Wuguan

Daoxin's Five Gates

We must realize that mind is buddha - outside of mind there is no other buddha. In brief, there are five types [of approaches to this truth].

1. By realizing that the mind-essence is by nature pure and clean, that this essence is the same as buddha.

2. By realizing that the mind-function produces Dharma jewels and creates eternal quiescence, that the myriad forms of delusion are all Thus.

3. By always awakening without stopping, so that the awakened mind is always present, aware that Reality is formless.

4. By constantly contemplating bodily existence as empty and still, inner and outer pervaded and equalized, entering bodily into the realm of reality without obstruction.

5. By preserving unity and not stirring, always abiding through motion and stillness, enabling the learner to clearly see buddha-nature and quickly enter the gate of concentration.

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Wumen said there was no (wú) gate, Daoxin said there were five (wǔ). Well, technically guan means 'barrier', 'customs house', or 'checkpoint' - the place where you tell them if you have any fruit to declare. If you're trying to get into the City of Precious Things, Wumen says there a checkpoint but no entry, Daoxin just says there's five checkpoints and leaves it up to you to say whether there's a way in or not.

All the pearl-clutching cultists who are mumbling right about now, 'Zen masters all said the same thing' will slap me all day long, but we'll laugh about all this later. I've seen a lot of people around here talk about "practice" like it's an attempt to get something, progress through stages of attainment, accumulate merit, or whatever nonsense. They didn't see Wumen give them a wink and a smile, they don't trust Sengcan when he says that the Great Way is not difficult. Try it yourself and see. Linji said, "Officially even a needle cannot enter; unofficially you can drive a horse and cart through." ;)

Submitted March 28, 2018 at 01:56AM by essentialsalts https://ift.tt/2GxDvjs