Questions & Koans

The World-Honoured One Did Not Speak a Word

When the World-Honoured One was about to pass away, Manjushri asked him to give a sermon once more.
The World-Honoured One scolded him, saying, “I have not spoken even a single word for forty-seven years. You are asking me to speak once more. Have I ever said a word?”
Manjushri was silent.

Student: “Why did the World-Honoured One scold Manjushri, saying that he had not spoken even a single word for forty-seven years when he was asked to give a sermon once more?”
Master: “He meant that his sermon is never-ending.”

Commentary:
A true dharma talk is not what is said but what is not said.
When what is not said is a dharma talk, when will it end?

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Hsin Shin Ming: “55. If doubts like a fox vanish, the faith becomes straight.”

‘Doubt like a fox’ means illusions. ‘Doubt like a fox vanishes’ means not to be deluded by illusions, or to see things as they are. So, this scripture says that when we can see things as they are, our faith becomes straight. This implies that our faith is not straight until we can see things as they are.

When we can’t see things as they are, we can’t see what we believe in while saying, “I believe in Buddha”, or “I believe in God”. When we believe in what we can’t see, we have faith in it. Faith we can have is not a straight faith because it can be taken away anytime. However, when we can see everything as it is, we can see what we believe in. When we can see what we believe in, we become faith itself instead of having it because we can realise that we are one with what we believe in. ‘The faith becomes straight’ means that we become faith itself. This scripture means that when we can see things as they are, we become faith itself, which is straight faith.

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Q. If you practise your whole life and do not get enlightened, will it have been a waste of time, or will something carry over into the next life?

A. No, it’s never been a waste of time. It is sure to influence the next life just as what you do today has influence on your life tomorrow. No one can deny that cause and effect is ceaseless.

Saying that our practice becomes nothing when we die is like saying that everything we do whilst alive becomes nothing when we die. Then the enlightenment we achieve whilst alive becomes nothing when we die. This is contradictory to the truth that cause and effect is endless.

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Nanquan’s “Storehouse of the Mani Jewel”

Luzu said to Nanquan, “Nobody recognises the Mani jewel, but there is one in the storehouse of Buddha. What is the storehouse?”
Nanquan replied, “Myself and yourself, coming and going, is nothing other than that.”
Luzu asked, “What about those who don’t come and go?”
Nanquan replied, “They are the storehouse too.”
Luzu asked, “Then what is the jewel?”
Nanquan called, “Master Luzu!”

Student: “I don’t understand what the storehouse is and what the jewel is.”
Master: “You don’t see the jewel now because you see only the storehouse.”
Student: “I still don’t know what the storehouse is.”
Master: “All that you see and hear is the storehouse.”
Student: “How can I open it and see the jewel?”
Master: “Break it now.”

Commentary:
The moment you open the storehouse, it turns into the Mani jewel.

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Hsin Shin Ming: “54. When mind becomes one with everything and everything becomes equal, all doing ceases.”

‘Mind becomes one with everything’ means to see everything as it is, or to become enlightened, and ‘everything becomes equal’ means to realise that everything is empty since all things are equal as emptiness when they are empty.

When we have realised that everything is empty, whatever we may do, all doing is empty. When all doing is empty, all doing is not doing any more, which means that all doing ceases. When all doing is empty, the cause and effect of all doing is also empty. In the same way, when our doing is not doing, the causation of our doing is not causation. This is said to be ‘doing without doing’. When you can do all things without doing, you are said to be free from the yoke of karma.

Student: “How is it when all doing ceases?”
Master: “Your asking is not asking.”
Student: “How is it when my asking is not asking?”
Master: “I need not respond.”

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Q. What is the ultimate goal in this life? Should we aim to become enlightened, or postpone enlightenment and help other beings?

A. Enlightenment is one thing and helping other beings is another. To postpone enlightenment to help other beings, or to put off helping other beings in order to attain enlightenment doesn’t make any sense.

I can make a guess as to why you have such a question. According to some Sutras, Bodhisattvas postpone becoming Buddha until they have finished saving all sentient beings. This phrase is so misleading that many people misunderstand it. In order to have a clear understanding, you should know what Bodhisattva means in the first place.

When we realise that everything is empty, everything is one as Emptiness. Emptiness is a state without any discrimination. This state is referred to as Buddha, Oneness, Emptiness, non-Duality and Mind. This state is impossible to describe because it is perfection itself and eternity itself. There is are no sentient beings who should be saved and no saints who will save them in this state. This is so perfect that ancient masters would say that we are wrong even if we only open our mouths to describe it.

When Buddha, or the enlightened make discriminations, or when they see Emptiness as Forms, their actions are called Bodhisattva or Buddha’s compassion. In summary, Buddha and Bodhisattva are not separate from each other, but just one. Bodhisattva is the way Buddha looks when making discriminations to help sentient beings and Buddha is the way Bodhisattva looks when making no discrimination.

So, the scripture ‘Bodhisattvas postpone becoming Buddha until they have finished saving all sentient beings’ means that Buddha, the enlightened, never minds making discriminations in order to help sentient beings, instead of only staying in Emptiness. Helping others after enlightenment is compassion and helping others before enlightenment is practice for enlightenment.

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Who is their master?

To Tozan, Master Hoen the Fifth Patriarch said, “Shakyamuni and Maitreya Boddhisattva, both are His slaves. Well, tell me: Who is He?”

Student: “Who is He that is powerful enough to work Shakyamuni and Maitreya Boddhisattva?”
Master: “Their master.”
Student: “Who is their master?”
Master: “The one who has just summoned them at His will.”

Commentary:
Don’t be foolish to serve your slaves as your masters.
They have no intention to become your masters.

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Hsin Shin Ming: “53. This ultimate state is not bound by rules and descriptions.”

‘This ultimate state’ means Emptiness, the true-Self that is the essence of our being. ‘Is not bound by rules and descriptions’ means that it is so perfect and limitless that no rules and no descriptions can express it. The greatest scientific rules such as ‘The earth moves round the sun’, or ‘Water turns into ice when the temperature drops below zero’ that are called the truth in realm of form can’t bind it.

When we say that everything is empty, there is no exception. However, when faced with common sayings that are referred to as truth, or facts such as ‘The earth is round’ or ‘The sun is hot’, we are tempted to think that they are not empty but real. The more reasonable and the more logical words sound, the more likely we are to forget that they are empty. So, ancient masters would say that common sayings that sound reasonable and logical are a stake to tether a donkey, which is a symbol of our discriminating mind.

So, this scripture is telling us not to be deluded by illusions, however reasonable and logical they may look and sound.

Student: “What is not empty?”
Master: “It’s also empty.”

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Q. I was born and raised Catholic and although I’m not practising, I will always believe in Jesus. However, since I started meditating and learning about Buddhism I find it to be more comforting than Catholicism. I find this confusing. What should I do?

A. The confusion you are facing now results from not knowing what religion is. Religion is not an end but a means. In other words, your life is not lived for the sake of Catholicism, but Catholicism is just a means you chose in order to make your life happy. If a Westerner feels more comforted and healthier when eating Korean food than when having Western food, should he find it confusing? Should he feel guilty about eating Korean food instead of Western food? He never lives for the sake of eating Western food but eats Western food as a means to live a healthy life. Whatever religion you may choose, religion is only a means to attain happiness, just as food is simply a means to keep your body healthy, no matter which country’s food you may choose to eat.

You don’t have to be converted to Buddhism, if you like the mood of Catholicism, just as you need not change your nationality for the purpose of eating Korean food. Learn and practise what you like, where you like, in your own favourite way.

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Jinhua’s Ancient Mirror

A monastic asked Jinhua, “How is it when the ancient mirror is not yet polished?”
Jinhua said, “An ancient mirror.”
The monastic said, “How is it after it is polished?”
Jinhua said, “An ancient mirror.”

Student: “Why did Jinhua say the same answer to two different questions?”
Master: “Because your mirror is not yet polished.”

Commentary:
It is not because the ancient mirror is not yet polished but because you have an eye disease that the ancient mirror doesn’t seem to be polished.

©Boo Ahm

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