Hsin Shin Ming: “10. Possess the Oneness of things (Possess only a single thing correctly) and dualism disappears by itself.”
The former part of this scripture has two different translations: ‘Possess the Oneness of things’ and ‘Possess only a single thing correctly’. I am going to make two different interpretations because they both make sense and can be good teaching.
‘Possess the Oneness of things’ means to know that everything is Oneness, and ‘Dualism’ means all illusions or forms. ‘Dualism disappears’ means to realise that things are empty and not to be deluded by the illusions of them.
To know that everything is Oneness means to know that everything is empty because we can realise that everything is Oneness as emptiness only when we know that everything is empty. So, when we possess the Oneness of things, dualism which implies forms or illusions disappears by itself.
‘Possess only a single thing right correctly’ means to see only a single thing as it is. Then the scripture can be interpreted as ‘If you see only a single thing as it is, dualism disappears by itself’. In fact, to see only a single thing as it is, is to see everything as it is, because everything is Oneness as emptiness. This is like realising that seawater is salty by tasting only a single drop of it. So, ancient masters used to say that everything is the gate to the Way.
Student: “How do we feel when dualism disappears?”
Master: “Like coming back home after long absence because you feel as free and comfortable as if you were back from a battle and like becoming a king since you can control illusions instead of being controlled by them.”
©Boo Ahm
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