When Linji was attending Deshan, Deshan said, “I’m tired today.”
“Old man,” said Linji, “what’s the good of talking in your sleep?”
Deshan hit him. Linji overturned the rope-bottomed chair.
Deshan desisted.
“In my view there is no buddha, no sentient beings, no past, no present. Anything attained was already attained—no time is needed. There is nothing to practice, nothing to realize, nothing to gain, nothing to lose. Throughout all time there is no other dharma than this. ‘If one claims there’s a dharma surpassing this, I say that it’s like a dream, like a phantasm.’ This is all I have to teach."
Illusory dreams, flowers in the sky
Why trouble to grasp at them?
Gain and loss, right and wrong
Away with them once and for all!
"Someone asked, “What is the state in which the four elements [and four phases] are formless?” The master said, “An instant of doubt in your mind and you’re obstructed by earth; an instant of lust in your mind and you’re drowned by water; an instant of anger in your mind and you’re scorched by fire; an instant of joy in your mind and you’re blown about by wind. Gain such discernment as this, and you’re not turned this way and that by circumstances; making use of circumstances everywhere—you spring up in the east and disappear in the west, spring up in the south and disappear in the north, spring up in the center and disappear at the border, spring up at the border and disappear in the center, walk on the water as on land, and walk on the land as on water."
“How is this possible? Because you have realized that the four elements are like dreams, like illusions. Followers of the Way, the you who right now is listening to my discourse is not the four elements; this you makes use of the four elements. If you can fully understand this, you are free to go or to stay [as you please]."
“As for me, whoever comes here, whether monk or layman, I discern him through and through. Regardless of where he comes from, his words and phrases are all just dreams and illusions. On the other hand, it’s obvious that one in control of every circumstance [embodies] the mysterious principle of all the buddhas. The state of buddhahood does not of itself proclaim, ‘I am the state of buddhahood!’ Rather, this very man of the Way, dependent upon nothing, comes forth in control of every circumstance."
If you love the sacred and hate the secular
You’ll float and sink in the birth-and-death sea.
The passions exist dependent on mind;
Have no-mind, and how can they bind you?
Without troubling to discriminate or cling to forms
You’ll attain the Way naturally in a moment of time.
To be absolutely without concepts is called the Wisdom of Dispassion. Every day, whether walking, standing, sitting or lying down, and in all your speech, remain detached from everything within the sphere of phenomena. Whether you speak or merely blink an eye, let it be done with complete dispassion
(this one is Huangbo, others were Linji + trust in mind)
HSUAN CH'IEN of Te Shan
Before his death he said to his disciples, "Grasping emptiness and pursuing echoes wearies your mind and spirit. When awakened from a dream, you realize it was false; after all, what matter is there?"
When he finished speaking, he died sitting at rest.
Hsueh Tou means that if you speak of going in to wash and awakening to "Subtle feeling reveals illumination," from the standpoint of this kind of unconcerned patchrobed monk, this is just like speaking of a dream in a dream. That's why Hsueh Tou says, "In a dream you once spoke of awakening to perfect pervasiveness-Though you've washed in fragrant water, I'll spit right in your face." Though it seems like fragrant water, in fact it's foul water suddenly soaking your head. What "perfect pervasiveness" can you go on talking about? Hsueh Tou says that this sort of fellow quite rightly gets his face spattered with spit. I say that this is adding another layer of mud on top of dirt.
Fundamentally there is no gain or loss, no illusions or dreams, no multiplicity of names. You should not insist on setting up names for them. Can I fool all of you people? Since all of you ask questions, therefore there are words. If you didn't ask, what could you have me say that would be right?
Among the three unconcerned men of the Path (that Hsueh Tau has described), if you would choose one man to be your teacher, the correct choice is this kind of cast iron fellow. Why? Whether he encounters environments of evil or of won- ders, to him what he faces is all like a dream. He doesn't know there are six senses, nor does he know there is sunrise and sunset. Even if you get to this realm, you must not cling to the cold ashes of a dead fire, you must not plunge into the flood of darkness. You still must have a way to turn around before you attain. Haven't you read of an ancient saying, "Don't cling to the greenness of the strange plants on the cold cliff. If you cut off the white clouds, the source is not marvellous." Thus the hermit of Lotus Flower Peak said, "It's because they didn't gain strength on the road." To get it you simply must go into the myriad peaks. But say, what is being called "the myriad peaks"? Hsueh Tau just likes him saying, "With my staff across my shoulder, I pay no heed to people-I go straight into the myriad peaks." Therefore he comes out with the verse. But tell me, where does he go? Is there anyone who knows where he goes? "Falling flowers, flowing streams, very vast." Falling flowers in profusion, flowing streams vast, endless. For the lightning flash mind, what is before the eyes? "Suddenly raising my eyebrows to look-where has he gone?" Why doesn't Hsueh Tau know where he's gone either? It's just like me raising my whisk just now: tell me, where is it now? If all of you people can see, you're studying with the hermit of Lotus Flower Peak. If not, go back to your places and try to investigate and observe carefully.
Submitted January 31, 2019 at 02:51PM by 1_or_0 http://bit.ly/2G0mj6k
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