Your daily remind from Master Yunmen: "Even if every word matches It, there still are a multitude of other ways; how much more so when I rattle on and on? So what’s the point of talking to you right now?"

Having come to the Dharma Hall [to instruct the assembly],

the Master remained silent for a long time and then said:

“The knack of giving voice to the Dao is definitely difficult to figure out. Even if every word matches it, there still are a multitude of other ways; how much more so when I rattle on and on? So what’s the point of talking to you right now?"

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“Though each of the three collections of Buddhist teaching has its specific sphere— the vinaya pertains to the study of monastic discipline, the sutras to the study of meditative concentration, and the treatises to the study of wisdom — the five vehicles of the three-part Buddhist canon and the eight teachings of the five periods really all boil down to just one thing, namely, the one vehicle.

It is perfect and immediate— and extremely difficult to fathom. Even if you could understand it right now , you ’d still be as different from this patch-robed monk as earth is from heaven. If in my assembly someone’s ability is manifested in a phrase, you’ll ponder in vain.

Even if, in order to make progress, you sorted out all Chan teachings with their thousand differences and myriad distinctions, your mistake would still consist in searching for proclamations from other people’s tongues.

So how should one approach what has been transmitted? By talking in here about ‘perfect’ and ‘immediate’? By [this] here or [that] there?

Don ’t get me wrong: you must not hear me say this and then speculate that ‘not perfect’ and ‘not sudden’ are it!

There must be a real man in here! Don ’t rely on some master’s pretentious statements or hand-me-down phrases that you pass off everywhere as your own understanding!

Don ’t get me wrong. Whatever your problem right now is: try settling it just here in front of the assembly!”

At the time Prefectural Governor Ho was present. He performed the customary bow and said,

“Your disciple requests your instruction.”

The Master replied, “This weed I see is no different!”

​

(Source: Master Yunmen: From the Record of the Chan Master “Gate of the Clouds" translated by Urs App)

Submitted December 30, 2018 at 10:46PM by McNubbitz http://bit.ly/2EY014q