A. Master: “You can’t let go of it even for a moment.”
Commentary:
The sharpest sword can’t cut itself.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Tag: mind
Q206. Isn’t Zen meditation nihilistic?
A. People might think that Zen meditation leads people to nihilism, or pessimism because it says that everything is empty. However, when Zen says that everything is empty, it doesn’t mean that everything is useless like rubbish and that you should throw it away, but it means that the illusions of everything, which are its names and images, are empty. Zen helps you to realise the truth that we are more than what we think we are, that is, we are perfection itself, eternity itself, beauty itself, happiness itself and holiness itself. Also, Zen meditation leads you to see the essence of everything, not mere illusions of it, which allows you to realise and enjoy the real value of all that you have overlooked so far.
Let me take a metaphor of a child who is playing with two golden toys: One of them is a very ugly devil-shaped monster and the other is a very handsome, brave-looking lion. The child is attracted only by the form of the handsome lion, without realising the value of the gold of which the lion is made. Likewise, he, if not disliking the monster, is apt to like it less than the lion since he is ignorant of the real value of it and the fact that both are the same in essence. All he knows about the toys is that they are a handsome brave looking lion and an ugly, cruel-looking monster. When he regards the names and the images of the toys as their totality, without realising the value of gold, he is said to be trapped in illusions of them.
When I say that everything is empty, I mean that the illusions of everything are empty. When saying that the lion is empty, I mean that the illusions of the toy lion are empty. We, grown-ups, cherish the toys more than the child does because we know the essence of them behind their illusions, such as their names and images, that is, we realise that they are made of gold. Also, we don’t value the monster less than the lion since we know both of them are the same in essence. When I, saying that everything is empty, tell you to remove illusions, I am encouraging you to see the gold, not the images of the toys.
However, I don’t mean that we should not pay any attention to the names and the images which are called illusions. They are very important and indispensable to maintain our reality of life. In fact, to remember as many of them as exactly as possible and apply them well to each situation of our lives, might be essential elements for successful living. I mean that you should realise that the names and the images of a thing are not the unchangeable essence of it, but mere illusions that can change anytime. I encourage you to see the essence of all things, including yourself.
Then, you can realise the truth that an illusion is the truth itself and an illusion is not separate and different from the truth, just as the toy lion is not separate and different from gold. Afterwards, all things in your life look more important and more beautiful than they used to. In the end, your life becomes happier and more meaningful than before.
King: (Showing an apple and a tomato to a master) “Sir, why do they
have different names from each other even though they are the
same size and colour?”
Master: “Your Majesty, it’s like you wear official robes during your office
hours and change into everyday garments after work.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q204. Student: “How is a tree when it withers and all its leaves are fallen?”
A. Master: “It totally reveals its body.”
Commentary:
It stands on the Earth supporting the sky and filling the universe to the full.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q203. If I find myself affixed to a single path to truth: the path of prayer and praise, or the path of kindness and love, or the path of wisdom and meditation, or any other path of a singular mode, am I going in the wrong way?
A. No, you are not wrong at all. Feel free to choose any path that appeals to you and concentrate on seeking the root from which the path comes. Whichever path you may take, you will come to take the same way after all because they are from the same root, the truth that is not dual.
We should realise the fact that all other things, as well as all paths, are from the same root even though they may look different from each other. The root is the very truth. To realise what the root is should be the final goal of all religions.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q202. Is it okay to go on with my worldly job in order to make money, while seeking to attain enlightenment?
A. Enlightenment is to realise that everything is empty and so there is nothing to gain or lose. That means that there is nothing that you should or shouldn’t do in the world. Zen meditation is to try realise the truth.
The key point is not what you are doing for a living, but whether or not you try to realise the truth in the right way, that is, try to realise what you are when your body is not you. If you try to realise what makes your body do your work while doing it, that is good practice. In terms of that, your job can be a good gate to enlightenment. Work and practice are one to a good Zen man.
Student: “What is the true-self?”
Master: “It is what is asking me the question now.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q200. How can I discard ignorance and attain wisdom?
A. Don’t try in vain to abandon one and attain the other. It’s like trying to discard the left and attain only the right. In fact, both are one when you know them. They only look separate and different from each other when you don’t know them. Try to realise what the ignorance is that you think you have, rather than striving to attain the wisdom you think you don’t have. Wisdom is none other than to know what ignorance is. Becoming Buddha is realising what a sentient being is.
Student: “What shall I do when I have a thief in my house?”
Master: “Once you know him, he is not an enemy any longer.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q199. I am always so disturbed by the noises of my family members during my practice that I end up getting upset and spoiling my practice. What can I do to solve this problem?
A. Don’t think of them as obstructions but as helpers. Your idea is like complaining that the wind is preventing you from finding air when you are diligently looking for air. The wind can be likened to your family members and air to your final goal. In fact, they are what you are looking for even though they look different from what you are seeking. They only look so because you can’t see them as they are.
Everything is the gate to enlightenment. If you can see only a single thing, whatever it is, as it is, you will reach the final goal. Your family members are also the gate to enlightenment even though they appear otherwise. Ask yourself what makes your body hear the noises and makes your body get angry. Ask yourself what they are when their bodies are not them and what causes their bodies to make such noises. Sooner or later, you might feel more grateful rather than angry with them. If you can find the correct answer to either of these two questions, you can be said to have attained enlightenment.
Student: “What is the true-self?”
Master: “There is nothing that is not it.”
Student: “Why can’t I see it?”
Master: “Because you seek something else other than what you see and hear.”
©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
Q176. How can we control our thoughts?
A. A foolish man tries to control his thoughts while a wise man tries to control his mind. If you want to control your thoughts as you please, you should conquer your mind, that is, realise your mind. Trying to control each of your thoughts is like trying to win the battle by fighting individually each of the thousands of enemy soldiers in the battle field. There is no hope for success in this way. The most efficient and best way to win the battle is to capture the General who directs all the enemy soldiers. To realise your mind which is the root of all your thoughts is to capture the General.
What makes it difficult to capture the General is that we can’t recognise him easily because he is hidden disguised as one of the enemy soldiers. You should capture a soldier and interrogate him deliberately to find out who orders him. If he dies, get another captive and examine him more deliberately. Be determined to continue this to the end. Before long, the General will appear and say, “Why are you wasting your effort while I am always with you?”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
Q169. I was told to put my mind down and not to think of anything by my ex-master. How can I put down my mind?
A. That is like telling a baby who can’t even stand on his own feet to run as fast as a sprinter. The first thing you should do in order to put your mind down is to know what your mind is. How would it be possible for you to put your mind down when you don’t know what it is? The key point in Zen meditation is whether or not you realise what your mind is, and not whether to put it down or not. Once you realise what your mind is, holding it or putting it down is up to you.
One of the most common mistakes we make is to think that we know what we don’t know. You seem to be making the same mistake of trying to put your mind down, thinking that you know your mind while in fact you don’t know it. If you are anxious to put your mind down, do try to realise what it is before trying to put it down in vain. In fact, once you realise what your mind is, you can be said to have completed your practice, or to have attained enlightenment. Should you see your master again, first of all ask him what your mind is.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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