Primary Point

Finding Your Primary Point

This is Zen Master Seung Sahn’s basic introduction to don’t know and primary point, which I heard him give dozens of times over the years.—Mu Sang [Sunim]

When you are thinking, your mind and my mind are different. When you cut off all thinking, your mind and my mind are the same. Cut-thinking mind is empty mind. Empty mind is before thinking. Before thinking is clear like space. Clear like space is clear like a mirror. Red comes, red. Blue comes, blue. Someone is happy, then you are also happy. Someone is sad, then you are also sad. Also, before-thinking mind has no speech, no words, no idea. Why? Because name and form, speech and words all come from thinking. So no thinking, no speech, no words, no idea, no name, no form.

            Your before-thinking mind is your substance. My before-thinking mind is my substance. Then your substance, my substance, this stick’s substance, this sound’s substance, the whole universe’s substance is the same substance. We call this don’t know. So your don't-know mind, my don't-know mind, Buddha's don't-know mind, everybody's don't-know mind is the same don't-know mind.

            So when you keep don't-know mind 100 percent: What am I? Only don't know [exhales slowly]. Just then, you are the universe; the universe is you. You and the universe already become one. There is no inside, no outside; no subject, no object. Why? Inside and outside also come from thinking. So when there is no thinking, then inside and outside already become one. We call this primary point. So don't know is not don't know. Don't know is primary point. Primary point’s name is don’t know.

            But some people say that primary point is mind, or Buddha, or God, or energy, or matter, or substance, or holiness, or emptiness, or nothing, or everything. But the true primary point has no name, no form; no speech, no words. If you open your mouth, it's already a mistake. Because primary point is before thinking.

            So I ask you, when you keep don't-know mind, this stick, this sound, [hits the floor with the stick] and you: are they the same or different?

[A student replies, “Same.”]

            Yes, the same. But if you say the same, this stick will hit you thirty times. If you say different, this stick will also hit you thirty times. Why? Because same and different are opposites words; they are made by thinking. Without thinking, how can you answer?

            [The student is stuck and cannot answer. Zen Master Seung Sahn hits the floor—Bam!] So only hit! This is a demonstration—this sound-substance, this stick-substance, and your substance are all the same substance. So only hit. No words.

So I ask you, what is your name? [The student says, “Mary.”] That is your body's name. What is your true self's name? [The student hits the floor.] Correct. Next, how old are you? [The student says, “Twenty-five.”] That is your body's age. What is your true age? [The student hits the floor.] Good! When you are born, where do you come from? [The student hits the floor.] Good! When you die, where do you go? [The student hits the floor.] Wonderful!

            So now you understand primary point. But only understanding primary point cannot help you. I teach you to hit the floor, so you hit the floor. This is only like a monkey. But if you keep this hit-mind for a long time, then you will attain hit—attain primary point. Then it will become yours. And when you attain primary point, everything will be no problem.

 What Is Primary Point?

I often talk about primary point. What is primary point? When you have a scale and there is nothing being weighed, the indicator points to zero. You put something on it, and the pointer swings to indicate one pound. You take it off; the pointer goes back to zero. This is primary point. After you find your primary point, then good feelings come, bad feelings come—your pointer swings in one direction or the other. But this doesn't matter. Don't check it. When the feeling is over with, the pointer swings back to zero.

            But if you haven't found your primary point, then it is like taking a heavy object off the scale and having the pointer stay at ten pounds. Or, the pointer moves back only partway—it doesn't go back to zero. Then you have a problem. Your scale does not weigh correctly. Maybe if you put a heavy object on it, it will break completely.

            So first, you must find your primary point. Then you must keep it strongly.

            A taxi has weak shock absorbers, so it hits a small bump and bounces up and down. A train has strong shock absorbers, so it is very steady. If you keep your primary point, your mind-spring will become stronger and stronger. You will meet big problems, and your mind will move less and less. A big problem comes; your mind moves but soon returns to primary point. Finally, your mind will be very strong—it will be able to carry any load. Then saving all people is possible.