Hsin Shin Ming: “37. If you wish to realise the One Way, do not dislike even all the illusions.”
‘One Way’ means the true-Self or Emptiness, which contains all without exception. There is nothing that is not the One way. Even all illusions also belong to it. To see things as they are means to see things as empty, and this is to see the true-Self because the true-Self is Emptiness.
The true-Self that is the essence of everything including ourselves is empty. When all things are empty, they are one as emptiness. So, the true-Self is referred to as Emptiness, Oneness or Non-duality. The true-Self appears to be many only because we have divided it into many with a lot of labels or words which are imaginary lines. The true-Self is called Emptiness when we see it as undivided and forms when we see it as divided. So, the Sutras say that Emptiness is form and forms are Emptiness, or that One is many, and many are One. Our problem is that we are so addicted to imaginary lines that we can’t see the true-Self as undivided or Emptiness. Enlightenment is the ability to see everything both as forms and as Emptiness at the same time.
When we cling to or reject forms without being aware of this fact, forms are called illusions, and we are said to be deluded by illusions. As mentioned above, to realise that all illusions are the true-Self is to attain enlightenment. Put in another way, to see the true-Self as undivided or to see all things as Oneness is to enter the One Way, or to see the true-Self. However, clinging to the true-Self and disliking illusions is not entering the true-Self but making another illusion because it is to divide Oneness into the true-Self and illusions. Therefore, you should not dislike illusions but try to see them as they are, if you are to enter One Way, the true-Self.
Don’t avoid illusions, because they are the true-Self.
Don’t follow the true-Self, because it an illusion.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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