The Mind King

This is from The Poetry of Enlightenment: Poems by Ancient Chan Masters edited by Shengyan.

The Mind King

Contemplate the mind; this king of emptiness

Is subtle and abstruse.

Without shape or form,

It has great spiritual power,

It can eliminate all calamities

And accomplish all merits

Though its essence is empty

It is the measure of dharmas.

When you look, it is formless;

When you call, it echoes.

It is the great Dharma commander,

Transmitting the sutras through precepts of mind.

As saltiness in sea water,

Transparency in color,

Surely it is there,

But its form is invisible;

The Mind King is also thus,

Residing in the body.

It comes in and out before your eyes,

Responding to phenomena, following emotions.

When it is carefree, without obstruction,

All endeavors are successful.

When you realize original mind,

The mind sees Buddha.

This mind is Buddha;

This Buddha is mind.

Every thought is Buddha mind;

Buddha mind dwells on Buddha.

If you wish to accomplish this soon,

Be vigilant and disciplined.

Pure precepts purify the mind;

The mind then is Buddha.

Apart from this Mind King,

There is no other Buddha.

If you wish to seek Buddhahood,

Don't stain a single thing.

Though the nature of mind is empty,

Greed and hatred are real.

When you enter this Dharma door,

Sitting upright, you become Buddha.

Upon reaching the other shore,

You attain perfection.

True aspirants of the Tao

Contemplate their own mind.

Knowing Buddha lies within,

There is no need to search outside.

Right now mind is Buddha;

Right now Buddha is mind.

The shining mind knows the Buddha;

The enlightened one knows the mind.

Apart from mind, no Buddha;

Apart from Buddha, no mind.

Those who are not Buddha cannot penetrate;

They are not fit for the task.

Grasping emptiness and blocking tranquility

Results in floating and sinking.

No Buddhas or bodhisattvas

Settle their minds this way.

The Great Being of shining mind

Awakened to this subtle sound.

The nature of body and mind is wonderful;

Their functions need not be altered.

Thus the wise one

Puts the mind down and lets it be.

Don't say the Mind King

Is empty and without essence;

It can cause the body

To do evil and good.

It does not exist, nor is it nonexistent.

It appears and disappears unpredictably.

When the nature of mind departs from emptiness,

It can be sacred or profane.

Thus we urge one another

To guard it with care.

At the moment of fashioning

It reverts to floating and sinking.

The wisdom of pure mind

Is as precious as gold.

The Dharma store of prajna

Is within body and mind.

The Dharma treasure of non-action

Is neither shallow nor deep.

All Buddhas and bodhisattvas

Have realized this original mind.

For those whose conditions are right,

It is neither past, present, or future.

Submitted December 31, 2017 at 12:05AM by Dillon123 http://ift.tt/2Coo8aG