A. Student: “It’s hidden in the sofa.”
Commentary:
Even the sun looks hidden to the blind while clearly revealing itself to the sharp-sighted.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Tag: buddhism
Q188. How can we be reborn in the Pure Land?
A. Many people think that the Pure Land is a very special, heavenly place somewhere else other than the Earth where ardent believers will be reborn after death. In fact, the Pure Land is where you can go only when alive, not after death.
The Pure Land symbolises our mind, our true-self free from illusions. Now we can be said to be living in an impure land in that our mind, the Pure Land, seems to be an impure land covered with illusions because of our discrimination. To be reborn in the Pure Land doesn’t mean to be reborn somewhere else other than the Earth, but to realise your true-self or attain enlightenment. That is to realise the truth that we are already living in the Pure Land by removing illusions. Attaining enlightenment is compared to a rebirth since, after enlightenment, we start to live a different life from the life we have lived so far, free from birth and death.
Student: “Where is the Pure Land?”
Master: “You will be in an impure land the moment you seek it.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q187. How can we do our best in our practice without being attached to enlightenment?
A. Let’s suppose you want to go for an excursion by car to New York City, across the Continent of North America from San Fransisco, California. In order to reach your destination, which side do you think you should pay more of your attention to, your goal, New York City or careful and safe driving? Safe arrival at your goal is the result of your careful driving. If you are more preoccupied with your destination rather than with safe driving, you are likely to be impatient and want to reach there as soon as possible. The impatience to reach your goal quickly can tempt you to drive too fast, which can cause your car to have trouble or an accident. That can make your journey take longer than it should, or make it difficult for you to continue your journey.
Focus on how to practise well. You should pay all your attention to your practice and not to enlightenment. Attachment to enlightenment can cause you to have yet another strong illusion that brings negative side effects such as being neglectful of your family, your business or your health. This just is making matters worse while trying to improve things. Just as it is not the attachment to your destination but safe driving that takes you to your destination, so it is not the attachment to enlightenment but diligent practice that leads you to enlightenment.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q186. Student: “Why is it so difficult to express the true-self?”
A. Master: “Not difficult at all.”
Student: “Do it for me, Sir.”
Master: “Difficult.”
Commentary:
Don’t draw a bow after the thief ran away.
If I were asked to do it, I would say, “Easy”.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q185. How can I be on the middle path?
A. The best way to be in the middle is to eliminate either of both extremes. If you remove either of them, the other disappears by itself, because they exist relying on each other. The right, for example, can’t exist without the left, and the left can’t exist without the right. There can’t be wrong without right and the other way around.
However, don’t make the mistake of wasting your efforts to remove either of them by force. You can never succeed in removing them in that way because they are illusionary and not real. The only way to remove them is to realise the truth that the extremes are not real things but just illusions created by your discrimination. When we don’t think of the right and the left, there is no right side and no left side. Only when we fix one side as the left does the opposite side become the right. Therefore, once you realise that one extreme is not real but illusionary, the other extreme disappears by itself.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q184. Masters often advise people to become like children. Do they mean that all children are enlightened?
Q. As I mentioned earlier, we are living in the world of memory, or the world of illusions, since we can see only the world of memory; a half of all. The purpose of Zen practice is to see the world beyond memory and enjoy both the world of memory and the world beyond memory at the same time. Only when we can see and enjoy both of these worlds can we be said to be enlightened. Children are not enlightened because they can see only a half of all; the world beyond memory, just as we are not enlightened now because we can see only a half of all; the world of memory.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q183. Student: “How can I take the boat that crosses the sea of birth and death?”
A. Master: “Get aboard.”
Commentary:
If you get aboard, you will sink.
If not, you won’t cross the river.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q182. What is Samadhi?
A. There are two kinds Samadhi: one before enlightenment and one after enlightenment.
The former is the state of mind that usually occurs during practice when we are fully focused on the question. Your mind is then very stable and comfortable, and you are not conscious of time passing. You feel as if you yourself were the question and separate from reality. In brief, your meditation practice is going in an ideal way, and is close to the final goal.
The latter is the state of mind we have every day after realising what we are when our body is not us, that is enlightenment. Here you are truth itself, eternity itself and perfection itself, and so no words can be applied to it. You feel oneness with the whole universe and know that everything you can feel is made by no other than your discriminating mind. You can see things in both ways; emptiness and form at the same time. In other words, you know that all illusions are not different from the truth.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q181. What shall I do when I can’t concentrate on the question?
A. People who start Zen meditation can find it somewhat difficult to concentrate on the question in the beginning. You don’t have to be concerned about the matter since that is a very common phenomenon for beginners.
In fact, you should know that this is rather a good time to practise because what you are seeking is revealing itself. The root of the idea that you can’t concentrate on the question is the very thing that you should realise.
If you, while thinking that you can’t concentrate on you question, take the idea as true, you are being tricked by the illusion. You, however, are practising well if you try to find out where the idea comes from, because the purpose of our practice is to realise the root, or the source of our thoughts.
Try to focus on your question. When your concentration is very weak and it occurs to you that you don’t practice well, don’t agree with the idea but trace the thought back to the root from which it comes. Sooner or later you will find yourself absorbed in the question.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q180. Student: “What is the true-self?”
A. Master: “An old well.”
Student: “What is it like?”
Master: “Its bottom is invisible.”
Commentary:
It is too deep to see the bottom of it.
It will quench your thirst forever if you drink it.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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