True peace is not found in extremes—but in the still, ordinary mind that remains unchanged. 🌿
In this gentle and profound teaching, Master Woo Myung reflects on the meaning of the Buddhist phrase “The ordinary mind is the Way.” It does not refer to common thinking, but to the unchanging mind—the pure, empty, and eternal Mind of the Universe.
A truly ordinary mind is one that has no distinctions, no dualities, no fear of life or death. It is constant, and simply exists as it is, flowing in harmony with the nature of God, the Universe, and the Way. 🌀
Through Santa Clara Meditation, one can return to this original state of mind—calm, unwavering, and eternal. In this mind, there is no judgment, no striving—just being.
The Ordinary Mind Is the Way
The phrase, “The ordinary mind is the Way,” means that simply living as it is, is the Way. It means that always living with a constant mind is the Way. It is said that when a Buddhist monk is on his deathbed, the other monks ask him, “Are you of the same mind?” What they are asking is, “Although you are about to die, is your mind now the same as it was before?”
A truly ordinary mind is the Mind of God, which is the Universe, itself. It is the mind of the pure emptiness that exists as it is without discernment of what is or is not and of what is right or wrong; it is a mind, absent of life and death. This mind is one that does not change and remains as it is; it is the great Mind of the Universe, which is God. It is the mind of one who has returned to the Mind of God.
– Woo Myung
