Torooblog: Polish Jade and Carry It

I was reading these words:

In the earliest strata of texts reliably attributed to Bodhidharma and other early Chan teachers (see Broughton 1999), we find Bodhidharma claiming that there are two points of entry to Buddhism: via li (理), an “informing impetus” or “principle”; and via xing (行), “practice”. Entry by li consists in realizing that all sentient beings have the same true nature; entry by xing consists in making good on wrongs done; corresponding with conditions; seeking nothing; and acting in accordance with the realization that all beings have the same true nature. Buddhist truth, in other words, is not something attained through practice, but rather an aspect and achievement of it.1

Interesting-li, 理 (li) was worth investigating.

Why? Well, the line "Entry by li consists in realizing that all sentient beings have the same true nature", this is of course talking about the Eighth Consciousness, Buddha-Nature Emptiness! However, the li, 理 means to polish jade!

At least according to Shuowen Jiezi, which if you don't know what that is:

Shuowen Jiezi (Chinese: 說文解字; literally: "Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters"), often shortened to Shuowen, was an early 2nd-century Chinese dictionary from the Han Dynasty. Although not the first comprehensive Chinese character dictionary (the Erya predates it), it was still the first to analyze the structure of the characters and to give the rationale behind them, as well as the first to use the principle of organization by sections with shared components, called radicals (bùshǒu 部首, lit. "section headers").

So why is this Jade important? Well, the female in the Taoist Eight Immortals is He Xian'gu (何瓊).

何瓊: 何 hé - carry, 瓊 qióng - Fine Jade.2

This "Carrying Jade" is interesting of course, because the female represents space, and in the eight immortals that is the only female, and then there is a hermaphrodite character who is symbolic for mercury...

The everything is emptiness is prominent in Daoism of course, where Wuji (nothingness) is the primordial.

The Jade Emperor (Chinese: 玉皇; pinyin: Yù Huáng or 玉帝, Yù Dì) in Chinese culture, traditional religions and myth is one of the representations of the first god (太帝 tài dì). In Taoist theology he is Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the Three Pure Ones, the three primordial emanations of the Tao.

The Jade Emperor vanquishes evil:

In the beginning of time, the earth was a very difficult place to live, much harsher than it is now. People had to deal with a variety of monstrous beings, and they didn’t have many gods to protect them; in addition, many powerful demons were defying the immortals of heaven. The Jade Emperor was an ordinary immortal who roamed the earth helping as many people as he could. He was saddened because his powers could only ease the suffering of humans. He retreated to a mountain cave to cultivate his Tao. He passed 3,200 trials, each trial lasting about 3 million years.

On earth at this time, a powerful, evil entity had the ambition to conquer the immortals and gods in heaven and proclaim sovereignty over the entire universe. This evil entity also went into retreat and meditation to expand its power, though later than the Jade Emperor did. He passed through 3,000 trials, each trial lasting about 3 million years. After its final trial, it felt confident that no one could defeat it. It re-entered the world and recruited an army of demons with the purpose of attacking heaven.

The immortals, being aware of the threat, gathered themselves and prepared for war. The gods were unable to stop the powerful demon and it defeated them all.

The Jade Emperor finished his cultivation during this war. When he was changing the land to make it more liveable for men and repelling a variety of monsters, he saw an evil glow emitting from heaven and knew something was amiss. He ascended and saw that the evil entity was too powerful to be stopped by the gods. He challenged it, and they fought. Mountains shook and rivers and seas toppled. Due to his deeper and wiser cultivation, his benevolence instead of his might, the Jade Emperor won the battle. After defeating the evil entity, its army was scattered by the gods and immortals.

Because of his noble and benevolent deeds, the gods, immortals and humans proclaimed the Jade Emperor the supreme sovereign of all.3

Also, Buddhabhadra (who may or may not be Bodhidharma) showed a Ju Yi as symbolic of Nirvana.

"Is this Buddha's Nirvana? Is that Dharma Master's Nirvana?"

"Are there two meanings of Nirvana?" My idea about the meaning of Nirvana is this; I don't know what is your idea about Nirvana?"

Thereafter Buddhabhadra lifted up his Ju Yi (a ceremonial emblem made of jade) and said to Tao-sheng:

"Do you see it?"

"Yes."

"What have you seen?"

"I did see a Ju Yi in your hand."

Buddhabhadra threw his Ju Yi on the ground and again said to Tao-sheng:

"What do you see now?"

"I saw a Ju Yi dropping down from your hand."

"Your views and opinions are just like those of a lay man, and how your name became so popular?" said Buddhabhadra angrily. He put off his robe and went away. The disciples of Tao-sheng became very doubtful and followed Buddhabhadra and asked: "Our teacher explained to us the meanings of the material and the immaterial. That seems to be incorrect to you. May we ask what is your idea about it?"

"You should not say that your teachers' explanations are incorrect. Your teachers' explanations of the material and immaterial are based on the Buddhaphala (the state of Buddhahood) and not on the cause of Buddhaphala."

"What is the real meaning of material and immaterial in the cause of the Buddhaphala?"

"If there is one atom empty then all other atoms are empty. As all other atoms are empty, therefore the one atom is empty. In the space of the one atom there are no other atoms, and in the space of all atoms there is not one atom," answered Buddhabhadra. 4