Superior people of brilliant capacity with intense insight let go of their whole beings, as if they had never even been born; they have no fixations at all. Then the mind source is spontaneously clear and calm, and true nature becomes manifest of itself.
-Scripture of Purity and Serenity by the Master of the Undefiled
The method detailed below is a very direct entry to the path of practice known as prajñāpāramitā. It forms the root of how I approach practicing Dharma. What is described may seem quite radical and hard to believe.
For most people, it is radical.
Good news: belief is not required. We simply have to be willing to learn, try the method, and observe the results. With correct practice, wisdom and confidence will build naturally.
The resulting changes from this practice can become some of the most profound shifts and realizations of our lives.
Turning everything over
The roots of this practice can be found in this teaching of the Buddha.
Nothing whatsoever should be clung to as “I” or “mine.”
-Gautama Buddha
It may not be apparent at first, but this means:
- Our body is not ours.
- Our impressions of pleasant and unpleasant are not ours.
- Our ideas and concepts are not ours.
- Our thoughts, impulses, moods and memories are not ours.
- Our awareness is not ours.
Many Buddhist practitioners develop some acceptance of the Buddhist teaching of anatta, or “not-self.” But when it comes to living this reality, it tends to become confusing. Because of this, we can have a hard time developing anatta beyond it feeling like an interesting philosophy. If we were to truly give up our sense of will and control, we don’t see how things could possibly be handled well.
This practice lets us step past the words and ideas so we can directly experience what is not “I” or “mine.”
The core of this method of practice is quite simple:
Return everything back to nature. (Especially whatever feels like “me.”)
It just so happens that nature manages it all effortlessly.
Just continuously return everything to nature, wishing for the best outcome.
- Let that which breathes, handle the breathing.
- Let that which produces sensations, handle producing sensations.
- Let that which experiences sensations, handle experiencing sensations.
- Let that which sees, handle seeing.
- Let that which hears, handle hearing.
- Let that which produces thoughts, handle producing thoughts.
- Let that which knows, handle knowing.
We can’t easily make sense of this practice by thinking about it, or figuring it out. We must find out about the experience by diving in.
Bodhicitta
An overall virtuoso is someone who dwells without thinking, moves without calculating, harbors no ideas of right and wrong or beautiful and ugly. Benefitting all within the four seas is their only pleasure. Providing for everyone is their only peace.
-Zhuangzi
The first step to practicing Returning to Nature is to form a healthy and wise motivation. This aspect of the practice is often referred to as Bodhicitta. This Bodhicitta motivation should feel clear, authentic, and may evolve many times throughout our lifetime.
Maintaining this motivation is integral to the health and success of the practice. Whenever possible we should wish (or reaffirm the wish) to live and act in a giving, friendly and non-harmful manner, for the benefit of all.
Sincerely wishing to live in a way that is a good fit with what is occurring invites wise activities to manifest and to be noticed. This aspiration also directly addresses the tendency to treat the feeling of “I” or “me” as the most important actor within the world.
Natural intelligence
There are, strictly speaking, no enlightened people, there is only enlightened activity.
-Shunryu Suzuki
It is easy to form the perspective that the spiritual path consists primarily of improving ourselves. We can easily hold the view that “I just need to be more kind, less selfish, and more mindful and I will be enlightened.” The issue with this approach is that this all revolves around the core feeling of “me” or “self” which is constructed from delusion and mistaken assumptions.
In this system of Dharma practice, the habits and behaviors of the self can be worked on, but doing this is all in service of realizing how to set down the feeling of self.
We do not awaken or realize enlightenment. Trying to uncover our true nature by improving the self has been likened to trying to polish a brick until it becomes a mirror.
Fortunately, there is a path to awakening that does not rely on improving the self. This is to set down all of the responsibilities that the self was handling with the wish that all may benefit. By giving the feeling of self a vacation, this sense of self can find deep rest. Trying to get rid of it or annihilate it tends to result in the feeling of self becoming stronger as its primary role or motivation has been rooted in feelings of self-preservation.
By turning every aspect of what feels like “me” or “mine” back over to nature (wú wéi), everything realigns with natural order (zì rán). This is a way to tap in to a type of vast, natural intelligence (Tào or Buddha-nature), allowing it to guide life (wéi wú wéi). This is the “enlightened activity” that was pointed to above.
This natural intelligence has been operating throughout our lives all along. Nature has been handling breathing when we have not been focused on controlling the breath. It has been walking and balancing the body when we take a stroll. It has been operating the tongue while we eat, drink and speak. It has been producing thoughts and epiphanies when we have not been willfully trying to think. When we are startled, it is also that which flinches and responds before thought.
Nature is greater than just our small and under-qualified perspective and experience. It has coordinated countless bodies, minds, and the workings of the universe since time immemorial. All this despite resistance to and unawareness of it, which causes many problems for sentient beings.
We should return the body and mind back to nature and see what happens.
Practicing returning everything to nature
Not doing, not being the one in charge of what happens; not doing, not being ruled by your own understanding. In this way, embody the endlessness and roam where there is no sign, fully living through whatever is received from Heaven without thinking anything has been gained, thus remaining a vacuity, nothing more. The Utmost Person uses their mind like a mirror, rejecting nothing, welcoming nothing, responding but not storing, thus they can overcome all things without harm.
-Zhuangzi
Here is one way that we can begin to practice this method right now.
Wish sincerely to nature; “Please handle this.”
Here, “this” refers to either whatever we are currently caught on, or to the totality of experience, whichever feels true in that moment. What we are wishing to is not separate from ourselves, but it is greater than us.
Then just stop fiddling with things, stop planning or strategizing, stop trying to solve anything.
Wait, feel whatever is happening across all of the senses right now. This includes noticing thoughts, memories and mental activities.
This awareness will cause body and mind to operate naturally in a well-informed fashion. Ideas will naturally arise about whatever needs to occur based on what is being noticed. We don’t have to try and think for thoughts to arise.
Whatever occurs, whatever events happen, whatever thoughts or ideas come up, trust that these will be enough to navigate through life.
Simply experience it all and keep a core motivation or wish to sense what feels like the best fit. Without prioritizing ourselves above or below others, remain sensitive to what seems best for all involved in any situation. The moment something that feels like a wise fit arises, let it occur without hesitation if possible.
What arises liberates itself. Left undisturbed, each thought or response reveals its nature, completes its movement, and dissolves. When something does not feel wise to enact, let it pass untouched, and it will unwind on its own.
Observe how these choices play out. Future choices will be informed by this curiosity. Learning will happen naturally, and natural intelligence will grow increasingly skilled at managing the experience of body, mind and the world.
In this way, observing and acting in harmony with what occurs, life becomes a dance with whatever arises and ceases.
When we find we are entangled or caught, simply restart the process and wish again; “Please handle this.”
Here is the process in summary:
- Wish sincerely to nature; “Please handle this.”
- Stop fiddling with things and wait, noticing whatever is happening across all of the senses right now.
- Experience it all and keep a core motivation or wish to sense what feels like the best fit.
- When something that feels like a wise fit arises, let it occur without hesitation. Observe how these phenomena and actions play out.
- When something that arises does not feel wise to enact, let it pass untouched, and it will unwind on its own.
- When we find we are entangled or caught again, restart the process and wish again; “Please handle this.”
Diligence in cultivation
At all times he abides continually in the Buddha Mind, and there’s not a single moment when he isn’t in the Buddha Mind. He functions with perfect freedom in accordance with circumstances, letting things take their way. Just do good things and don’t do bad ones. If you pride yourself on your good deeds, however, becoming attached to them and abominating the bad, that is going against the Buddha Mind. The Buddha Mind is neither good nor bad, but operates beyond them both.
-Bankei Yōtaku
As we can see above, Bankei Yōtaku strongly advocated for diligence with this method. Through such steady application, familiarity with the skill of returning everything to nature develops.
What does this look like?
It may be helpful to start small. Picking something that doesn’t feel too difficult to return back to nature is recommended. Perhaps an emotion or thought pattern that is only mildly disruptive at the moment.
By remaining sensitive to each of the senses, we naturally come to know when a thought or action is entangled.
Let’s say a troubling thought pattern like mild annoyance or boredom is felt.
First, having noticed that we seem to be entangled, wish sincerely to nature; “Please handle this.” We must really wish to relinquish it as wholeheartedly as possible.
Then patiently stop fiddling with the experience. Wait to sense nature’s will or way as it arises across the senses. Let it come up not-on-purpose. This means dropping all control and influence over the troubling thought pattern and instead waiting to see how things will play out now that it has been offered to nature instead of being “ours.” Experience the sensations all across the field of touch, and the mental activities that arise naturally, without any effort or will of our own.
If we notice any residual control or attempts to influence the troubling thought pattern, employ wise effort. Noticing attempts to control or influence happens automatically; we then allow the body and mind to soften as much as possible. Any release of unnecessary tension feels relieving. Let this relief generate a gentle, relaxed smile. From here, wish for nature to “Please handle this” as well.
Continue releasing anything related to what has been offered to nature. Sometimes this might involve repeating the wish several times.
Observe what happens with the thought pattern that was offered to nature. It may be best at first to observe and wish for quite some time.
Once the process is understood and curiosity is piqued, offer something else to nature in the same way.
Do this again, and again, each time noticing how it goes and what it feels like.
As increasing familiarity with the skill develops, an intuitive sense will arise of how to offer more of the experience back to nature. Experiment, following the same pattern outlined above.
Over time, as more is offered, confidence and understanding continue to grow. Each time noticing how it goes and what it feels like.
Do this whenever possible, holding no agenda other than curiosity and benefitting all, throughout each day.
At some point it may become possible to simply offer mind and body, or to just offer everything over to nature.
See what happens.
Practice while moving
If people weren’t deluded why would they ask about something right in front of them? Not one of them understands the movement of his own hands and feet. The Buddha wasn’t mistaken. Deluded people don’t know who they are.
-Bodhidharma
You are encouraged to release any ideas that sitting is the “real” or deeper practice, and that walking and practicing in other postures are in essence just ways to break up the time between sits.
Returning to nature works in a very different way. Once the foundational skill of returning to nature has been understood and developed to some degree, activities and movement become a large part of the practice.
Movement can be so helpful in learning this system of practice. The following guidelines will help you begin working with movement.
Begin by taking a walk, jog, bike ride, or some other simple movement that can be maintained for quite a while without causing injury or complication. I will use walking in this example.
While walking, wish to nature “Please handle this“. In this case, not only the mental activities are turned over to nature, but also the walking itself.
Notice how even during the moment of wishing for nature to handle things, the walking happened and continues to happen without the need for thought, labels or planning.
Continue walking for a while (10-60+ minutes) while releasing all mental activities that arise back to nature, observing how everything goes.
What is it that is moving the body?
Feel into this. What is it like to experience “that which walks”? It’s presence is undeniable while in gross movement like exercise, and much easier to feel.
Can that which walks be allowed to simply walk how it walks?
What is it that produces thoughts and mental experiences? Can it be allowed to do so?
Wordless practice
Practice can also play out wordlessly.
Remaining sensitive to what is occurring, let all mental activities operate completely not-on-purpose.
Through vivid experiencing of the senses (including mental activities), what we think of as ‘mind and body’ operates intelligently on its own.
Don’t take on any role.
- Let that which breathes, handle the breathing.
- Let that which produces sensations, handle producing sensations.
- Let that which experiences sensations, handle experiencing sensations.
- Let that which sees, handle seeing.
- Let that which hears, handle hearing.
- Let that which produces thoughts, handle producing thoughts.
- Let that which knows, handle knowing.
It is the act of returning the operation of mind and body back to nature that sets this amazing process in motion. For this same reason, interfering with the natural operation of mental activity shuts this process down.
When operating from a mistaken perspective, the experience is that of the small, fettered mind. When free of its constraints, universal mind operates far beyond this scope.
When allowed to, that which sees, handles seeing. That which hears, handles hearing. That which thinks, remembers, and generates impulses. Nature handles all of these freely on its own.
Just observing what is happening, seeing how it goes, the natural responses appear on their own.
By allowing this process to unfold without interference, it continually improves and evolves.
Continual development
As noted earlier, returning to nature is closer to the experience of an athlete or manual laborer than that of a theorist or philosopher. Just as a person can balance on one foot without knowing how or why, we too can learn to let nature work without first analyzing or explaining it.
When an athlete gains a skill, it cannot be maintained, or refined through ideas alone. It must be performed. It carries a distinct, embodied “feel.” Without continued practice, the skill fades from lived experience into mere memory.
This practice is the same. Its power lies not in discursive thought but in direct experience and the natural insights that arise from it.
Learning it is like learning to swim. To become a swimmer, one must take lessons and spend time in the water experimenting. Talking about swimming or reading books on technique can quickly create the illusion of knowledge, leaving the learner confident in theory but unskilled in practice, and that can be dangerous.
Once some proficiency exists, however, discussions and theories can help, provided they are carried back into the pool and tested through action.
The same is true here: talk and theory without embodied practice can mislead, but practice grounds understanding and keeps it honest.
Over time, this training develops a feel for when returning to nature can be applied effectively, and where more practice is still needed. With steady cultivation, allowing nature to meet even life’s most difficult moments becomes not only possible but also the wisest choice.
Historical references
This approach to living the spiritual path seems to have been realized by various individuals throughout history. A few of the most influential on my own path have been Bankei Yōtaku (1622-1693), Daehaeng Sunim (1927–2012), and Zhuangzi (late 4th century BCE).
Bankei Yōtaku referred to this realization as the unborn, or the Buddha Mind.
Everything is perfectly managed with the unborn, and because up until today I couldn’t see this, I’ve just been uselessly knocking myself out!
-Bankei Yōtaku
He recommended that we simply stop being “born” into identification as anything.
A woman asked: “I’ve heard that because women bear a heavy
karmic burden it’s impossible for them to realize buddhahood. Is this
true?”
Bankei said: “From what time did you become a ‘woman?’”-Bankei Zen, translated by Peter Haskel
Here we find Bankei pointing at how nature has already been running the majority of things in our lives even though our mistaken and deluded perspectives have convinced us otherwise.
If you divided the day into three parts, you’d find that, of all your activities from morning till night, two-thirds would be managed with the Unborn. Yet, without realizing this, you imagine you operate entirely through cleverness and discrimination, a serious error indeed!
-Bankei Yōtaku
Daehaeng Sunim provided very direct instructions on how to approach this practice all throughout our lives. She often referred to it as Juingong (empty doer or true-self) or Hanmaum (one-mind).
There are no justifications or reasons involved in letting go. As soon as something arises, unconditionally entrust it to Juingong (the empty doer that is truly doing things), your foundation. Entrust everything to Juingong. Entrust the things you understand and the things you don’t understand, entrust happiness and entrust suffering, entrust poverty and entrust disease. Let go of things that are not going well, and let go of things that are going well.
Let go, knowing “Only Juingong can truly show me the path.” By letting go like this, you can empty your mind and unload the heavy luggage you have been carrying for eons. By letting go like this, you can clean up the dust of your mind, which has been accumulating for eons and you can truly live and truly die.
Don’t try to take care of things by relying upon theories, sutras, clever words or other people’s ideas. Instead, just let go while believing that only Juingong can solve it. Let go once, let go twice, let go continuously so that you are used to letting go. Keep letting go, so that it becomes second nature like taking off your shoes when you enter a house. Then even problems of genetics and karma will melt down.
-Daehaeng Sunim
There are many names that have been used for the effortless natural intelligence that is uncovered through this process. I often refer to it as Tào, nature, prajñāpāramitā or tathāgatagarbha .
You can call Juingong, Dad or Mom. Also you can call it the owner of mind, ordinary mind, pure water, life-giving water, or the pillar of mind. You can call Juingong one thing or inherent nature. You can call Juingong the thing that does not have anything, or you can call it Amida Buddha, or the main Buddha. You can call it God or my love because it is the fundamental place. Juingong can never be fixed because it can become anything. Juingong is the parent as well as the child, the highest person as well as the lowest. Juingong is the true self that leads you, no matter what name is used. Juingong is the true essence of me and the mind of my mind.
-Daehaeng Sunim
As for this sparkling awareness, which is called “mind,” even though one says that it exists, it does not actually exist. (On the other hand) as a source, it is the origin of the diversity of all the bliss of Nirvana and all of the sorrow of Samsara. And as for it’s being something desirable; it is cherished alike in the Eleven Vehicles. With respect to its having a name, the various names that are applied to it are inconceivable (in their numbers).
Some call it “the nature of the mind” or “mind itself.”
Some Tirthikas call it by the name Atman or “the Self.”
The Sravakas call it the doctrine of Anatman or “the absence of a self.”
The Chittamatrins call it by the name Chitta or “the Mind.”
Some call it the Prajñāpāramitā or “the Perfection of Wisdom.”
Some call it the name Tathagata-garbha or “the embryo of Buddhahood.”
Some call it by the name Mahamudra or “the Great Symbol.”
Some call it by the name “the Unique Sphere.”
Some call it by the name Dharmadhatu or “the dimension of Reality.”
Some call it by the name Alaya or “the basis of everything.”
And some simply call it by the name “ordinary awareness.”– Padmasambhava
The Buddha said people are deluded…If people weren’t deluded why would they ask about something right in front of them? Not one of them understands the movement of his own hands and feet. The Buddha wasn’t mistaken. Deluded people don’t know who they are. A Buddha and no one else knows something so hard to fathom. Only the wise knows mind, this mind called nature, this mind called liberation. Neither life nor death can restrain this mind. Nothing can. It’s also called the Unstoppable Tathagata, the Incomprehensible, the Sacred Self, the Immortal, the Great Sage. Its names vary but not its essence.
-Bodhidharma
In the writings of Zhuangzi we find many descriptions of the experience of living in this manner.
I encounter it with the imponderable spirit in me rather than scrutinizing it with the eyes. For when the faculties of officiating understanding come to rest, imponderable spiritlike impulses begin to stir.
-Zhuāngzǐ
Just stay in the state of non-doing and all things will transform themselves.
-Zhuāngzǐ
Here we find Jiànzhì Sēngcàn, Man Gong and Huangpo Xiyun sharing very direct yet simple hints at how it is to live in this manner. These direct pointings are so radically different from how sentient beings tend to understand life that these simple descriptions can appear to be just riddles or nonsense.
There is nothing difficult about the Great Way, but avoid choosing! Only when you neither love nor hate, does it appear in all clarity.
-Jiànzhì Sēngcàn, translated by R.H. Blyth
Sentient beings know that they must be good. They don’t realize that they must find the self which makes them good.
-Man Gong
I have eaten all day long but have not bitten a grain of rice; have walked ạll day long, but have not treaded a piece of ground.
-Huangpo Xiyun
Meister Eckhart, a mystic in the Christian tradition described something quite similar.
To the quiet mind all things are possible. What is a quiet mind? A quiet mind is one which nothing weighs on, nothing worries, which, free from ties and from all self-seeking, is wholly merged into the will of God and dead to its own.
-Meister Eckhart
Two-part formula
This practice forms part of a simple to remember formula for bringing practice into all of life. Master Birds Nest, a Chan master that lived between 741-824 AD gave this simple formula for practice as a way of life.
Not committing evil, practicing all good, keep the heart-mind pure.
-Niaoke Daolin
This could also be worded as: When anything can be returned to nature, turn it over. If it can’t be returned, do good deeds.
The formula gives us a simple way to approach all of life. When possible, set everything down, when not, perform good deeds regardless of how we feel, or what is happening.
This approach allows for the times when practice feels simple as well as when life feels entangled.
Doing good deeds
What are good deeds? There are many types of good deeds that the Buddha advocated.
Here is a short list that I encourage people to work from. Generally at least one or more of these are something that we can do at any time regardless of what is taking place.
- Reciting the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
- Chanting mantras
- The six pāramitās
- Practicing repentance and prostrations.
The six pāramitās by themselves form an excellent list of good deeds as well:
- Giving
- Living by the Buddhist precepts
- Patient enduring
- Healthy diligence
- Meditation, dropping the sense of separation
- Observe what is wise and a good fit
When anything can be returned to nature, turn it over. If it can’t be returned, do good deeds.
Returning to nature fulfills all six pāramitās
This method of practice also fulfills each of the six pāramitās.
- Offering everything back to nature is giving.
- Living by the precepts becomes a description of how the body and mind behave once they are returned to nature.
- Abstaining from killing
- Abstaining from taking what is not freely given
- Abstaining from causing harm with lust and sense craving
- Abstaining from false and harmful speech
- Abstaining from intoxicants that may lead to breaking the other precepts
- Waiting to sense nature’s unfolding is patient enduring.
- Offering everything back to nature is healthy diligence.
- Experiencing the mind and body operated by nature is meditation and letting go of feelings of separation.
- Noticing how the process of returning to nature plays out is observing what is wise and a good fit.
How were the minutes spent?
Even a dog understands its job. If a stranger comes then, “woof, woof.” A cat understands a cat’s job: if a mouse comes… “meow,” then catch the mouse. All animals understand their job. But human beings don’t understand their job. What’s your job?
-Seungsahn Sunim
Human beings’ job is simple: Wake up as much as we can, do good deeds.
This transformative Dharma is not just practiced in formal meditation. It is an art of living life. Each day, reflect on how the minutes were spent.
How much of the day was spent with everything turned over to nature? When entangled, how many of those minutes were spent doing good deeds?
Each day is a new opportunity to explore the true job of human beings; to deepen the practice of turning everything over to nature, and when that is not possible, filling the minutes with good deeds.
Practicing wisely and with care
Before concluding this guide, It is my ethical duty to include a sincere admonition that this method of practice, as with most profound Dharma, requires healthy and well-informed perspectives around what is going on and how it is best to contextualize it.
This means that without the feedback loops of interacting with a teacher that has practiced in this way, studying the teachings of the Buddha regarding this portion of the path, and practicing wise-view (replacing certainty and views with “don’t-know,” compassion and willingness to keep learning), this type of practice can derail.
All throughout history there are warnings, in traditions ranging from Native Americans to those originating in the East about how the deeper end of the spiritual path can be difficult and must be approached carefully. One Buddhist sutra lists 50 examples of common missteps.
Unfortunately, misinterpreting spiritual experience while clinging to unfounded or mistaken perspectives is a somewhat common occurrence in the modern age. This can lead to delusion, reckless behavior and great harm. The results of not correctly working with these misconceptions can be disastrous.
Please keep in mind that Buddhadharma is a deep study of natural principles that has been continually developed for thousands of years. There are thousands of Pali Suttas and tens of thousands of Mahayana Sutras containing the teachings of the Buddha. Holding an attitude that after a few years of meditation, we know it all simply reflects that we are not aware of how much we don’t know. It is wise not to feed into or believe this tendency if it shows up.
We are encouraged to stay humble, refer back to the teachings of the Buddha, find wise friends that have direct experience on this part of the path, and to continue to aspire to act in ways that are motivated from non-harm and benefit for all as we practice.
Please use the core motivation of benefitting the world, live by the Buddhist precepts, and cultivate compassion and wisdom as your foundation and guide. This will help us practice wisely, and with care.
Namo Fundamental Teacher Śākyamuni Buddha
Namo Light Without End Buddha
Namo Perceiver of the Woes of the World Bodhisattva