Hsin Shin Ming: “35. Tied by your thoughts, you lose the truth, but falling into darkness is also not good.”
‘Tied by your thoughts’ means to try to see the true-Self with knowledge and ‘the truth’ means the true-Self. ‘Falling into darkness’ means falling into silence or stop thinking.
The reason why, when tied by your thoughts or trying to see the true-Self with knowledge, you lose the truth is that being tied by your thoughts is being tied or deluded by labels, words. However, the true-Self can be seen only when you are free from labels. The more attached you are to them, the blinder you become to the truth because they are the barrier blocking your sight of the truth.
Some people fall into darkness by stopping thinking since they mistake stopping thinking for not being tied by thoughts. That is to make another illusion and cling to it. Not being tied by your thoughts is not falling into darkness but realising that all things, including your thoughts, are empty. When realising this fact, you can be free to think without being tied or deluded by your thoughts, which is to think without staying anywhere, just as the Diamond Sutra says.
Student: “How do I feel when I am not tied by my thoughts?”
Master: “The Earth is not round but cubic.”
Student: “What are you talking about, Sir? ‘The Earth is round’ is an unchangeable truth.”
Master: “You are tied by your thoughts now.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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