If you know that falsehood is fundamentally the path, then there is no falsehood in it. Therefore those who master the path have no attainment. Just do not seek elsewhere, and realise there is no confusion or falsehood; this is called seeing the path. The path is inherently always out in the open. Thus for those who attain the path, there is nothing that is not it.
Foyan Qingyuan [1067-1120]
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The essential Buddha-Substance is a perfect whole, without superfluity or lack. It permeates the six states of existence and yet is everywhere perfectly whole. Thus, every single one of the myriads of phenomena in the universe is the Buddha, or Absolute. This substance may be likened to a quantity of quicksilver which, being scattered in all directions, everywhere re-forms into perfect wholes. When undispersed, it is of one piece, the one comprising the whole and the whole comprising the one.
The various forms and appearances, on the other hand, may be likened to dwellings. Just as one abandons a stable in favor of a house, so one exchanges a physical body for a heavenly body, and so on up to the planes of Pratyeka-Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. But all alike are things sought by you or abandoned by you; hence the differences between them. How is it possible that the original and essential nature of the universe should be subject to this differentiation?
Huangbo Xiyun [died 850?]
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A monk once asked, "What is that which goes beyond the 'Truth-body'?"
Master Yunmen said, "It's easy to talk about 'going beyond.' But what do you mean by 'Truth-body'?"
The monk said, "Please, master, consider my question."
The master said, "I'm considering. But first... what can you say about the Truth-body?"
The monk said, "It's just this."
The master said, "That’s just something you’ve heard hanging out on the long bench in the monk's hall. Let me ask you: can the Truth-body eat rice?"
The monk was speechless.
Yunmen Wenyan [864-949]
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Commentary and questions: What is the nature of truth and falsehood? Could it be said that the Dharma is truth, and all spoken words falsehoods? On the inverse, could the Dharma be falsehood, and all spoken words truths? Give rise to the world with one hand, let go of the world with the other. The moon of truth is only visible through the illumination of the sun; what among the myriad things can be true?
First, Foyan on the matter: If you know that falsehood is fundamentally the path, then there is no falsehood in it. With his use of the term 'falsehood', does this mean that a liar is on the path and follows the Way? No, perhaps it is 'great doubt' that he is pointing towards. If any and all things are doubted at every pass, including the distinctions of self and other, how could one fail to see the truth of the underlying principle of the Dharma?
Then Huangbo: The essential Buddha-Substance is a perfect whole, without superfluity or lack. Is this a true statement? Can it be proven in a court of law, or quantified by the rigors of scientific investigation? No, they would at once determine this to be a falsehood by their metrics. This is why any single worldview or approach beyond Huangbo's teaching of 'putting a stop to conceptual thinking' can't access the Dharma. To focus on one part is to miss the whole.
Finally, there is the truth of Yumen: "That’s just something you’ve heard hanging out on the long bench in the monk's hall. Let me ask you: can the Truth-body eat rice?". The truth of the ordinary is revealed in its entirety. The words of Yunmen cut away all distinctions, speculation and acquired intellectual misunderstandings and falsehoods; it's all right here. Where else would there be to look?
Submitted January 19, 2020 at 07:39PM by _WanderingRonin_ https://ift.tt/2NGDRq4
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