Hsin Shin Ming: “58. Here thinking, feeling, knowledge, and imagination are of no value.”

Hsin Shin Ming: “58. Here thinking, feeling, knowledge, and imagination are of no value.”

‘Here’ in the beginning of this scripture means ‘in realising the true-Self or Emptiness’. ‘Thinking, feeling, knowledge, and imagination are of no value’ means that these don’t help us to realise the true-Self at all since the true-Self is beyond them. The true-Self can be realised only when all illusions are removed. Thinking, feeling, knowledge, and imagination are all illusions.

What we try to realise is the root from which all these come from. If you struggle with them, you may get a doctorate about the true-Self but you are far from getting enlightened. This is why Buddha, on his deathbed, said that he had never said a single word even though he had actually delivered a lot of talks, and why ancient masters would say that all Sutras become Mara’s speech if we follow the words literally.

Student: “What is the true-Self?”
Master: “Don’t ask me such a foolish question.”

©Boo Ahm

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