Master Wonmyo said, “The sun in the sky is shining, and there is nowhere its light can’t reach. Why is it covered by clouds?”
Student: “Why is it covered by clouds?”
Master: “Because the sun is a cloud.”
Commentary:
What can be covered is not the sun.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Part 18-3
“What is the reason? All the minds that the Realised One has mentioned are not mind but they are just called mind.”
Commentary:
All things in this world that we think of as real require our words so as to be real because they become real only when we attach names to them. However, all that becomes real by means of the names granted by us is not real but illusionary. This is why the Buddha said, “All the minds that the Realised One has mentioned are not mind but they are just called mind.”
The true-Self, however, doesn’t need our words to be real, and it is neither existent nor non-existent because they are also words. This is why it is said that it is beyond words. Although the true-Self, Emptiness, the Buddha, mind and nirvana are used to express it, they are not real but no more than expedient means to indicate and point to it. This is why ancient masters would say, “Mind is not mind” when asked what mind is and answered, “Emptiness is not emptiness” when enquired about Emptiness.
In other words, all the names that signify the true-Self are to the true-Self as fingers pointing to the moon are to the moon. No matter how holy and attractive the fingers may look, we should look at the moon instead of being deluded by the fingers.
Student: “If the minds that the Buddha mentioned are not minds, what are they?”
Master: “Mind.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
The Buddha’s teaching is not to remove illusions but to realise that they are the way the true-Self is.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
One day Yunyan said to the assembly, “There is a child in this household. If you ask a question, there is nothing he can’t answer.” Dongshan Liangjie then asked, “How large a library does he have?” Yunyan said, “Not a single word.” Dongshan said, “Then how come he is so learned?” Yunyan said, “He does not sleep day or night.” Dongshan said, “If we ask him about the single matter, can we get a response?”
Yunyan said, “Although he can speak, he won’t answer.”
Student: “Who is the child?”
Master: “He is not he anymore once you have recognised him.”
Student: “How can I recognise him?”
Master: “You cannot move even one of your fingers without his support.”
Student: “Why won’t he answer although he can speak?”
Master: “Because he says what cannot be done.”
Commentary:
All the Buddhas and patriarchs spoke only to themselves.
©Boo AhmAll writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Part 18-2
“Subhuti, what do you think—has the Buddha mentioned the grains of sand in the Ganges River?” “Yes, World Honoured One, the Realised One has mentioned the sand.” “Subhuti, what do you think—if there were as many Ganges Rivers as there are the grains of sand in the Ganges River, and there were as many Buddha worlds as the grains of sand of all the Ganges Rivers, how many would all the Buddha-worlds be?” “Very many, World Honoured One.” The Buddha said to Subhuti, “The Realised One knows all kinds of sentient beings’ minds in the worlds.”
Commentary:
As stated by the Buddha earlier, this phrase means both that no matter how many various things there are, there is nothing that is not empty, and that the Buddha, as mentioned in the preceding part, has the six eyes with which He can see everything as empty, that is, as it really is.
Then, He can see the Buddha-worlds, sentient beings and sentient beings’ minds as empty. This is why the Buddha knows all kinds of sentient beings’ minds in the worlds.
Student: “What is a sentient being’s mind like who is a thousand miles away?”
Master: “It is not different from yours.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
A. We should discard not only all things but also emptiness because what we can keep is not emptiness. Emptiness is the state that is free from images and words. It is neither existent nor non-existent because these are also words.
Things are to emptiness as right is to left. When the former disappears, the latter also disappears along with the former. If we try to keep one and discard the other, we will become far away from the truth forever.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
One day Yunyan said to the assembly, “There is a child in this household. If you ask a question, there is nothing he can’t answer.” Dongshan Liangjie then asked, “How large a library does he have?” Yunyan said, “Not a single word.” Dongshan said, “Then how come he is so learned?” Yunyan said, “He does not sleep day or night.” Dongshan said, “If we ask him about the single matter, can we get a response?” Yunyan said, “Although he can speak, he won’t answer.”
Student: “Who is the child?”
Master: “He never turns his head no matter how loudly you call him.”
Student: “Why won’t he answer although he can speak?”
Master: “Because you cannot understand him.”
Commentary:
He never fails to answer at the moment you ask him.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Part 18-1
“Subhuti, what do you think—does the Realised One have the physical eye?” “Yes, World Honoured One; the Realised One has the physical eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think—does the Realised One have the celestial eye?” “Yes, World Honoured One; the Realised One has the celestial eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think—does the Realised One have the wisdom eye?” “Yes, World Honoured One; the Realised One has the wisdom eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think—does the Realised One have the dharma eye?” “Yes, World Honoured One; the Realised One has the dharma eye.”
“Subhuti, what do you think—does the Realised One have the Buddha eye?” “Yes, World Honoured One; the Realised One has the Buddha eye.”
Commentary:
Although the six kinds of eye appear to be different from each other, there is no difference at all between them. In fact, an eye is described in six ways just as a woman can be identified as a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend, a grandmother and a granddaughter.
The physical eye means the ordinary eyes we have, but the other five eyes imply the ones we have when we have attained enlightenment. The celestial eye means to be able to see the whole universe, the wisdom eye means to be able to see everything as it is without being deluded by its form, the dharma eye means to be able to see the dharma that is the true-Self, and the Buddha eye means to be able to see just as the Buddha sees. These five eyes are essentially the same although they sound different from each other.
Student: “How is it possible to see the whole universe?”
Master: “When you can see everything as empty, seeing that which is before you is the same as seeing that which is millions of miles away because they are all empty.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
The reason why we can’t avoid death is that we try in vain to avoid what doesn’t exist.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Once Yunmen was asked by a monastic, “When birth and death come, how do we avoid them?” Yunmen said, “Where are they?”
Student: “Why did Yunmen say, ‘Where are they?’ when asked how to avoid birth and death?”
Master: “Because they don’t come to him.”
Commentary:
If you try to hide, or run away, they will follow you to the end.
If you know where they are, they will never come to you.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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