Mind is not Buddha. Knowledge is not the Way.
Nansen said, “Mind is not Buddha. Knowledge is not the Way.”
Student: “What is Buddha and what is the Way if mind is not Buddha and knowledge is not the Way?”
Master: “Nansen already said all.”
Commentary:
A glass is to water as a word is to contents. Don’t mistake a vessel for its contents.
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Hsin Shin Ming: “29. When you don’t see fineness and roughness, how could you prefer one to another?”
‘Not see fineness and roughness’ means to remove all labels such as ‘fineness’ and ‘roughness’ when you see things. Let’s suppose there are two things; a white round ceramic mug and a brown square wooden plate. Strip the two things of all the labels such as ‘white’, ‘brown’, ‘round’, ‘square’, ‘ceramic’, ‘wooden’, ‘mug’ and ‘plate’ that are attached to them. What is left now? They are not a mug and not a plate any longer. Then, is there any difference between them? Seeing things like this is making no discrimination, which is to see things as they are, or to see things as empty.
Therefore, this scripture means that when you see things as they are, there is no difference between them. There can’t be superiority and inferiority when there is no difference. When there is neither superiority nor inferiority, you can be free from the suffering that comes from the desire to achieve what you prefer.
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I really regret not being good to my parents when they were alive.
That is one of the most common emotions we have after our parents pass away. Show your love that you would give to your dead parents if they were alive to the old people you can see around you.
Loving them is not different from loving your dead parents. Seeing the smiles on their faces is seeing your parents’ smiles, and hearing their laughs is hearing your parents’ laughter because, as I have said, we are all oneness regardless of whether visible or invisible.
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Yangshan’s interpretation of his master’s dream
One day Guishan was lying down when his student Yangshan Huiji came in. Guishan turned over and lay facing the wall. Yangshan said, “I am your student. You don’t need to be formal.” Guishan sat up and Yangshan started to leave. Guishan called Yangshan, “Huiji.” Yangshan turned his head. Guishan said, “Listen to this old monastic’s dream.” Yangshan lowered his head and was ready to listen. Guishan just said, “Interpret my dream for me. Let me see how you do it.” Yangshan brought a basin of water and a towel. Guishan washed his face and became seated.
Student: “Why did Yangshan bring a basin of water and a towel when he was asked to interpret his master’s dream?”
Master: “You are dreaming as well if you think he brought a basin of water and a towel.”
Commentary:
Dreamers mistake illusions for reality and mistake reality for a dream.
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Hsin Shin Ming: “28. One emptiness is two facets and contains all the universe.”
‘One emptiness is two facets’ means that Emptiness is forms, or things, as the Heart Sutra says, and ‘contains all the universe’ means that there is nothing that doesn’t belong to Emptiness. All things are how Emptiness is. All things are to Emptiness as all kinds of wind are to air. No matter how many different types of wind there are, they are one as air. In other words, however many different forms there are, all of them are one as Emptiness. Our problem is that we don’t know the truth that everything is one as the Emptiness just as every wind is one as air.
Student: “What happens to us when we die if we all belong to Emptiness?”
Master: “Though a wind dies, air is still there.”
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Q. Sometimes I find it hard to put aside time to meditate. Is it okay to meditate on a train while commuting to and from work? It is hard to keep a correct posture on those seats.
A. Any time and any place can be a good time and a good place for Zen meditation even though you can’t put aside time for it. Your commuting time and commuting train are a good example. Your idea appears to come from your misunderstanding of Zen meditation. Zen practice is not to train your physical body but to concentrate your attention to your question. The essence of Zen meditation is not to sit upright but to keep questioning.
You are told to sit upright in order to focus on your question, not for the sake of sitting itself. It is true that sitting upright on the floor without leaning against anything is the most recommended, but this is not a fixed rule. There is no fixed correct posture for Zen practice. Any posture; sitting upright on the floor or in a sofa or on a chair, sitting leaning against something or not, is okay if you can focus on your question. I’d like to invite you to lean against something in order to reduce the burden your spine takes if you are aged or have some problem with your back because sitting upright is the most burdening posture to our backbone.
The key point of Zen practice is not whether you can keep a good posture or not, but whether you can keep your question or not. However good your posture is, sitting itself is not Zen practice if you don’t keep your question. If you ask yourself what makes your body walk while taking a walk, then it is walking meditation. Questioning what makes you have tea during tea time is tea meditation. So, you always have time and place for practising Zen meditation. Don’t say that you have no time for Zen practice.
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Xuansha’s Seamless Stūpa
When Xuansha travelled with Xuefeng, Xuefeng pointed at the ground in front of him and said, “This piece of field may be suited for building a seamless stupa.” Xuansha said, “How high should it be?” Xuefeng looked up and down. Xuansha said, “It’s just that you have not even dreamed of the Buddha’s affirmation of the attainment of Buddhahood on Vulture Peak.” Xuefeng said, “How would you say it?” Xuansha said, “Seven or eight feet.”
Student: “Why did Xuansha deny Xuefeng’s answer and say, ‘Seven or eight feet’?”
Master: “Don’t make seams on the seamless Stupa.”
Commentary:
The water from one well tastes the same.
One kilometre is one thousand meters.
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Hsin Shin Ming: “27. If you are to know the essence of these seeming two facets, see them as one Emptiness.”
‘These seeming two facets’ means forms or things. ‘See them as one Emptiness’ means to realise that everything is empty. When everything is empty, all things are one as Emptiness. That is why the scripture has ‘one’ before Emptiness. Actually, ‘one Emptiness’ means just Emptiness, and from time to time Emptiness is referred to as Oneness or non-Duality. In other words, to see things as empty is to know the essence of all things since the essence of forms is emptiness as the Heart Sutra says, “Forms are Emptiness and Emptiness is forms”
Then, why do these seem to be two facets? The reason why these seeming two facets appear to be dual is not that they are separate but that you have divided one Emptiness into many by putting imaginary lines, labels on it. For example, when you put the label ‘cup’ on a thing, you divide one Emptiness into two; a cup and what is not a cup. In this way you divide one Emptiness into too many forms by drawing countless imaginary lines.
How can we see two facets as one Emptiness? Seeing all things without any imaginary lines is seeing things as one Emptiness. If you can see a cup before you without any imaginary lines attached to it such as ‘cup’, ‘white’, ‘round’, ‘hard’, ‘small’, and so on, that is to see it as one Emptiness.
Student: “Is this cup a form or emptiness?”
Master: “It is a form as long as you call it a cup.”
Student: “What is it like when it is Emptiness?”
Master: “When you see this cup as Emptiness, you can’t see me, not to mention asking me this question, because not only this cup but all the universe including you and me also becomes one as Emptiness.”
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Q. Is it okay to neglect hard work and taking care of my family so that I can concentrate on my practice?
A. No, it’s wrong. Don’t separate practice from daily life. Working hard and taking good care of your family is not different from practising well. Don’t think that Zen meditation is to try to attain something special that is not from our daily life. Practising Zen is trying to see your family members as they are, and enlightenment is to realise how holy and perfect they are as oneness with you.
You should think of them as your masters or comrades who help you to practise well. When they seem to cause an inhospitable atmosphere for your practice, you should think that they are checking how deep your practice is or how well you are practising. When you are upset, trying to see the root of your anger or where it comes from is Zen practice. Whatever the situation is like, a dead body doesn’t care; not angry and not happy. What is it that makes your body get angry or happy?
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Zhaozhou Recites the Canon
Zhaozhou was once given a donation by an elderly woman who requested that he recite the Great Canon. Zhaozhou got down from his seat on the meditation platform, walked around the platform once, and said to the woman’s messenger, “I have finished reciting the Great Canon.” The messenger told the woman about this. She said, “I asked him to recite the entire canon. How come the master recited only half of the Canon?”
Student: “Why did Zhaozhou walk around the platform once instead of reciting the Great Canon when he was asked to recite it?”
Master: “He did it perfectly.”
Student: “Then, why did the elderly woman say that he had recited only half of the Canon?”
Master: “She admired him.”
Commentary:
Reciting the copy of the Great Canon one hundred times is not as good as taking a glance at the original Great Canon.”
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