Foyan says:
When you cannot understand, where is your mistake? You do not understand at all; fundamentally not understanding, you then seek understanding. An ancient said, “Don’t abandon this world and cling to the beyond; for if you do so, it will be even harder to understand.” I told you that you fundamentally do not understand; why not look at it as when Fayan was journeying and Dizang asked him where he was going; when Fayan replied that he was journeying, Dizang asked, “And do you understand what the journey is for?” Fayan answered, “No.” Dizang said, “ If you want to know what the journey is for, the one who does not understand is it.” Fayan realized enlightenment from this. I ask you, since he did not understand, then how did he attain? You must find a way to penetrate before you will know.
There's been some criticism of "trying to sound mysterious" for street cred or some nonsense, but Foyan here; do they not outright explain? Would you be able to understand if they did?
ZMs say over and over that ordinary mind is the way; don't abandoned the world and cling to the beyond (Nirvana, samadhi, concepts, separation and purification, heaven). Rather see that the one who doesn't understand is what the journey is for. It is literally written right there in plain English! Don't come talk to me about enlightenment outside of this. There is nothing mysterious or difficult to understand going on here.
This is not a matter of forced understanding, or all sorts of contrived understanding. Since you basically do not understand, what are you capable of doing? You need to examine attentively; look to see where the not understanding comes from.
Fayan doesn't understand, and becomes enlightened. What's so special about Fayan? It isn't the fact that they don't understand; this is a symptom of a realized experience. Who is it that doesn't understand. Fayan. Clear.
Do you want to know? This nonunderstanding of yours basically comes from nowhere. Since it comes from nowhere, how could this not understanding be? And when you understand, the nonunderstanding goes nowhere. When you look at it in this way, you may be sure of attaining clarification.
Foyan says where not understanding comes from. The ordinary world becomes Samadhi, becomes Nirvana, becomes pure and separate; not painted over, but filled to the brim with not understandings that come out of nowhere. Who needs 10000 hours of meditation to see that they don't understand, and that it comes from nowhere, goes nowhere. Zen is expedient. Just look! Who is it that doesn't understand? Nothing mysterious about it.
As long as you do not know how to be people in the midst of enlightening realities, you only exercise your minds in the mundane world. If you have never taken a moment to look into this matter, how could you actually understand right away? When someone asks you a question, you talk randomly; but this is not a matter that can be handled in this way.
Foyan basically says they are not being mysterious; this is not understood immediately, it is the one who doesn't understand that can be seen in a flash. To abandon the world for perfect understanding is not know how to be people.
In the old days I once heard an old mendicant relate that Master Xianglin saw a seeker coming and said, “I do not deny that you can talk about it, but by the time you’ve gone two or three steps down the stairs, you’re already no longer thus. Better not talk wildly!” See how the ancients examined from the root how people are to go about things. In Buddhism, no waste is reasonable; get an understanding of it!
On an unrelated note, Foyan being almost finished, I will be moving onto Huangbo in depth. If you have any suggestions for themes, please leave them in the comments. Current themes:
-Relation to Buddhist doctrine. Is Huangbo a Buddhist?
-Nature of the Buddha Mind in practice.
-What is the One Mind?
-What is meant by ‘complete unexcelled enlightenment?
-Letting go.
Submitted September 25, 2020 at 04:25PM by surupamaerl https://ift.tt/333cgHP
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