cast aside all thoughts

enlightenment is not apart from the world

 

To be unstained

in all environments is called no-thought…

If you stop thinking of the myriad things, and cast aside

all thoughts, as soon as one instant of thought is

cut off, you enter another realm.

 

The Dharma of no-thought means:

even though you see all things, you do not

attach to them, but, always keeping your own nature

pure, cast the six thieves of the senses to

exit through the six gates.

 

Even though you are

in the midst of the six dusts,

you do not stand apart from them,

yet are not stained by them, and

are free to come and go.

 

Hui Neng

the platform sutra

full text

 

practice without any gaining idea


 

We say

to practice zazen

without any gaining idea,

without any purpose. Let things work

as they do, supporting everything as your own.

Real practice has orientation or direction, but it has

no purpose or gaining idea, so  it can include everything

that comes. Whether it is good or bad doesn’t matter.

If something bad comes: “Okay, you are a part

of me;” and if something good comes,

“Oh, okay.” Because we don’t have

any special goal or purpose

of practice, it doesn’t

matter what

comes.

 

Shunryu Suzuki

not always so