A. When people make flowers out of gold, the forms of flowers are as various as the number of the people in size, shape and completeness depending on their skill, taste and their working conditions. However, the gold itself that is the essence of the flowers never changes and remains perfect as gold all the time irrespective of how ugly and beautiful their works are. No matter how diverse our physical experiences may be, the true-Self, the essence of our being never changes at all just as the shapes of the flowers cannot change the gold itself.
The reason why I accentuate physical experience is that ‘our true-Self is perfect’ can be grasped only through direct experience because it is beyond words. Not until you have a physical experience of the true-Self in person can you understand the meaning of ‘our true-Self is perfect’.
Followers of the Way, what should a real man doubt? Who is he who freely functions right before the eyes? Seize and use him—but do not attach a name to him. This is referred to as deep meaning. If you can see everything like this, there is nothing to avoid. An old master said: “The mind changes with ten thousand phenomena; its changes are truly profound. Once the mind is realised, following birth and death, there is neither joy nor sorrow.”
Commentary:
‘Who is he who freely functions right before the eyes?’ means that everything you see and hear is the function of the true-Self. ‘Seize and use him—but do not attach a name to him’ implies that the true-Self cannot be separated from your hands even for a moment since you are oneness with the true-Self when you are not deluded by names that are merely illusions. ‘This is referred to as deep meaning’ means that not being deluded by words is referred to as enlightenment. When you can see everything in this way, there is nothing to avoid and no one who will avoid because there is just Oneness, the true-Self.
The true-Self functions ceaselessly;
its functions are profound and subtle.
Once you have realised the true-Self amidst illusions,
A. In fact, everybody in the world is trying to do this at every moment. “You should try your best to develop or improve your life.” is one of the most common sayings in our life, especially for school students. To try one’s best to develop one’s life means to make one’s best effort to control one’s karma; to alleviate one’s bad karma and to make one’s good karma better instead of just accepting one’s karma as fate.
However, the control of causation is possible only to a limited extent. For example, you can decide whom to marry, or whether or not you will get married, but you cannot alter the fact that you are a human being, not a bird. You can’t control the cause and effect of your past, but can control or influence the causation of your future, to a degree, depending on how you accept your current situation that is the effect of your past cause, because your future is determined by how you live now. So, it can be said that you can’t manipulate it fully but can influence or partially control it.
However, when you realise that everything is empty, that is, when you realise that cause and effect themselves are also empty, you can be free from the suffering of cause and effect. This is referred to as escaping from karma.
One day, when Master Joshu was staying in his room, a monastic cried outside, “Sir, I am here.” Joshu said to his attendant monk, “You let him know that I want him to go.” As soon as the attendant monk did to the monastic as he was told, the monastic offered a bow and went away. Then, Joshu said, “The monastic walked in the door, but the attendant monk is still out of the door.”
Student: “Why did Joshu say that the monastic was in the door although he didn’t come in the room?”
Master: “Because he could clearly see Joshu through what was conveyed by the attendant monk.”
Student: “Why did Joshu say that the attendant monk was still out of the door although he was with the master all the time?”
Master: “Because you are still out of the door.”
Commentary:
Praise is not different from blame and a prize is not different from punishment.
If not one thought arises, you will at once climb up the tree of enlightenment, have the supernatural powers to transform yourselves at will in the Three Worlds, have the joy of the Dharma and the bliss of Zen. Your whole body will shine by itself. When you think of robes — you are clothed in a thousand layers of brocade; when you think of food — a sumptuous meal of a hundred flavours is served; and you will never encounter unexpected accident or illness. Enlightenment has no local abode, and so there is nothing to obtain.
Commentary:
‘If not one thought arises’ means ‘if you are not deluded by even a single illusion’. ‘Have the supernatural powers to transform yourselves at will in the Three Worlds’ means that you feel identical, or feel oneness with the entire universe. ‘Your whole body will shine by itself’ implies that you feel the function of your whole body as that of the true-Self. ‘You are clothed in a thousand layers of brocade’ means that when you are oneness with the true-Self, the whole universe, perfection can be your robe. ‘You will never encounter unexpected accident or illness’ means that you have transcended birth and death. ‘Enlightenment has no local abode, and so there is nothing to obtain’ implies that since enlightenment is just to see things as they are, not a thing with a certain shape, we should not think that it can be attained in the way we obtain something precious, which is to be deluded by the illusion of enlightenment.
A. You seem to be distracted by illusions; thoughts of the past and the future. Then, you cannot be concentrated on your meditation as you spend time struggling to fight off your illusions during your practice. This causes you to feel more exhausted than refreshed after meditation. This happens because you don’t practise in the right way.
Try to focus all your attention to your koan, Zen question. If you find it difficult to do so because of worldly thoughts, illusions, don’t try in vain to fight them off. As mentioned previously repeatedly, there is nothing that is not the true-Self. Not only the worldly thoughts but also your anger is also part of the true-Self. That is, you are mistaking the true-Self for anger, or worldly thoughts. They are no other than the true-Self you are looking for. I’d like to advise you to trace your anger, or illusions back to their root instead of fighting against them. They, well used, can be a nice way to enlightenment.
When a monastic asked Master Quijong, “What is the visible true-Self?”, the master, standing on tiptoe, said, “Can you see?” The monastic answered, “No, I can’t.” The master said, “There are three kinds. Be free to make a choice.”
Student: “What are the three kinds?”
Master: “A cup, a table and a tree.”
Commentary:
Choose any one and the others will come along spontaneously.
Venerable ones, the physical body made up of the Four Elements is impermanent. From spleen and stomach, liver and gall, down to head — body-hair, nails and teeth — they only show that everything is just empty form.
When you can bring your heart to rest, that is called the tree of enlightenment. When you cannot bring your heart to rest, that is called the tree of ignorance. Ignorance has no abode, neither does it have beginning nor end. If you cannot bring your heart to rest, you will climb up the tree of ignorance and enter the six ways and four modes of birth and wear horns and fur. If you can put your heart to rest, this is the realm of the Pure Land.
Commentary:
‘The physical body made up of the Four Elements is impermanent’ implies that as our physical body perishes sooner or later, irrespective of our will because it is no other than an illusion, we, instead of being attached to it, should try to attain enlightenment before encountering the last moment of our life. ‘When you can bring your heart to rest, that is called the tree of enlightenment’ means that when we stop discriminating and see things as they are, that is, when we are not deluded by illusions, we can attain enlightenment. Only when we can see everything as it is, or when we have attained enlightenment can we grasp the words ‘Ignorance has no abode, neither does it have beginning nor end’. In fact, realising the fact that ‘Ignorance has no abode, neither does it have beginning nor end’ is realising that illusions are no other than part of the true-Self, which is enlightenment.
However, unless you see things as they are by ceasing to discriminate, you cannot escape the ocean of illusions, which is referred to as ‘entering the six ways and four modes of birth and wear horns and fur’. This symbolises that we are caught in the trap of karma, or transmigration.
Student: “What is enlightenment?”
Master: “The physical body made up of the Four Elements.”
Student: “You said that it is impermanent and an illusion. Why do you answer contrary to your words?”
Master: “Because you have not brought your heart to rest.”
A. Such experience can feel so wonderful and attractive that people are often tempted to mistake it for enlightenment and cling to it. However, such an experience is a phenomenon that happens once in a while when practitioners cannot make strong concentration on their koans. Your experience indicates that you are not focused on your question but deluded by illusions. People who practise like this are said to be housekeeping in a fox burrow. You should remember that no matter how holy a thing you may see, or however mysterious a thing may happen during your practice, it is nothing but an illusion. That is why ancient masters would warn that we should not be attracted even if one hundred Buddhas appear before us.
Zen Fools 