Life is a dream,
the years pass by like flowing waters.
Glamour and glory are transient as autumn smoke;
what tragedy — for with the sun set deeply in the
west, still there are those lost among
paths of disillusionment.
Our heart
should be clear as ice.
Forget all the worldly nonsense.
Sit calmly, breathe quietly, heart bright
and spotless as an empty mirror.
This is the path to
the buddha’s
table.
from here you can teach yourself everything
Don’t try to
escape from the movements of the
world. Remain in the midst of everything,
focused into the empty space at the
center of your self.
Pouring your
whole being there without pause,
alert, quietly smiling, you detach from clamor
and chaos and become independent and
free. From here you can teach
yourself everything.
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Wei wu Wei Ching as part of a
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In the world,
something is most highly
honored, and it is not power and position;
something is most highly valued, and it is not gold
and jade; something has the most longevity,
and it is not a lifetime of a
thousand years.
To return your heart to its
original nature is most
highly honored.
translated by John S. Major & Sarah A. Queen
Each of you has a
priceless jewel in your own body.
It radiates light through your eyes, shining
through the mountains, river, and earth. It radiates light
through your ears, taking in all sounds, good and bad.
It radiates light through your six senses day
and night. This is also called
absorption in light.
You yourself do not
recognize it, but it is in your
physical body, supporting it inside
and out, not letting it tip over. Even if you
are carrying a double load of rocks
over a single-log bridge,
it still doesn’t let
you fall over.
What is it?
If you seek in the slightest,
it cannot be seen.
Students,
sit earnestly in zazen,
and you will realize that everything
born in this world is ultimately empty,
including oneself and the original face of existence.
All things indeed emerge out of emptiness. This original
formlessness is “Buddha,” and all other similar terms — Buddha-
nature, Buddhahood, Buddha-mind, Awakened One, Patriarch,
God — are merely different expressions for the same
emptiness. Misunderstand this and you
will end up distracted
for eons.
