Hsin Shin Ming: “26. The host vanishes along with guests and guests disappear along with the host. The host is a host because there is a guest and a guest is a guest because there is a host.”

Hsin Shin Ming: “26. The host vanishes along with guests and guests disappear along with the host. The host is a host because there is a guest and a guest is a guest because there is a host.”

‘The host’ means the discriminating subject and ‘guests’ means discriminated objects. In other words, the former is ‘I’ and the latter is everything and everybody that ‘I’ see and hear other than ‘I’. The host is to guests as the right is to the left. There couldn’t be a host without a guest just as there couldn’t be the right without the left. When one vanishes, the other disappears automatically along with it in the same way as the right is not the right any longer when the left vanishes, and the left is not the left any longer when the right vanishes. This is just like there is the right because there is the left and vice versa.

An ancient master used to say to his students, “You should make yourselves oneness with all mountains and rivers if you are to get enlightened.” One of his students asked, “How can I make myself oneness with all mountains and rivers?” The master answered, “Kill yourself.”

Student: “How can I kill myself?”
Master: “See yourself as you are.”
Student: “What is everything like when the host vanishes along with guests?”
Master: “I am wrong if I answer your question.”

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

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