I am starting to read both the Chinese and English version of mumonkan, and I realise that the practical challenge of awakening to the true nature of reality is similar to the practical challenge of understanding what zen teachers teach through reading English translation/interpretation.
Let's take this verse for example.
大道無門 千差有路 透得此關 乾坤獨歩
(This is an English version of the translation/interpretation: The Great Way is gateless, approached in a thousand ways. Once past this checkpoint, you stride through the universe.)
So when you are reading the translated version, how do you know if you are reading what mumon really says? Is it possible for anyone to claim that he/she knows what mumon is really teaching simply through the English versions?
Similarly, we can appreciate the nature of reality as a foreign language. Our sense bases are busy translating and interpreting the signals of reality into perceptual experiences. How do you know if you can trust the experiences manifested in consciousness to be truly representative of reality?
If you can appreciate the problem of Chinese-English translation, you can also appreciate the practical challenges of awakening too. And if you can find a good way to solve the translation/interpretation problem, you might also find a good way to work towards awakening.
Bonus question: How can you tell if I am bullshitting here?
Submitted August 21, 2016 at 11:56AM by chintokkong http://ift.tt/2bGxQ9o
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