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
Part 17-11
“Subhuti, if Bodhisattvas say, ‘I am going to adorn a Buddha-land,’ they are not to be called Bodhisattvas. Why? The Realised One says that adorning Buddha-lands is not adornment, it is just called adornment.”
“Subhuti, if Bodhisattvas realise selflessness, the Realised One says they are true Bodhisattvas.”
Commentary:
According to the Buddha’s teaching, no matter how great an image may appear, no matter how plausible a word, or a verse may sound, they are no more than illusions like a rabbit-horn.
A Bodhisattva represents a being who, having Realised this truth, is freed from being deluded by illusions such as images, sounds, words and so on. A Bodhisattva is aware that ‘I’, ‘adorning’ and ‘the Buddha-land’ are not ‘I’, ‘adorning’ and ‘the Buddha-land’ but they are just called ‘I’, ‘adorning’ and ‘the Buddha-land’.
The Buddha-land is another name of the true-Self, Emptiness, or Oneness that is the state without any illusions. In fact, having a thought of adorning the Buddha-land is breaking the Buddha-land that is Oneness into many and defiling it. This is why an ancient master said, “Your thought of adorning it is already filth” when he was asked how he could adorn the Buddha-land, by one of his students.
So, a Bodhisattva is a being who has neither ‘I’ who will adorn the Buddha-land nor the Buddha-land to adorn.
Student: “What is the Buddha-land?”
Master: “It is great but not worth staying in.”
Student: “Why isn’t it worth staying in?”
Master: “Because it collapses as soon as you stay.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
A. These words seem to be an answer to the question ‘How can we recognise the true-Self when we hear dharma talks, or hear a Sutra read, or chanted?’.
Everything, whether a thing, a word, or a sound, has its beginning and end. Without them, a thing can’t be a thing, and a sentence can’t be a sentence.
However, the true-Self is formless and boundless, that is, the true-Self has no beginning and no end. So, the true-Self contains everything, and there is nothing beyond the true-Self.
Seeing and hearing only what has a beginning and an end is seeing a thing and hearing words when we see and hear. Seeing and hearing what has no beginning and no end whilst we see and hear is seeing and hearing the true-Self.
You should be able to see the true-Self while you read this writing.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
One day a monk asked Master Woonmun, “What is the Buddha?” He answered, “He is a rude man.” The monk said, “What is his Dharma talk?” The master said, “It’s a talk about something.” The monk asked, “What is the right eye that can see it?” The master said, “Wide.”
Student: “What did the master mean by ‘wide’ when he was asked about the right eye that can see something that the Buddha talked about?”
Master: “Nothing can escape its sight.”
Commentary:
The whole body of the true-Self is the right eye.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Part 17-10
“Subhuti, Bodhisattvas are also like this. If they say, ‘I am going to liberate countless living beings,’ then they are not to be called Bodhisattvas.
“Why? Subhuti, in reality there is no such thing as a ‘Bodhisattva.’ Therefore Buddha says that all things have no self, no person, no being, and no liver of life.”
Commentary:
As the Buddha said in part 3, “Although a Bodhisattvas liberates innumerable, countless, infinite sentient beings, not a single sentient being is liberated in fact. Why not? Subhuti, if the Bodhisattvas have images of self, images of person, images of a being, images of a liver of life, they are not Bodhisattvas”, Bodhisattvas should be freed from being deluded by all images.
One who says, “I’m going to liberate countless sentient beings” signifies that the speaker is not a Bodhisattva who has escaped from being deluded by the illusions of ‘I’, ‘sentient being’ and ‘liberate’. From a Bodhisattva’s point of view, there is no ‘I’ to liberate sentient beings and no sentient beings to be liberated, since he sees everything as empty. Even if he happens to liberate sentient beings, he looks upon his acts of liberating sentient beings not as acts of liberating sentient beings but as functions of the true-Self.
This is why ancient masters would say to their students, “No matter what great work you may do, you should know that you are doing nothing. If in your mind there is even the tiniest idea left that you did something, the idea will turn the limitless merit of doing great work into karma.”
So, an enlightened man is referred to as an idle man without work.
Student: “If there is no such thing as a Bodhisattva, and all things have no self, no person, no being, and no liver of life, whom did the Buddha gave this talk to?”
Master: “Why don’t you know that the Buddha didn’t say a word?”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
A. From the mundane perspective, two times five is definitely ten, not seven. However, in the realm of Emptiness, it is said that everything is empty. When everything is seen as empty, it is not real but illusionary like a rabbit-horn.
Then, there is no difference between one rabbit-horn and one thousand rabbit-horns. So, ‘we should know not only that two times five is ten but also that two times five is seven’ implies that we should be able to see things as empty as well.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Hearing swallows, Master Hyunsa said on the high seat, “They speak of the essence of everything and preached the core of the Dharma well” and descend from the seat.
Student: “How can I hear the core of the Dharma the swallows preached?”
Master: “You can hear it when you don’t speak.”
Student: “Why can’t I hear it when I don’t speak?”
Master: “Because you still speak.”
Commentary:
The reason why you don’t discern what reaches your ears is that you mistake your speaking for being silent.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Part 17-9
“For example, Subhuti, it is like a person whose body is large.” Subhuti said, “World Honoured One, the large body that you, the Realised One said is not a large body but just called a large body.”
Commentary:
As with part 17-8 that says ‘all things’ are not all things; therefore, they are called ‘all things’, none of the things that are depicted with words are real, but illusionary. In essence there is nothing but Emptiness. All things that we think are not only real but also different and separate from each other, are no more than illusions created through being divided by words, imaginary lines, by our imagination.
All things we can express with words are illusions, and the essence of them is Emptiness. This is why it is said that everything is the Buddha. From this perspective, a large body is not a large body, but it is just called a large body, and a small body is not a small body, but it is just called a small body. Then, there is no distinction between a large body and a small body. This is why it is said that we should be able to put a huge mountain into a mustard seed. Seen in this way, there is no difference amongst all things in the universe. At that time everything becomes Oneness. The purpose of Buddhism is to realise that everything is the same and one.
Student: “Sir, if you are not a human being but just called a human being, what are you?”
Master: “Even the Buddha cannot know it.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
A. ‘Mind is the source, and all things are illusions’ is a well-known sentence that indicates the core of Buddhism. However, the sentence that you ask me to interpret might seem contradictory to the Buddha’s teaching, but is telling us how to accept the core of the Buddha’s words, without being deluded by words.
To rephrase the sentence, it is true that mind is the source, however it is not source but no more than an illusion if we accept mind as a word without realising what mind is. All things, according to the Buddha’s teaching, are illusions, although they are not illusions but the functions of the true-Self if we can see them as they are without being deluded by forms and names. This is why it is said that Mara’s talk becomes the function of the true-Self before the Buddha, the Buddha’s talk becomes Mara’s talk before sentient beings.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Hearing swallows, Master Hyunsa said on the high seat, “They speak of the essence of everything and preached the core of the Dharma well” and descend from the seat.
Student: “How can we hear the core of the Dharma the swallows preached?”
Master: “You can hear it when you don’t speak.”
Commentary:
Only your words are heard when you speak.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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