Huangbo Xiyun speaks of Bodhidharma: Mind and that 'substance' do not differ one jot—that 'substance' is Mind. They cannot possibly be separated. It was for this revelation that he earned the title of Patriarch of our sect.

From Gautama Buddha down through the whole line of patriarchs to Bodhidharma, none preached aught besides the One Mind, otherwise known as the Sole Vehicle of Liberation. Hence, though you search throughout the whole universe, you will never find another vehicle. Nowhere has this teaching leaves or branches; its one quality is eternal truth. Hence it is a teaching hard to accept.

When Bodhidharma came to China and reached the Kingdoms of Liang and Wei, only the Venerable Master Ko gained a silent insight into our own Mind; as soon as it was explained to him, he understood that Mind is the Buddha, and that individual mind and body are nothing. This teaching is called the Great Way. The very nature of the Great Way is voidness of opposition. Bodhidharma firmly believed in being one with the real 'substance' of the universe in this life! Mind and that 'substance' do not differ one jot—that 'substance' is Mind. They cannot possibly be separated. It was for this revelation that he earned the title of Patriarch of our sect, and therefore is it written: 'The moment of realizing the unity of Mind and the "substance" which constitutes reality may truly be said to baffle description.'

Huangbo Xiyun, On the Transmission of Mind, translated by John Blofeld, 1958

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Wandering Ronin commentary and questions: Here Huangbo shares that the very nature of the Great Way is voidness of opposition, and further along, Bodhidharma firmly believed in being one with the real 'substance' of the universe in this life! Mind and that 'substance' do not differ one jot—that 'substance' is Mind. This at once reveals the inherent error in the allowance of the subject-object split. There is nothing that can be apart from mind, for everything is at once actualized by mind. How can one seek outside of mind when every possibility of what can be found is already mind?

With this understanding of mind, what then? The study of the teachings is good to point one in the right direction of mind, and developing a practice is also good, but to realize that study and practice are eventually unnecessary is also good. Why is this? Because to study is to continue to look for mind outside of mind and to practice is to attempt to develop mind in some way, and both are far too late and after the fact of the Dharma or the original source-essence. Though awareness of mind is beneficial to understanding, mind cannot study mind, as there is no separate thing to study, and practices eventually fail because all practices reside among the myriad things.

Submitted October 03, 2019 at 06:55PM by WanderingRoninXIII https://ift.tt/2ncCLID