Huangbo Xiyun: That there is nothing which can be attained is not idle talk; it is the truth.

This Mind is no mind of conceptual thought and it is completely detached from form.¹ So Buddhas and sentient beings do not differ at all. If you can only rid yourselves of conceptual thought, you will have accomplished everything. But if you students of the Way do not rid yourselves of conceptual thought in a flash, even though you strive for aeon after aeon, you will never accomplish it.² Enmeshed in the meritorious practices of the Three Vehicles, you will be unable to attain Enlightenment. Nevertheless, the realization of the One Mind may come after a shorter or a longer period. There are those who, upon hearing this teaching, rid themselves of conceptual thought in a flash. There are others who do this after following through the Ten Beliefs, the Ten Stages, the Ten Activities and the Ten Bestowals of Merit.

Yet others accomplish it after passing through the Ten Stages of a Bodhisattva's Progress. But whether they transcend conceptual thought by a longer or a shorter way, the result is a state of being: there is no pious practicing and no action of realizing.³ That there is nothing which can be attained is not idle talk; it is the truth.⁴ Moreover, whether you accomplish your aim in a single flash of thought or after going through the Ten Stages of a Bodhisattva's Progress, the achievement will be the same; for this state of being admits of no degrees, so the latter method merely entails aeons of unnecessary suffering and toil.⁵

​

Huangbo Xiyun, On the Transmission of Mind, translated by John Blofeld, 1958

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Wandering Ronin commentary and questions:

1. All of these thoughts and practices are merely yellow leaves for children. We tend to think we stand so far away from the Void, relinquishing just enough to a point where we may feel we've attained something, or even to feel superior to our peers. Who in the world can leap directly in, relinquishing everything all at once? As Foyan teaches, this is a matter for strong people.
2. Dropping conceptual thought is not something esoteric or mysterious, it is merely thus. But what exactly does dropping conceptual thought mean? Obviously we need conceptual thought to function as human beings, to move about here and there, to eat and even to work. From what I've ascertained so far, dropping conceptual thought means to perceive thoughts for what they are, and to not get entangled with them any more than necessary. Picking up a tool when needed, and then putting it down when done.
3. Huangbo teaches here: there is no pious practicing and no action of realizing. This seems to be one of the greatest mysteries of Zen. How can we 'get somewhere' or move forward in Zen without a practice of some sort? Doesn't zazen grant access to a higher state of existence? Doesn't mindfulness give access towards understanding Mind? I would say that these practices are a good beginning and quite effective towards providing fertile ground for enlightenment, but the real understanding begins once one sees beyond things merely bound to the world of form. A tacit understanding, indeed.
4. That there is nothing which can be attained is not idle talk. This is where the yellow leaves are at once taken away, and we come to at last face the Void. This is exactly what gives Zen its distinction from other ways. There is nothing to attain, as we already bring far more than enough with us on these journeys. As the saying goes, we must let fall body and mind. The biggest strides I've made so far is when I managed to drop things and let them go, 'unlearning' what has always been taught. Dropping binding thoughts reveals the essence of all things. Dropping concepts of separation or even oneness, allowing oneself no comfortable home; this is the true Way.
5. We can accomplish it in a single flash of thought or after going through practices by progress, which leads me to the concept of self-fulfilling prophecies. We are all alone on this journey together, and we quite literally only face ourselves on every occasion. Our strengths are legion, and our weaknesses are legion. What is to be done about it? This is why mind cannot be entirely relied on to understand Mind, as there will always be a concept or a practice in the way of the Way.

Submitted May 26, 2019 at 07:38PM by WanderingRoninXIII http://bit.ly/2JHDwTQ