Hsin Shin Ming: “23. Although all dualities arise from the One, do not cling even to the One.”
‘The One’ means the true-Self or emptiness, and ‘dualities’ mean forms. Enlightenment is to realise that the root of everything or all forms, including yourself, is the One which is also called the true-Self, emptiness. Therefore, this scripture means ‘Although you come to realisation that everything is from the One, the true-Self, you should not cling even to the One.
To realise that all dualities arise from the One is to realise that all dualities are empty because the One means emptiness. There is nothing to cling to or let go of and no one who will cling when everything is empty. If you cling to the One, emptiness, that is not the One but an illusion of the One. It is because you don’t know what the One is that you cling to it. Leaving all dualities and clinging to the One is like going into another burning house after getting out of a burning house. The moment you cling to the One, you can’t avoid falling into dualities since the One is divided into you and the One.
If you happen to think that there is even a small thing to cling to, you are as far apart from the truth as heaven is from the earth.
Student: “What is the One?”
Master: “Duality.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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