Questions & Koans

Hsin Shin Ming: “11. When you try to stop activity to achieve quietude, the very effort fills you with activity.”

‘Stop activity’ means to stop your thinking from arising, and ‘achieve quietude’ means to keep your mind quiet or peaceful. Activity is to quietude as the right is to the left.

If you try to achieve quietude by stopping your thinking from arising, you can’t help but fail to achieve it since your thought and effort to achieve quietude is also activity. That is not achieving quietude but making yet more activity. This is why the scripture says that the very effort fills you with activity. Even if you succeed in stopping your thinking from arising, how could you live your life without thinking? Achieving quietude must not be misunderstood as becoming thoughtless and emotionless like stone or wood without any thought or sense.

True quietude means not to be deluded by illusions. So, it can be achieved only by realising that activity is quietude and quietude is not different from activity because both are empty. When you are aware that both are empty, you are not swayed by activity nor do you attach yourself to quietude since you know that both are illusions. Then, you can be said to enjoy true quietude.

Student: “What is quietude like?”
Master: “It is as if one thousand bombs exploded at the same time.”

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Hsin Shin Ming: “10. Possess the Oneness of things (Possess only a single thing correctly) and dualism disappears by itself.”

The former part of this scripture has two different translations: ‘Possess the Oneness of things’ and ‘Possess only a single thing correctly’. I am going to make two different interpretations because they both make sense and can be good teaching.

‘Possess the Oneness of things’ means to know that everything is Oneness, and ‘Dualism’ means all illusions or forms. ‘Dualism disappears’ means to realise that things are empty and not to be deluded by the illusions of them.

To know that everything is Oneness means to know that everything is empty because we can realise that everything is Oneness as emptiness only when we know that everything is empty. So, when we possess the Oneness of things, dualism which implies forms or illusions disappears by itself.

‘Possess only a single thing right correctly’ means to see only a single thing as it is. Then the scripture can be interpreted as ‘If you see only a single thing as it is, dualism disappears by itself’. In fact, to see only a single thing as it is, is to see everything as it is, because everything is Oneness as emptiness. This is like realising that seawater is salty by tasting only a single drop of it. So, ancient masters used to say that everything is the gate to the Way.

Student: “How do we feel when dualism disappears?”
Master: “Like coming back home after long absence because you feel as free and comfortable as if you were back from a battle and like becoming a king since you can control illusions instead of being controlled by them.”

©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway http://ow.ly/i/A9Qil

Sansheng’s Golden Fish

Sansheng asked Xuefeng, “What does a golden-scaled fish that goes through the net eat?” Xuefeng said, “I will tell you after you come out of the net.” Sansheng said, “The teacher of fifteen thousand monastics—and you can’t say a turning word.” Xuefeng said, “This old man is busy with abbot’s matters.”

Student: “Why did Xuefeng say, ‘I will tell you after you come out of the net’ when he was asked by Sansheng?”
Master: “Because he wanted to get Sansheng out of the net.”
Student: “What did Xuefeng mean by saying, ‘This old man is busy with abbot’s matters’?”
Master: “He meant that he, as an abbot, was busy teaching Sansheng.”

Commentary:
A blind man doesn’t see the net before his eyes while talking about it.
A deaf man doesn’t hear himself called names while he is abused.

©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway http://ow.ly/i/AZXmv

Hsin Shin Ming: “9. Do not get entangled in things; do not stay in emptiness.”

As I mentioned earlier, now we can see only one half; the realm of form that is the world of memory. Enlightenment is to see the other half; the realm of emptiness that is the world beyond memory. ‘Things’ in the scripture means the realm of form that is the worldly realm we live in now. ‘Get entangled in things’ means to be attached to, or indulge in worldly things, which happens because we can’t see things as they are.

The latter part ‘stay in emptiness’ means to create a form of emptiness in one’s mind and cling to it while mistaking it for emptiness. That is to make another form while trying to erase all forms, and to forsake emptiness while seeking it. That is also the result of not knowing what emptiness is, which is not being able to see things as they are.

If you realise that everything is empty, you don’t have to try to stay in emptiness, because there is nothing to cling to, or stay in, and above all there is no one who can cling since you are emptiness itself. Then there is nothing to stay in and no one to stay.

Student: “How can I neither get entangled in things nor stay in emptiness?”
Master: “See either yourself as you are, or things as they are.”
Student: “How is everything when I stay in emptiness?”
Master: “You are still getting entangled in things.”

©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway http://ow.ly/i/AVsYv

Hsin Shin Ming: “8. Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject that our minds are disturbed.”

Choosing to accept or reject means being attached, which results from not being able to see things as they are. That is known as being deluded by illusions, which happens when we can’t see things as they are.

We choose to accept what seems appealing and reject what appears to be ugly or unpleasant. However, things rarely happen as we wish. We often fail to attain what we choose to accept and must accept what we choose to reject. From time to time, what we accept turns out to be what we want to reject, and what is worse is that sometimes we can’t avoid what we want to reject as we wish.

That is as if we, mistaking a piece of broken glass as diamond, strive to attain it. We feel disappointed when we fail to get it, and we may have our hands hurt while trying to grasp it, or while playing with it, when we succeed in achieving it. When it later turns out to be a piece of glass, we, feeling deeply regretful for what we have paid for it, become frustrated and even feel betrayed.

When we can see things as they are, such things never happen, because we are aware that everything is empty when we can see things clearly, just as they are.

So, to rephrase the main scripture, it is due to our inability to see things as they are, or see things as empty that our minds are disturbed.

Student: “How could we avoid choosing to accept and reject?
Master: “What matters is not accepting and rejecting but not knowing who accepts and rejects what. If you know that both you and what you accept, or reject are empty, your choosing doesn’t matter.”

©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway http://ow.ly/i/ARFVv

Guishan’s “Do Not Betray Others”

One day Guishan pointed at a pair of straw sandals and said to Yangshan, “All hours of the day, we receive people’s support. Don’t betray them.” Yangshan said, “Long ago in Sudatta’s garden, the Buddha expounded just this.” Guishan said, “That’s not enough. Say more.” Yangshan said, “When it is cold, to wear socks for others is not prohibited.”

Student: “Why did Yangshan say, ‘When it is cold, to wear socks for others is not prohibited’?”
Master: “Because he knew why and how not to betray people who supported him.”
Student: “May I wear socks for others, too?”
Master: “No, you must not.”
Student: “Why not, Sir?”
Master: “For whom have you worn socks so far?”
Student: “For myself.”
Master: “What is yourself that you have worn socks for so far?”
Student: “I don’t know.”
Master: “How could you wear socks for others while not knowing yourself?”

Commentary:
You are allowed to wear socks for others only when you know who feels warm when you wear socks.

©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway http://ow.ly/i/ANlOO

Hsin Shin Ming: “7. The Way is perfect, like vast space where nothing is lacking, and nothing is in excess.”

The Way means the true-Self, emptiness. When everything is empty, there is nothing that doesn’t belong to emptiness. In order for emptiness, the Way, to be lacking or in excess, there must be something else that can be a standard with which to evaluate or compare it. When there is nothing that doesn’t belong to the Way, emptiness, there is nothing else but emptiness. Then, there is no standard with which to evaluate, or rate emptiness or anything else to compare with emptiness. In fact, the phrase ‘like vast space’ is not an exact description of the Way because there is nothing like it, since there is nothing else but it. So, the word ‘perfect’ is not true of the Way because there is nothing imperfect with which to compare it. And so, ancient masters used to say, “The moment that you open your mouth to describe the Way, you are already wrong.”

Student: “How perfect is the Way?”
Master: “You have already profaned it.”

©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway http://ow.ly/i/AJCiy

Hsin Shin Ming: “6. When the deep meaning is not understood, you try in vain to keep your mind silent.”

The deep meaning here implies that everything is empty. ‘You try in vain to keep your mind silent’ means that you can never succeed in keeping your mind silent however hard you may try. So, this scripture says, “When you don’t understand that everything is empty, you can never keep your mind silent.”

In order to understand the deep meaning, you should be able to see everything as it is. So, we can interpret the scripture as ‘If you are to keep your mind silent, you should see everything as it is prior to trying in vain to keep your mind silent’. In other words, this means that you should try to see your mind as it is before struggling to keep it silent. When you can’t see things as they are, you can’t see your mind as it is. This means that you don’t know what your mind is. Trying to keep your mind silent without knowing what it is like trying in vain to grasp the reflection of the moon in a pond.

When you can see things as they are, you come to realise that everything is empty. When everything is empty, not only your mind but what disturbs your mind is also empty. When everything is empty, everything is oneness as emptiness. When everything is oneness as emptiness, your mind is not your mind, and what disturbs your mind is not the things that disturb your mind any more. They are oneness as emptiness. Likewise, silence and noisiness are neither different nor separate from each other but one as emptiness. Then, whatever you do, wherever you are, your mind is silent all the time.

Student: “How can I keep my mind silent?”
Master: “What is your mind?”
Student: “I am not sure what it is.”
Master: “How can you hope to keep your mind silent without knowing what it is? Your problem is not that your mind is noisy but simply that you don’t know what it is.”

©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway http://ow.ly/i/AFP1h

Dongshan’s “Dharma Bodies”

Dongshan Liangjie was once asked by a monastic, “Among the three buddha bodies, which one expounds the dharma?” Dongshan said, “I am always intimate with this.” Later a monastic asked Caoshan, “Dongshan said, ‘I am always intimate with this.’ What does it mean?” Caoshan said, “If you need a head, chop my head off and take it with you.” Also, a monastic asked Xuefeng about this. Xuefeng suddenly hit the monastic with his staff and said, “I have also been to Dongshan.”
Student: ” What did Dongshan mean by saying, ‘I am always intimate with this’?”
Master: “He showed which one expounded the dharma.”

Student: “Why did Caoshan say, ‘If you need a head, chop my head off and take it with you’?”
Master: “He repeated Dongshan’s answer.”
Student: “Why did Xuefeng suddenly hit the monastic with his staff and say, ‘I have also been to Dongshan’?”
Master: “He showed what Dongshan is.”

Commentary:
Whatever clothing you may wear, you are you.
Whatever cup you may use, the water from the same well tastes the same.

©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway http://ow.ly/i/ABvTp

Hsin Shin Ming: “5. The struggle of what one likes and what one dislikes is the disease of the mind.”

The core meaning of this scripture is the disease of the mind. The disease of the mind is sometimes compared with an eye disease because it symbolises our inability to see things as they are. In other words, the struggle of like and dislike results from being unable to see things as they are.

The struggle of what one likes and what one dislikes means the struggle that comes when we can’t have or are deprived of what we like, or when we must be with someone or something that we dislike. This is all due to the disease of the mind that prevents us from seeing things as they are. When cured of the disease of mind, we can see things as they are. When we see things as they are, we come to realise that everything is empty. So, when we can see everything as it is, that is, as empty, the struggle of what we like and what we dislike will disappear by itself without any effort to remove it by force.

However, if we did not have likes and dislikes, how monotonous life would be! We should know that the cause of struggle is not what we like and what we dislike but our being unable to see them as they are. Once we can see them as they are, they are a blessing because they enrich our life and make it exciting.

An enemy becomes a friend once you come to know him.

©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway http://ow.ly/i/AxNwP