how to do the work
a matter of much debate
and little insight
.
study perception
self inflicted sophistry
tangled in darkness
.
a smack on the head
is the traditional way
to awaken monks
.
When the Layman arrived at Zen Master Ch'ang—tzu's place, the monks were assembling for a discourse as he entered the temple grounds.
The Layman stood outside as the monks approached the lecture hall and said, "Each of you would do well to speak from your own experience."
As Ch'ang-tzu addressed the assembly, the Layman stood to the right side of the dais.
When the discourse was finished, a monk asked, "Could the Master please speak without violating his true self?"
Ch'ang—tzu said, "Are you acquainted with Mr. P'ang?"
The monk said, "I am not acquainted with him."
Thereupon, the Layman grabbed the monk by the lapels and said, "Is it that hard [to be acquainted with me]? Is it that hard?"
The monk could not reply, and the Layman let go of him.
Later, Ch'ang-tzu asked the Layman, "Would it be worthwhile taking the stick to that monk?"
The Layman said, "What have you been waiting for?"
Ch'ang—tzu said, "The Layman only knows how to work with an awl; he doesn't know how to work with a chisel."
The Layman said, "Then you wouldn't say something meaningful to a person if someone else overheating it couldn't understand it?"
Ch'ang-tzu said, "Why wouldn't someone else understand it?"
The Layman said, "The Master only knows how to work with a chisel; he doesn't know how to work with an awl."
Sayings of Layman P'ang #27: Not Violating the True Self
.
the most useful tool
is knowing which one to use
for a given task
.
skillfully applied
a hammer drives a nail
or fractures a skull
.
it can do neither
unless wielded by someone
with an aim in mind
.
Question: What is liberation of mind and liberation in all places?
The master [Baizhang] said,
Don’t seek Buddha, don’t seek the teaching, don’t seek the community, and so forth; don’t seek virtue and knowledge, intellectual understanding and so forth. When feelings of defilement and purity are ended, still don’t hold to this non-seeking and consider it right - do not dwell at the point of ending, and do not long for heavens or fear hells. When you are unhindered by bondage or freedom, then this is called liberation of mind and body in all places.
You should not say you have a little bit of discipline, purity of body, mouth, and mind, and immediately consider that enough. You don’t know that innumerable gates of discipline, concentration, wisdom and nonindulgent liberation have never gotten involved with so much as a single hair.
Work hard! Henceforth you must take hold and investigate vigorously. Do not wait till your ears are deaf, your eyes dim, your face wrinkled and your hair white - when the pains of old age overtake your body, sadness and affection enshroud you, your eyes flow with tears, and in your heart is fear and dread. Without anything to rely upon at all, you do not know where you are going. At this time, you won’t be able to coordinate your hands and feet; even if you have merit, knowledge, name, fame, profit and support, none of them will save you.
Because your mind’s wisdom is not yet opened, you only think of various objects; you do not know how to reflect back, and you don’t see the way of enlightenment. All the good and bad active affinities of your whole life will appear before you - you may be glad, you may be afraid; the mortal clusters of the six states of being will appear before you all at once, all spread with adornments, houses, boats, carts, brilliant shining light. Everything is what is manifest of the greed and craving of your own mind; all bad visions turn into surpassingly beautiful visions, but according to the heavy weight of greed and craving, compelled by your habitual active consciousness, you experience birth accompanied by attachments - you have no freedom at all. Whether you’ll be a dragon or an animal, freeman or slave, is entirely uncertain.
Sayings and Doings of Pai-chang (Baizhang) #31
.
what are you doing
when you attempt to study
what zen masters taught
.
borrowing a tool
just make sure to return it
or you are a thief
.
on bringing it back
having completed the work
one should bring a gift
.
Q: Did the Buddha pierce right through the primordial darkness of ignorance?
A: Yes. The primordial darkness is the sphere in which every Buddha achieves Enlightenment. Thus, the very sphere in which karma arises may be called a Bodhimandala. [A sanctuary for gaining Enlightenment.] Every grain of matter, every appearance is one with Eternal and Immutable Reality! Wherever your foot may fall, you are still within that Sanctuary for Enlightenment, though it is nothing perceptible. I assure you that one who comprehends the truth of 'nothing to be attained' is already seated in the sanctuary where he will gain his Enlightenment.
Q: Is primordial ignorance bright or dark?
A: It is neither. Both terms are dualistic. Primordial ignorance is at once neither bright nor dark; and by 'the non-bright' [Avidya or primordial ignorance.] is just meant that Original Brightness which is above the distinction made between bright and dark. Just this one sentence is enough to give most people a headache! That is why we say the world is full of vexations arising from the transitory phenomena around us. [In the Chinese, the sentence reads very much as follows, for the word meaning primordial darkness or avidya is itself composed of two characters meaning 'not' and 'bright': 'Not bright both not bright and not dark not bright just is original bright not bright not dark'! Hence the remark about a headache.]
Though, like Sariputra, we were all to strain our minds trying to discover a means of liberation, that would be no way to fathom the wisdom and omniscience by which the Buddhas transcend all space. There can be no argument about it. Once when Gautama had measured out three thousand chiliocosms, [Each containing a myriad worlds.] a Bodhisattva suddenly appeared and passed over them in a single stride. Yet even that prodigious stride failed to cover the width of one pore of Samantabhadra's skin! Now, what sort of mental attainments have you that will help you to study the meaning of that?
Q: But if such things are entirely unlearnable, then why is it written: 'On returning to our Original Nature, we transcend duality; but the relative means form many gates to the truth'?
A: We return to our Original Nature beyond duality, which in fact is also the real nature of the universe of primordial darkness, [Sarhsiira-THIS world.] which again is the Buddha-Nature. The 'relative means forming many gates' applies to Sravakas who hold that our universe is subject to becoming and cessation, and to Pratyeka Buddhas who, though acknowledging the infinity of its past, regard it as subject to future destruction; so they all concentrate entirely on the means of overcoming it. [As though it were quite a separate entity from the Nirvana which they seek.] But the real Buddhas perceived that the becoming and destruction of the sentient world are both one with eternity. [I.e. they recognize the identity of 'a moment' and 'forever'.] In another sense, there is no becoming or cessation. To perceive all this is to be truly Enlightened. Thus Nirvana and Enlightenment are one.
When the lotus opened and the universe lay disclosed, there arose the duality of Absolute and sentient world; or, rather, the Absolute appeared in two aspects which, taken together, comprise pure perfection. These aspects are unchanging reality and potential form. For sentient beings, there are such pairs of opposites as becoming and cessation, together with all the others. Therefore, beware of clinging to one half of a pair. Those who, in their singleminded attempt to reach Buddhahood, detest the sentient world, thereby blaspheme all the Buddhas of the universe. The Buddhas, on manifesting themselves in the world, seized dung-shovels to rid themselves of all such rubbish as books containing metaphysics and sophistry. [Gautama Buddha seems to have held the same view of metaphysics, for he steadily refused to answer metaphysical questions, regarding them as useless distractions from the work of self-Enlightenment.]
My advice to you is to rid yourselves of all your previous ideas about STUDYING Mind or PERCEIVING it. When you are rid of them, you will no longer lose yourselves amid sophistries. Regard the process exactly as you would regard the shoveling of dung.
Yes, my advice is to give up all indulgence in conceptual thought and intellectual processes. When such things no longer trouble you, you will unfailingly reach Supreme Enlightenment. On no account make a distinction between the Absolute and the sentient world. As a real student of Ts'ao Hsi Zen, [The sub-sect to which Huang Po belonged.] you must make no distinctions of any kind.
From the earliest times the Sages [Taoist.] have taught that a minimum of activity is the gateway of their Dharma; so let NO activity be the gateway of my Dharma! Such is the Gateway of the One Mind, but all who reach this gate fear to enter. I do NOT teach a doctrine of extinction! Few understand this, but those who do understand are the only ones to become Buddhas. Treasure this gem!
On the Transmission of Mind (Huangbo) #54a
.
the works of masters
may seem to have no tool marks
to the unskilled eye
.
hiding each other
the impression of the tools
mind of the masters
.
forming a pattern
yet indistinguishable
a true work of art
Submitted July 17, 2022 at 10:03PM by eggo https://ift.tt/eIa9DWN
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