The false thinking of the thinking skandha

I3 The false thinking of the thinking skandha.
J1 Body and mind in mutual response.

Sutra:

Once your thoughts arise, they can control your body. Since your body is not the same as your thoughts, why is it that your body follows your thoughts and engages in every sort of grasping at objects? A thought arises, and the body grasps at things in response to the thought.

Commentary:

Once your thoughts arise, they can control your body. These false thoughts that you have drive your body, but your body is not your thoughts. Since your body is not the same as your thoughts, since the body and the mind are not the same sort of thing, why are they aware of each other? Why is it that your body follows your thoughts and engages in every sort of grasping at objects? Why is it that when you give rise to a thought, your body acts accordingly? A thought arises, and the body grasps at things in response to the thought. Why is your body controlled by your thoughts? As soon as you have a thought your body wants to grasp at the object you are thinking about. Why does your body function in unison with your thoughts? What is a thought? You can have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten thoughts, but here the text refers to just one thought. The Prajna Sutra of the Humane King Who Protects His Country says that there are ninety kshanas in a single thought. A kshana is an extremely short period of time. And yet within one kshana there are nine hundred births and deaths, that is, nine hundred productions and destructions. Thus it is said,

When not a single thought arises,
the entire substance manifests.
When the six sense faculties suddenly move,
one is covered by clouds.

If you could keep from having a single thought, the entire substance would manifest. What entire substance? The great function of the entire substance, the treasury of the Tathagata. It is your inherent family treasure; it is the scenery of your homeland; it is your original face. Upon the slightest movement of the six sense faculties, you become obscured by a covering of clouds. If a cultivator reaches the point where he does not have a single thought then the ghosts and spirits have no way to get at him. If not a single thought arises, then not a single thought passes away. If you cannot prevent thoughts from arising, then you cannot prevent them from passing away. This is an important point. If you can understand it then when you do not have a single thought the entire substance will manifest. But if your six faculties move again, you will be obscured by the dark clouds.

J2 Discussing its extent and concluding with the name.

Sutra:

When you are awake, your mind thinks. When you are asleep, you dream. Thus your thinking is stirred to perceive false situations. This is the third kind of false thinking, which is characterized by interconnectedness.

Commentary:

When you are awake, your mind thinks. A few days ago, I talked about Lord Zhuang who was born as his mother was waking up. Because of this, his mother resented him and favored her second son, Gong Shuduan. She wanted the second son to inherit his father's throne and become the king. Therefore, she repeatedly asked King Wu to pass the throne to his younger son rather than to his older son. But King Wu would not allow it and so Lord Zhuang still became the king. When Lord Zhuang became king, his mother told Gong Shuduan to instigate a rebellion. But that also failed. So that is the story of Lord Zhuang. When you are awake, the thinking skandha is in control.

When you are asleep, you dream. When you are asleep, you dream. Your thinking skandha produces dreams. Previously, we mentioned how the thinking skandha could make one perceive things incorrectly in one's sleep. For example, if you are asleep and people are beating on clothes or pounding rice nearby, you may hear it as bells and drums being played. Thus your thinking is stirred to perceive false situations. When you dream, your thinking skandha makes you perceive the false situation of bells and drums being played.

This is the third kind of false thinking, which is characterized by interconnectedness. "Interconnectedness" means working together. The thinking skandha functions whether you are awake or asleep, so we call this "inter-connection," which means mutual cooperation. This is the third kind of false thinking, and it is associated with the thinking skandha.