Eventually, the method of turning around the light applies to everything you do, whether you are walking, standing, sitting, or reclining. It is essential that you realize the unlimited potential for yourself. Previously I said, “White light comes about in the empty chamber.” Do not cling to the color or form. This saying serves as a guidepost only for beginners who haven’t seen the light. Once you see the light, you must not give rise to dualistic mentality. If you search for white light with intent, you then fall into discriminating awareness, which is not the light of essence.
回光之法，原通行住坐臥，只要自得機竅。吾前開示云；「虛室生白」，光非白邪。但有一說，初未見光時，此為效驗，若見為光，而有意著之，即落意識，非性光也。
The Chinese character for thought (念) is made up of the characters for now (今) and mind (心). So a thought is what is present in one’s mind. The mind is light; the mind is elixir. When we look at things and perceive them without discrimination, this is the light of essence. It is like a mirror reflecting without intention. But a moment later, the mind starts making distinctions, and it becomes the light of discriminating awareness. A mirror is not a mirror any more if the previous image still lingers in it. If there is discriminating awareness in light, the light is no longer the primordial light!
今心为念，念者现在心也。此心即光即药。凡人视物，任眼一照去，不及分别，此为，性光，如镜之无心而照也，如水之无心而鉴也。少刻即为“识光”，以其分别也。镜有影已无镜矣，水有象已无水矣。光有识尚何光哉！
My fellow practitioners, originally we all had the light of essence. But then it turns into discriminating awareness. The light is now obscured and cannot be found. It is not that there is no light, but that the light has become discriminating awareness. This is what is meant by the saying of the Yellow Emperor, “When sound moves, it does not produce sound, it produces echoes.”
子辈初则“性光”，转念则识，识起而光杳无可觅，非无光也，光已为识矣。黄帝曰：“声动不生声而生响”，即此义也。
The introduction to the Surangama Sutra says, “Pay attention neither to objects nor to discriminating awareness, but only to your inner senses.” What does it mean? Objects are external things, the so-called material world, which has no actual connection with us. If you pursue objects, you are mistaking things for yourself. Things must have an attribution. If you go after the air, it is attributable to doors and windows; if you go after the light, it is attributable to the sun and moon. Taking them for yourself, you’ll end up finding they are not you. Only when you follow your own senses, that they are attributable to yourself and nothing else.
《楞嚴推勘入門》曰：「不在塵，不在識，惟選根」，此則何意？塵是外物，所謂器界也。與吾了不相涉，逐之則認物為己。物必有還，通還戶牖，明還日月，借他為自，終非吾有。至於不汝還者，非汝而誰。
Light is attributable to the sun and moon. However, the awareness of the sunlight and moonlight cannot be attributed to anything. Sometimes there is no sun or moon in the sky, but never there is an absence of the awareness. Otherwise how could that which discriminates the sun and moon be attributed to oneself? When both light and dark are forgotten, the discrimination that discriminates light and dark is not there anymore. As long as there is still attribution, there is internal dust. Only the essence of seeing cannot be attributed to anything. But when one sees with discriminating awareness, seeing is not seeing, and this seeing also has an attribution, which refers back to the revolving flow of the discriminating awareness, alluded to in the Surangama Sutra where it says, “Ananda, it is your wandering mind and eyes that are keeping your consciousness unrestful.”
明還日月，見日月之明無還也。天有無日月之時，人無有無見日月之性。若然則分別日月者，還可與為吾有耶。不知因明暗而分別者，當明暗兩忘之時，分別何在，故亦有還，此為內塵也。惟見性無還，見見之時，見非是見，則見性亦還矣。還者還其識念流轉之見性，即阿難使汝流轉，心目為咎也。
When one first begins to study “the eight attributions”, one easily understands that the first seven are attributable. Not being able to grasp the essence of seeing yet, the practitioner uses it as a crutch. Ultimately though, as long as the awareness of seeing still carries the eight consciousnesses with it, it can still attributed. Only when this last point is broken through, does one reach real awareness of seeing, which cannot be attributed anymore.
初入還辨見時，上七者，皆明其一一有還，故留見性，以為阿難拄杖。究竟見性既帶八識（眼識、耳識、鼻識、舌識、身識、意識、傳送識、阿賴耶識），非真不還也。最後並此亦破，則方為真見性，真不還矣。
When we talk about turning the light around, it means turning the primordial unattributable light around, so that not a single discriminating thought is applied. What causes your mind to flow and wander is the six roots (sense organs); but what enables you to attain enlightenment is also these six roots (sense organs). Here the dust (internal and external stimuli) and discriminating awareness are not used at all, meaning that we don’t use the roots (sense organs), but rather we use the essence (of seeing) in the roots (sense organs).
子輩回光，正回其最初不還之光，故一毫識念用不著。使汝流轉者，惟此六根，使汝成菩提者，亦惟此六根。而塵與識皆不用，非用根也，用其根中之性耳。
Now if you turn the light around without falling into discriminating awareness, you are using the original essence in the roots (sense organs). Herein lies the hairs-breadth’s distinction: using one’s mind is the light of discriminating awareness; let go, and it is then the light of essence. A hairs-breadth’s difference in the beginning leads to a thousand miles difference later, so discernment is necessary. If discriminating awareness is not interrupted, the spirit does not come alive; if the mind is not emptied, the elixir does not crystallize. When the mind is clean, that is the elixir; when the mind is empty, that is the medicine. When the mind doesn’t cling to anything at all, it is said that the mind is clean; when it doesn’t keep anything in it, it is said that the mind is empty. If emptiness is seen as empty, emptiness is still not empty. When one is empty and one pays no attention to emptiness, this is called true emptiness.
今不墮識回光，則用根中之元性，落識而回光，則用根中之識性，毫釐之辨在此也。用心即為識光，放下乃為性光。毫釐千里，不可不辨。識不斷，則神不生；心不空，則丹不結。心靜則丹，心空即藥。不著一物，是名心靜，不留一物，是名心空。空見為空，空猶末空，空忘其空，斯名真空。
Buddha Mind 