RIGHT AT THE SEEING, HEARING, AND KNOWING —  FREEDOM AND LIBERATION

In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the Buddhas of the ten directions unanimously proclaimed:

“Well done, Ananda! If you wish to know the root cause of innate ignorance — the very knot that binds you to saṃsara, the endless cycle of birth and death — it is none other than your six sense faculties. It is not anything else.

Likewise, if you wish to know The Unsurpassed Bodhi Nature — through which you swiftly realise serene liberation and subtle eternal bliss — it too lies in your six sense faculties, and nothing else.”

Thus, the six sense faculties — eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mental faculty — when clinging to the six objects — form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and dharmas (mental objects) — become the root of bondage. But when free from attachment, they become the gateway to enlightenment and Nirvāṇa. Practically speaking, in our daily lives, we are constantly in contact with external conditions — seeing, hearing, understanding and knowing. If the six sense faculties follow after the six sense objects, we fall into delusion, become entangled, and thus subject ourselves to suffering. On the other hand, if we do not chase after these objects, but instead take charge of body and mind, remaining free from attachment, then we are no longer dominated by the sensory world and can transcend all forms of suffering. 

Such is the truth. Yet in reality, being in control of oneself — to not be swayed or enslaved by the six sense objects — remains a challenge. 

To effectively apply the Buddha’s teachings at the very point of contact between sense faculty and sense object, the practitioner must firmly understand the principle behind attachment. Only then can one skilfully engage in the practice and truly be free. 

1. THE ROOT CAUSE OF ATTACHMENT 

The Buddhas and Patriarchs, having fully realised their true nature, still lived in this world as we do. Yet they remained serene, unbound, at ease and — free in every sense. Within each of us lies the same potential: when the light of awareness is strong, and we live in accord with our inherent nature, we too will find ourselves transcending all things in a wondrous and effortless way. This shows that when one abides in the true nature, worldly phenomena can no longer reach or affect them. These external conditions lose their grip, their value, and their influence — they simply cannot touch such a person. On the contrary, when we live in ignorance of this nature, we fall into attachment. 

We see something beautiful and immediately desire it; we encounter something unpleasant and instinctively reject it. Liking and disliking, clinging and rejecting — these are signs of attachment, which inevitably lead to suffering. The reason we are so easily entangled is that our own true nature is not shining forth. Lost in delusion, our seeing and hearing are immediately caught up and fixated. 

Thus, the root of attachment lies in this ignorance of our own nature. In that very moment of forgetfulness, deluded consciousness arises, and it is this very deluded mind that clings and defiles itself. On the surface, this manifests as a tendency to love beauty and despise what is ugly — a coarse expression of attachment. But on a deeper, more subtle level, it is the deluded sense consciousness operates independently and clings to things by its very nature. It is like a dog that becomes frightened when beaten by its owner but would fight back if struck by a stranger. The dog has grown dependent on its master, who feeds and tends to it daily. This dependency is clear — and it reflects attachment. Though the dog has no concept of “attachment,” once lost in unawareness, the deluded mind clings by itself, without knowing. 

Each morning, we go to a café and feel a sense of joy. Recognising this as an attachment, we let go of this habit. Day by day, we still think of it though, and continue to practise letting go. However, if we are too busy to visit the café for a long while, a subtle sense of something missing arises. This is a sign that the attachment still remains and the letting go has not yet been fully and complete. Similarly, when encountering someone we find difficult, we immediately practise letting go and remind ourselves to release any aversion. But when directly facing that person, if discomfort still arises, then clearly the attachment has not been dissolved. We may understand that all phenomena are illusions and remind ourselves to let go, truly wishing not to be entangled. Yet upon returning home, images and impressions from those external experiences resurface in the mind, subtly influencing and disturbing us — this is a sign that clinging still persists. 

This clinging and defilement arise from a deeply hidden deluded consciousness, which attaches on its own without our awareness. Only when the results manifest do we finally realise it. For this reason, even though we may practise diligently — avoiding distractions and striving to let go of all — the outcomes may still be limited and modest. It is this deluded consciousness operating beneath the surface that hinders progress. To achieve genuine results in practice, one must clearly understand this principle and master the mind with subtlety. 

2. SKILFUL ENGAGEMENT OF PRACTICE 

From the preceding discussion, it becomes clear that our interactions with the world (seeing, hearing, understanding, and knowing) still leads to attachment and entanglement due to two primary causes: 

• At a deeper level: It is the deluded sense consciousness that clings and attaches on its own.
• On the surface: It is our habit of following after external conditions that leads to attachment.

 The Buddha once said to Uḍḍālaka Ārāmaṇa (Uất-đầu-lam-phất): 

“To see and know only when there is an object to perceive — this seeing and knowing is one that is still following after external conditions. As long as one still follows after or depends on external conditions, one remains entangled, tainted and has not yet transcended birth and death[1].”On this basis, we can clearly understand the approach to spiritual practice. 

 a. Supportive Method: Letting Go and Refraining from Attachment

 Daily, we engage with the world, and in reality, most of us apply our practice by limiting distractions — avoiding excessive contact, reducing stimulation, and continually practising letting go, so that the six sense faculties do not become entangled with the six sense objects. This is a common method to guard against attachment — preventing the waves of sensory impressions from overwhelming and obscuring the original mind. This approach is beneficial, but it cannot yet eliminate attachment at its root to reach a state of true non-clinging. For instance, throughout daily encounters, we practise letting go and refrain from getting caught in right and wrong, good and bad, beautiful and ugly. However, when we sit quietly, these images resurface — a sign that we had previously been influenced by them. We may have let go of someone who once caused us distress, yet when we meet them again, discomfort arises. Clearly, our letting go is not fully and incomplete; the attachment still lingers. The reason is that we have not yet truly reached the root in our practice. 

For example, when encountering something beautiful or unpleasant, we fear becoming attached, so we turn inward to guard the sense faculties from engaging with the sense objects. But at the very moment of turning inward, the image of beauty or ugliness has already taken root in the mind — how and where, then, can this be let go? 

There are two underlying reasons for this:

 (1)The very intention to let go subtly means that we have already regarded the object as real and thus try to avoid it. Right then, the object gains value in our mind and is already imprinted there, even though we believe we have let it go.(2)Even if we regard the object as illusory, the act of “letting go” still involves mental activity — an effort within the mind — which is still a form of contrivance, agitation. This approach has not yet transcended the deluded consciousness, and thus cannot overcome conditioned phenomena.

Without letting go, there can be no practice. Yet even with letting go, success remains limited. Therefore, letting go serves only as a preliminary method to reduce external attachments — a protective measure for beginners, helping them become gradually accustomed before moving into deeper, more advanced practice. 

b.The Present Reality: The Seeing and Knowing Without Following After Conditions 

This practice is aimed directly at the root of attachment. 

As previously mentioned, the reason we become entangled with sensory phenomena is due to the deluded sense-consciousness. In reality, when we come into contact with the six sense objects and forget our true mind, delusion arises — and this delusion naturally leads to attachment. Yet it is only when the effects of this attachment have matured and manifested that we become aware of it. 

There are many instances where, upon first hearing something, we do not believe it; but after hearing others repeat it many times, we end up believing it without realising when it began. Likewise, there are things that initially seem unreasonable, but when we see that many people believe and act upon them, we are unconsciously drawn in and follow suit. This is the result of attachment, whose root lies in deluded consciousness and whose cause is forgetting the true mind, chasing after external conditions, and seeing and hearing based on forms and sounds. 

Yet one may still interact with all situations, still see, hear, understand and know — while maintaining continuous awareness. One clearly knows that all appearances are illusory; one hears but does not grasp at sounds, one sees but does not lost in forms. The awareness remains the awareness, the external world remains the external world — there is no chasing after conditions, no seeking after objects, no seeing or hearing based on appearances. Constantly returning to one’s true nature, abiding in the clarity of awareness, one sees and hears in such a way that attachment does not arise. Only then can one truly perceive reality, the truth, and remain unaffected by external influence. 

Only by not forgetting the true mind, can one uproot the deep-seated delusions formed over innumerable lifetimes, and eventually, there may come a moment of realisation of one’s own true mind — inherently untainted. One must return to the original mind — a mind that naturally transcends both sense faculties and their objects. In doing so, external phenomena (trần)lose their power to influence. Practically, in daily life, whenever we see, hear, or know, we must remember to remain aware — to live in accord with our own innate luminous awareness, without chasing after external conditions. In this way, attachment is gradually eliminated. This is a crucial key point. A practitioner may focus on this as a means of checking their progress in the practice, and it will bear results. 

c.The Inward Depth: Eradicating the Deluded Sense Consciousness 

Forgetting the inherent true nature, beings fall into delusion and agitation. The root of delusion lies deep within and clings to sensory phenomena on its own — without our awareness. Thus, even though we do not wish to be attached, we still become entangled irrationally. This is the very origin of attachment. This deluded consciousness is usually imperceptible, yet it pervades the entire being of one who has not awakened. Only those who have attained realisation, who have transcended it, can recognise its presence. While still caught within it, one cannot possibly discern its form or its workings. Therefore, to completely uproot attachment and clinging, one must sever this deluded consciousness at its very root.

But how can this be done? 

If one tries to do something to eliminate it, delusion has already taken the lead — and it cannot be eliminated in time. The moment we intend to “do”, to achieve something, we have already departed from the true mind (duality has formed: the self and the goal); and in that very intention, delusion arises. Furthermore, the moment we attempt to act, the very act is fabrication — and the very intention to fabricate originates from the deluded self. Hence, any attempt to eliminate deluded consciousness only serves to reinforce it, not extinguish it.

 Then, what if we do nothing? 

If we simply do nothing and let things drift, ignorance and false habits will only deepen, giving the deluded consciousness the opportunity to grow stronger — and thus, delusion will not be eradicated.

Doing something does not work. Doing nothing also does not work either. So, what is one to do? 

Do absolutely nothing — simply allow the True Nature to shine forth. Delusion will naturally cease. In awareness, the mind bears no trace of forgetfulness. This shows that when the mind is luminous, deluded consciousness has no place. Like turning on a light — the darkness vanishes not because we “do” anything to it, but simply because the light is present.

Thus, continually abiding in lucid awareness, and as one’s practice gains strength, when the right conditions ripen, this Nature will suddenly break open. Deluded consciousness will cease entirely, and all illusions will naturally fall away. At that point, perception transcends subject and object, resting in immovable suchness — entering and exiting conditions freely, seeing no trace of coming or going. 

A monk once asked Zen Master Baizhang Huaihai (Bá Trượng Hoài Hải):

 “In facing all conditions, how can the mind be like wood or stone?” 

The Master replied:

 “…Know that mind and objects (cảnh)have never truly reach each other — right there is liberation. Right there, every phenomenon is silent. Right there is The Dharma Hall.” 

Do not seek to know the things in the world around you — instead, be the light to yourself. Immediately, the true mind will manifest. The external world is just the world; the mind is just the mind. The mind and the things do not reach each other, and yet the radiant knowing is always present. In that very moment, mind and objects are of one suchness — neither a single thing, nor two or separate either. It is simply one radiant essence of mind, naturally transcending all phenomena.

 d. In Summary

 If one wait until encountering circumstances before applying practice, it will lack strength and the power of mastery. One must ‘ever abide in the presence of one’s innate luminous awareness.’  This is the proper principle of cultivation through which progress will come naturally and strength will visibly grow day by day. When practice becomes potent and ripen, the mind suddenly awakens and transcends all conditions.Only then will one possess the subtle power of freedom and the ability to transform circumstances. 

In the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the Buddha taught: “If one is able to turn objects, one is equal to the Tathāgata.”

At a basic level, this means: when one abides deeply in the the light of inherent nature itself, external objects lose their power to dominate. One is able to engage with conditions — or transform them — with freedom. This is what it means to “turn objects,” made possible by the present manifestation of the Tathāgata-nature within. 

At a deeper level, in that very moment, the practitioner is none other than their own intrinsic radiant awareness. This is true cultivation: self-awakening, awakening others, and the complete fulfilment of enlightened virtues — ultimately realising Buddhahood.

3. CONCLUSION

Suddenly bitten by an ant at the back of the neck, we instinctively startle. For an ordinary being, this is simply a natural reflex. But if one gives rise to discriminative understanding based on learned knowledge, then this is the self-grasping consciousness at work — the very root of reactions in sentient beings. 

However, if there is constant luminous awareness of the mind, then in that very moment of knowing, the true mind is already present. Everything hinges on this single turning point: whether we are in awareness, or we are seeing, hearing, understanding, and knowing based on external phenomena and conditions. True practice lies precisely here — not in forms, appearances, or any conceptual framework. Each person must be awakened from within and recognise this very subtle fact, for this cannot be conveyed through language or conceptual understanding.

When we hear someone mention lemon or see someone squeezing a lemon, we might instinctively start to salivate. If there is no reaction at all, it could mean the taste nerves are damaged. But if we do salivate, it shows that the root of attachment is still there. So then — How is it to be truly aligns with the Way? If one is not clear about this point, the deluded sense-consciousness is still at work — continuing to cling and exert its influence. But when there is true understanding, then whether one salivates or not becomes entirely irrelevant. Everything is naturally still, radiant, and boundless — so vast that earth and sky cannot contain it. At this stage, it is no longer about “solving the above problem.” The practitioner has awakened to wisdom and skilful means, and from that place responds to each being according to their capacity — presenting countless skilful “problems” to guide others back to their eternal horizon of their own profound origin. If one has not yet reached this ground, then one must diligently and maturely continue with one’s practice.