“Enlightenment” and “Nirvana”?
They are dead trees to fasten a donkey to.
The scriptures? They are bits of paper to wipe mud
from your face. The four merits and the ten steps?
They are ghosts in their graves. What can
these things have to do with you
becoming free?
When the level of concentration
on the void is gradually attained, one will feel
that he is free from delusion. Although he keeps himself
pure and rejects the impure, his mind is not yet
completely pure — it is as a sword that
has cut through mud and
remains uncleaned.
…When one reaches jen-wei, or
the level of absolute freedom, he is truly free.
His mind and body are non-attached to anything.
There is absolutely no gain and no loss. This mystery
is the way of non-differentiation. If one tried
to say even one word about it, he
would miss the point.
Buddhism
advises you not to implant
feelings that you don’t really have or avoid
feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you
are miserable; that is the reality, that is what is happening,
so confront that. Look it square in the eye without flinching.
When you are having a bad time, examine that experience,
observe it mindfully, study the phenomenon and learn
its mechanics. The way out of a trap is to study the
trap itself, learn how it is built. You do this by
taking the thing apart piece by piece.
The trap can’t trap you if it has
been taken to pieces.
The result is
freedom.
the shock of unsettling events
You
have to decide
right now to be free
once and for all. Everyone who
has found freedom in this lifetime has
had to make this decision. Now is the time
to have a direct introduction to this moment.
This moment is free of time, of mind, of any notions.
When one abides as the Self, some divine power
takes charge of one’s life. All actions then take
place spontaneously, and are performed
very efficiently, without any
mental effort or
activity.
At all times just remain free and uninvolved. Never make any displays of clever tricks — be like a stolid simpleton in a village of three families. Then the gods will have no road on which to offer you flowers, and demons and outsiders will not be able to spy on you.
Be undefinable, and do not reveal any conspicuous signs of your special attainment. It should be as if you are there among myriad precious goods locked up securely and deeply hidden in a treasure house. With your face smeared with mud and ashes, join in the work of the common laborers, neither speaking out nor thinking.
Live your whole life so that no one can figure you out, while your spirit and mind are at peace. Isn’t this what it is to be imbued with the Way without any contrived or forced actions, a genuinely unconcerned person?
Among the enlightened adepts, being able to speak the Truth has nothing to do with the tongue, and being able to talk about the Dharma is not a matter of words.
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