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Hsin Shin Ming: “61. In this non-duality nothing is different, nothing is excluded.”

Non-duality means the true-Self, Emptiness. ‘Nothing is different’ means that even though all things look, sound and feel different from each other, the essence of everything is the same as Emptiness. ‘Nothing is excluded’ means that everything is part of this non-duality, Emptiness without any exception. There are a few well known scriptures that describe this: ‘One is many, and many are one’ and ‘Emptiness is forms and forms are not different from Emptiness’. Put simply, Emptiness is many different things and many different things are not different from Emptiness.

Student: “How is everything in non-duality?”
Master: “Before your question.”

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Q. How can I overcome suicidal thoughts?

A. Do you happen to know who wants to commit suicide, that is, who wants to kill whom? You should not mistake killing your body for killing yourself. Your body has done nothing wrong. If something wrong has been done, it is not your body but you that are to blame for it. Your body can’t do anything without your direction. Why do you impute your wrong doing to your innocent body? Furthermore, if you want to escape your current situation by committing suicide, how can you be sure that a worse situation is not waiting for you afterwards?

If you really want to commit suicide, try to realise who wants to commit suicide. Having a mind to kill yourself without knowing what you are is no other than being deluded by illusions.

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Fayan’s “Not Knowing”

Fayan of Qingliang Monastery had a profound experience and gave up worldly affairs. He assembled a group of people and travelled away from the lake region. On their way, they were caught by a rainstorm, and the valley stream swelled up, so they temporarily stayed at Dizang Monastery. Whilst there, Fayan asked Abbot Dizang Guichen for instruction.

Dizang said, “Where are you going, Reverend?”
Fayan said, “I am wandering on a pilgrimage.”
Dizang said, “What is the purpose of your pilgrimage?”
Fayan said, “I don’t know.”
Dizang said, “Ah! Not knowing is most intimate.”
Straightaway, Fayan had great realisation.

Student: “Fayan got enlightenment from ‘Not knowing is most intimate’. I don’t understand what it means.”
Master: “Not understanding is most intimate.”

Commentary:
Enlightenment is no other than knowing what you say.

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Hsin Shin Ming: “60. To swiftly accord with that, only express non-duality.”

‘That’ means the true-Self or Emptiness. ‘To accord with that’ means to realise the true-Self. ‘Only express non-duality’ means ‘You should know that all I say is only to express non-duality’. Strictly speaking, saying that we have to do something in order to accord with the true-Self is far from being a correct expression because we are already non-duality as the true-Self. Whatever you do; speak or walk, see or hear, love or hate, not just the subject but also the object are all from the same root, the true-Self. Even this scripture is also from the same root. Enlightenment is to realise that we are non-duality as the true-Self, not to unify two separate different things. So, ancient masters would say, “You are wrong if you do anything” when asked what they should do to accord with the true-Self. This means that we are wrong if we make even a little effort to accord with the true-Self while unaware that we are the true-Self.

Student: “How can I accord with the true-Self”
Master: “How can you become you?”

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Q. Can anybody become the true-Self?

A. Your question is like ‘Can any wind become air?’ My answer to your question is ‘You can’t become the true-Self’, because you are already the true-Self. You are to your true-Self as wind is to air. What matters is how to realise the truth. The purpose of Zen meditation is not to turn you who is not the true-Self into the true-Self but to help you to realise the truth that you are the true-Self itself. You can’t avoid being the true-Self even for a moment. So, the Sutra says that we are like a rich beggar who has not realised that he has diamond in his pocket.

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Dry Shit

One day a monk asked his master, “What is the true-Self?” The master said, “Dry shit.”

Student: “As far as I know, the true-Self is very holy. Why did the master say, ‘Dry shit’ when he was asked what the true-Self is?”
Master: “Because people are more attracted by the wrapper than by the contents when the wrapper is beautiful.”

Commentary:
Mouth is bitter whilst mind is sweet.

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Hsin Shin Ming: “59. In this world of ‘as it really is’ there is neither ‘I’ nor ‘others’.”

‘As it really is’ means the true-Self, Emptiness. The world of the true-Self is the realm where everything is empty. When everything is empty, everything is one as Emptiness. So, the true-Self is referred to as Oneness, or non-Duality as well as Emptiness. Naturally, there can’t be not just ‘I’ and ‘others’ but also other things in the true-Self because they belong to Oneness as Emptiness. That’s why, when Buddha was born, he said, “In the whole universe only I exist.”. In order to prevent people from following ‘I exist’, an ancient master commented, “If I had seen him doing so, I would have beaten him to death and have thrown him to hungry dogs.”

Student: “What is the true-Self?”
Master: “I am wrong if I answer your question. I am also wrong if I keep silent. What shall I do?”
Student: “What do you think of the master’s comment?”
Master: “If I had been with him then, I would have beaten him to death and have thrown him to hungry dogs.”

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Q. I have attended church for over thirty years since starting to go to from the age of seven. When do I have to attend church until?

A. I’d like to ask you two questions: Why do you go to church? What do you think a church is? If you, thinking of a church as a place for praying to God, go to church in order to pray, then why do you have to pray only in a church? Is God only in churches and not at home? The Bible says that God is everywhere all the time and that there is no place without God.

You should know that going to church is not different from going to school where you can learn arithmetic rules. A church is to a school as a minister is to a teacher. A minister is to God as a teacher is to arithmetic. We go to church so that we may learn what God is just as we go to school in order to learn arithmetic.

When we become so good at arithmetic that we can freely apply it to our daily life, making it incomparably easier and more convenient than when we didn’t know it, we don’t have to go to school any more for the purpose of learning arithmetic. Likewise, when we, having realised what God is, can see him anywhere, anytime in our daily life and live a life driven by him all the time, we don’t have to go to church any more.

However, if your teacher entices you into worshipping arithmetic while only empathising the importance of it without teaching its principle, you should not go to such a school any more since the school doesn’t serve its role as a school.

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Dongshan’s Illness

When Dongshan was not feeling well, a monastic said, “Master, you are not feeling well. Is there anyone who doesn’t get sick?” Dongshan said, “Yes, there is.” The monastic said, “Does the person who doesn’t get sick take care of you?” Dongshan said, “I have the opportunity to take care of the person.” The monastic said, “What happens when you take care of that person?” Dongshan said, “At that time, I don’t see the sickness.”

Student: “Who is the person who doesn’t get sick?”
Master: “I don’t feel well.”
Student: “Dongshan said that when taking care of the person who doesn’t get sick, he didn’t see the sickness. Why don’t you take care of him as well in order not to see the sickness?”
Master: “Because I am busy taking care of a stupid fellow now.”

Commentary:
When a master takes care of the person who doesn’t get sick, he doesn’t see not only the sickness but also his student.

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