Dahui Goes Kablooey

Cleary, Thomas. Treasury of the Eye of True Teaching: Volume II, Location 670

Haven’t you seen the saying of master Yantou that whenever you have an object of esteem, it becomes a nest? You people who have spent your whole lives in monasteries investigating this matter without attainment are not worth talking about. A lot of those with white hair and yellow teeth still sit in a nest, unable to get out all their lives, totally unaware of their error. Those who get a taste for the sayings of people of old make extraordinary sayings and wonderful statements into a nest. Those who get a taste for the terminology and interpretation of scriptural teachings make scriptural teachings into a nest. Those who get a taste for the cases of people of old make the ancients’ dialogues, substitute sayings, alternative sayings, words of praise and words of censure into nests. Those who get a taste for the nature of mind make ‘the triple world is only thought, myriad things are only perceptions’ into a nest. Those who get a taste for a state of quiescent silence without words or speech make a nest of closing the eyes and sitting in a ghost cave in a mountain of darkness on the other side of the prehistoric Buddhas. Those who get a taste for the goings on of daily activities make a nest of raising their eyebrows, blinking their eyes, and alerting attention. Those who get a taste nest. Those who get a taste for the cases of people of old make the ancients’ dialogues, substitute sayings, alternative sayings, words of praise and words of censure into nests. Those who get a taste for the nature of mind make ‘the triple world is only thought, myriad things are only perceptions’ into a nest. Those who get a taste for a state of quiescent silence without words or speech make a nest of closing the eyes and sitting in a ghost cave in a mountain of darkness on the other side of the prehistoric Buddhas. Those who get a taste for the goings on of daily activities make a nest of raising their eyebrows, blinking their eyes, and alerting attention. Those who get a taste for saying it is not in speech, not in sense or consciousness, not in activity, mistakenly taking conditioned consciousness for Buddha-nature, make the flash of sparks or lightning into a nest.

Dahui nor Yantou don't let you have much of anything. Some would say that's unkind of them, but it's real compassion! Some might read this and get triggered at him talking shit about people in monasteries or get all excited because he talks shit about people quoting ancients and reading books, not realizing that Dahui and friends didn't care who you are or what you like. Dahui made making everything into a nest into a nest. We're all nesters, we just have to be cognizant of the nests we build. If your response to "the Zen masters reject any specific practice leading to enlightenment" is "YEAH WELL THEY SAID NOT TO READ, TOO", you're probably defending a nest. And it's not a bad thing to like things...just don't pretend the things you like are magic. The problem with Zen and its "ineffability" is this allows some people to come in here and avoid reality, hand-waving away historical authoritative sources and say empty new-age shit like "ZEN IS KINDNESS" or "ZEN IS THE SKIN RIVER CRACK ON THE PALM OF MY HAND" or a picture of a mossy shack, somehow these people don't realize their "Zen" is just a projection of things they like and dislike, set to an Enya song. The mind's ability to rotoscope what you "like" into a version of "reality" that you assume exists is not an easy thing to get over. We have an objective definition of what the "Zen" is we discuss here, which is why we say to read the books. The problem isn't that people don't want to read the books, it's because they don't like the definition of Zen we're using, but no one can offer up a viable alternative, so welp.

​If you do not produce anything in your mind, and are not fixated on anything, then you have no object of esteem. When you have no object of esteem, you naturally have no greed and no dependence on things, independent in the midst of things, with bare boned strength. ​If you want such accord right now, it is not difficult; just be equanimous in mind, unaffected by anything. What is affectation? Formulating concepts of sentient beings, concepts of Buddha, concepts of the mundane, concepts of the transcendental, concepts of seeking detachment, concepts of seeking enlightened knowledge. These are all called affectations. Just concentrate intensely on the brink of arousal, and leap out in one jump—this mind will be clear, independently liberated. Then as soon as you sense this, turn upward, and you will spontaneously be lucid everywhere; it will be evident in everything. ​When you manage to reach such a state, don’t keep taking note of it. If you keep taking note of it, then you’ll have an object of esteem.

Welp, there it is. How do you stop building nests? Stop being a damn bird, says Dahui, the ornithologist. Stop forming concepts of good or bad. If you keep taking note of it...it becomes an object of esteem: If you read a Zen book and go "Good, I am on the right path", that's building nests. If you meditate for an hour and go, "Nice, I'm getting there", good on you, but it's a nest, and not Zen. Run a mile and now you're super proud? Sweet. Nest, not zen. Eat a lot of food? Nest. Not zen. But how about reading, meditating, running, and eating, all without a thought? Hmm.

Submitted September 06, 2017 at 05:46PM by RAEKWON_EL_CHEF http://ift.tt/2gGgn38