Abandonment
of self is freedom from desire.
Freedom from desire is freedom from distress.
No this, no that — just exquisite
emptiness.
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Wei wu Wei Ching as part of a
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We can
live without religion
and meditation, but we cannot
survive without human
affection.
Just
do not give birth
to a single thought: let go
and become crystal clear. As soon
as any notions of right and wrong and self
and other and gain and loss are present,
do not follow them off. Then you
will be personally studying
with your own true
enlightened
teacher.
Emperor Wu
of Liang asked Bodhidharma,
“I have built temples and had monks
ordained without number: what merit is there
in this?” Bodhidharma said, “There is no merit.”
The emperor said, “Why no merit?” Bodhidharma
said, “These are just the lesser fruits of gods
and men, causes of defilement: like
shadows following shapes,
though they’re there,
they’re not
real.”
The Emperor
said, “What is true merit?”
Bodhidharma answered, “The subtle
perfection of pure wisdom, its essence naturally
empty and still. Such merit is not to be sought with worldly
means.” Only then did the Emperor ask, “What is the
highest meaning of the holy truths?” Bodhidharma
answered, “Empty, without holiness.”
The Emperor said, “Who is facing
me?” Bodhidharma replied,
“I don’t know.”
The Emperor
did not understand, so
Bodhidharma crossed the river
into Wei. If you want to see real merit
right now, don’t look for it anywhere else,
just comprehend it in “I don’t know”.
If you can penetrate those three
words, the task of your whole
life’s study will be
completed.
People
today concentrate
on the quest to have no thoughts but
find that their thoughts ultimately cannot be
annihilated. Just don’t linger on the preceding thought,
don’t greet the following thought; if you can just use
the present adaptation to circumstances to
break through, you will naturally enter
nothingness in a gradual
manner.
