance) is penetrated, the true mind will appear. But even when the true mind appears, it’s still functioning. The functioning of the true mind is called **“wondrous existence in true emptiness.”** True emptiness will definitely give rise to wondrous existence. True emptiness and wondrous existence are non-dual. Mere nothingness cannot give rise to wondrous existence. Those that don’t arise from true emptiness are false existence, deluded existence, also known as illusory existence. They don’t arise from our true nature. They are mixed with ignorance, so it’s also functioning. The function is false existence, deluded existence, and illusory existence. Hence, it’s still functioning. “Just as the ocean has waves or the sun has rays.” The ocean has waves, yet the ocean is not particularly disturbed by them. Our true nature is also like this—the nature of the mind has its wondrous uses, yet it is not disturbed by these wondrous uses. The waves are the very nature of the ocean. Where there is an ocean, there are bound to be waves. When waves arise, they eventually return to the ocean. Waves arise from the ocean and return to the ocean. Our thoughts are also the same—the wondrous uses arise from true emptiness and ultimately return to it. The wondrous uses are limitless. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can manifest all forms and all wondrous existence. This “wondrous existence” is different from the “three realms of existence” in samsara, which arise from the functioning of sentient beings’ minds. The wondrous existence arises from the true mind in an illusory way, without any ignorance or attachment. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have countless emanation bodies, countless majestic pure lands, and bliss bodies (sambhogakaya), all of which are the manifestations of their wondrous existence. Ordinary beings have strong attachment to self and phenomena, as well as karmic obstacles, afflictive obscurations, and cognitive obscurations. They prevent us from freely manifesting and transforming, and keep us bound by karma. As a result, immeasurable suffering of suffering, suffering of change, and pervasive suffering arise beyond our control. Various discrimination, delusions, and scattered thoughts arise, even leading to creating karma.