Original Reality

An ancient sage said, “Every phenomenon is the original reality.” Fine. Yunmen held up his cane and said, “This is not the original reality.” After a pause, he said, “If so, then the three poisons, four perversions, five clusters, six senses, twelve media, eighteen elements, and twenty-five realms of being are not the original reality.” Why not understand in this way— you’d save quite a bit of effort.

Without a teacher like Foyan describes, the whole metaphysics of Buddhism seems to disappear in a poof! Foyan asks what it is you are trying to get away from:

I tell you, moreover, that there is nothing that is true and nothing that is not true. How can there be truth and untruth in one thing? Just because of seeking unceasingly, everywhere is seeking; pondering principles is seeking, contemplating the model cases of the ancients is also seeking, reading Zen books is also seeking; even if you sit quietly, continuously from moment to moment, this too is seeking.

Seeking to understand Yunmen's way; continuously seeking truth. Didn't Foyan already say to leap over the teacher?

Do you want to understand? Then that seeking of yours is actually not seeking. This is extremely difficult to believe and to penetrate, hard to work on. Those of you who are not comfortable are that way, generally speaking, because you are either oblivious or excited. That is why you say you do not understand.

No truth, no not-truth? Still seeking? Then not seeking. I don't know the relevance here, but Foyan says that this is "difficult...hard to work on." They also say Zen is very economical. Are they the same thing? More clear is the cause of the discomfort.

Right now, how can you avoid being oblivious or excited? When that very thought of yours arises, it is the flowing whirl of birth and death: do you consider it habit-activated consciousness, or do you consider it immutable? Contemplate in this way over and over again, and you will have a bit of guiding principle.

No teacher, no truth, and therefore seeking is not-seeking, and discomfort about the it is "the flowing whirl of birth and death"; a metaphysics with no basis in reality. Where is the guide then? Foyan instructs us to consider whether seeking habit-activated consciousness or immutable. No teacher, no truth.

Submitted September 16, 2020 at 05:22PM by surupamaerl https://ift.tt/3hvDQS0