Miao Tsan is abbot of a Taiwanese-American Zen temple in southern California. The stated goal of Just Use This Mind is to reveal universal truths that do not depend on any particular religion, culture, or school of thought.Given this goal, it’s odd that the material that follows turns out to be deeply rooted in the Mind-Only school of Buddhism. Doctrinaire propositions about karma and the mind-created nature of reality are made without being substantiated by either evidence or argument. Terms such as sambhogakaya and parinirvana are introduced without explanation, sending the reader scurrying to the glossary at the back of the book.
The gist of the author’s point of view is that the mind is originally pure. However, the mind has become defiled by habits and attachments, the most noxious of which is the idea of a solid and permanent self. The practioner’s task is to undo these habits and attachments to reveal the mind in its pristine clarity.
Each chapter of the book consists of short sections addressing different aspects of this task. Often, there’s no strong dependency between the chapters, so that they could be read in any order. On the other hand, this does mean that the same basic points end up being repeated in multiple places.
I could see this book provding insight and encouragement to practitioners who are already committed to the Mind-Only point of view. I’m less sure, though, that it would be convincing to those unfamilar with this perspective.
Venerable Master Miao Tsan. Just Use This Mind: Follow the Universal Truth to Oneness of Mind, Body, and Spirit. Houston, Tex.: Bright Sky Press, 2010. Paperback. 298 pages. ISBN 9781933979908. $14.95.
