Followers of the Way, in the Buddha-Dharma there is nothing to be learned hard. Just be your ordinary selves with nothing further to seek, relieving nature, wearing robes and eating. “When tired I sleep. Fools laugh at me, the wise understand.”
Commentary:
‘In the Buddha-Dharma there is nothing to be learned diligently’ means that there is nothing for you to learn hard so that you may become the true-Self, or be enlightened because you are none other than the true-Self just as you need not make useless effort to become part of the universe since you are already it. The harder you try to become the universe by accumulating knowledge, the further you go away from it because the knowledge can become a barrier that prevents you from seeing the true-Self. So, ancient masters would say, “You should not be deluded by words no matter how plausible they may sound.” Once enlightened, you realise that you can’t escape from the true-Self whatever you may do. Then, all you say or do, whether you wear robes, eat, or sleep, is the function of the true-Self. That is perfect freedom.
Student: “What is the shortcut to the true-Self?”
Master: “Remove all the ways.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
#zen #meditation #zenmeditation #enlightened #enlightenment #zenfools #photography