Purifying the Thoughts of the Head

This article records an interview with Venerable Chang Ren, who shares profound insights on the practice of purifying the mind and the thoughts that reside within the head. This discussion was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fajing, on October 11, 2023, at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre.

Venerable Chang Ren speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. The appearance of a person whose mind is pure is entirely different from that of someone whose thoughts are scattered and chaotic. This difference has absolutely nothing to do with physical beauty or outward appearance; rather, it is a reflection of one's inner level of purity. This inner state naturally allows a person to radiate a completely different presence.

It is natural for the human head to engage in thinking; this is an innate ability. We use our minds to deliberate, to make decisions, and to plan our lives. However, the true question is: can you control your own head? Can you use it when it is necessary, and when it is not, can you allow it to remain pure and focused on chanting Namo Amituofo?"

The Habitual Nature of Thought

"For the vast majority of people, this seems like an impossible task. The mind has become so accustomed to thinking that even a three or four-year-old child has already begun to develop this habit. For an adult who has been using their head for twenty or thirty years, the thoughts within are often dense and tangled, like a thick, impenetrable forest.

Even when you do not want to think, the mind continues to churn on its own. You may find yourself thinking so much that you are not even aware of what you are thinking about. I have observed that many people are in this exact state. It is much like a physical action you have performed thousands or tens of thousands of times; you become so proficient that you can execute the movement without needing to use your brain, your eyes, or your heart. Because you are so accustomed to it, you naturally stop paying attention to the action itself, and it becomes easy to overlook the process entirely.

Thinking is exactly the same. The head is so accustomed to running that whenever the Six Roots come into contact with the Six Dusts, it triggers a cascade of thoughts. People think so excessively that they find it difficult to even perceive what is happening within their own minds."

The Spiritual Burden of a Cluttered Mind

"Those who carry a heavy burden of scattered thoughts lose a degree of their natural purity. This is because their incessant thinking disturbs their heart and, in turn, attracts countless sentient beings to attach themselves to their bodies. Consequently, their physical form cannot remain pure, and the appearance they project becomes incredibly complex, chaotic, and heavy.

After one begins to listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma, one starts to understand the necessity of purifying the thoughts of the head. It is only then that the true difficulty of this purification becomes apparent. It is incredibly hard to break habits that have been ingrained for decades, and it is equally difficult to gain control over one's own mind. You may suddenly find that this brain does not seem to belong to you anymore. Whether you are chanting Namo Amituofo, reciting sutras, walking in meditation, or performing any other Buddhist practice, the mind continues to think, as if it were occupying its own private space, refusing to stop.

However, you should feel fortunate. When you first notice that your head is in such a state, you have already taken a significant step forward. Otherwise, you might have remained completely unaware of your own condition, living in a state of total ignorance regarding the chaos within."

Methods for Mental Purification

"When you begin to discover that your thoughts are so numerous that they are unstoppable, you must attempt to use various methods to help yourself reduce this mental activity. There are many different factors contributing to this state, and each factor requires a different approach to change. Therefore, you must possess perseverance and determination, experimenting with different techniques to purify your thoughts and retrain your head to make chanting Namo Amituofo a habit, thereby removing the inertia of habitual thinking.

Perhaps your eyes need to see less of the world—less of people and things—so that you do not trigger thoughts the moment you see something. Perhaps you can also listen less: listen less to idle gossip, less to unnecessary information, and less to matters that force your brain to work. By using these methods, you can reduce the constant operation of your head.

You can also change your tendency toward attachment, because attachment causes one to inadvertently generate more thoughts. It is better to have less attachment; treat all things with simplicity and follow the conditions as they arise. This will allow you to shed many unnecessary thoughts. You might also listen to the sutras and hear the Dharma more frequently, using the focus required to listen to the Dharma to diminish your own thinking. When you listen to the sutras and return the understanding to your true self, you will learn how to change yourself. In the process of changing yourself, you can reduce your karma and help yourself improve the state of having too many thoughts. You can also memorize the sutras, which prevents the head from constantly immersing itself in its own internal monologue.

Furthermore, you can use the method of Chao Du to help the sentient beings within your head find liberation and depart. The presence of these beings increases your thoughts and obstructs the purity of your head; sometimes, they even control the state of your mind. Through Chao Du, these beings see the Buddha-light and receive the merits of the practice. With the help of the Buddha's power, they are able to depart from within your head.

There are many methods you can try, but the goal is always the same: to purify your head, to gain a little more purity and a little less thinking, to chant one more Namo Amituofo, and to have one less deluded thought. Whether in daily life or in your spiritual practice, this is of the utmost importance to your own well-being.

Namo Amituofo."