THE ZEN TEACHING OF HUANG PO
progress is a matter of stages. If you are that kind of person, you are as far from the truth as earth is far from heaven. Why this talk of ‘seeing into your own nature’?
- Q: You say that our original nature and the act of seeing into it are one and the same. This can only be so if that nature is totally undifferentiated. Pray explain how it is that, even allowing that there are no real objects for us to perceive, nevertheless we do in fact see what is near to us and are unable to see what is far away.
A: This is due to a misunderstanding arising from your own delusions. You cannot argue that the Universal Nature does in fact contain real objects on the grounds that ‘no real objects to be perceived’ would only be true if there were nothing of the kind we caxt perceptible. The nature of the Absolute is neither perceptible nor imperceptible; and with phenomena it is just the same. But to one who has discovered his real nature, how can there be anywhere or anything separate from it? Thus, the six forms. of life arising from the four kinds of birth, together with the great world-systems of the universe with their rivers and moun- tains, are ALL of one pure substance with our own nature. Therefore is it said: ‘The perception of a phenomenon Is the perception of the Universal Nature, since phenomena and Mind are one and the same.’ It is only because you cling to outward forms that you come to ‘see’, ‘hear’, ‘feel’ and ‘know’ things as individual entities. True perception is beyond your powers so long as you indulge in these.*
1In this passage it is argued that, though individual entities Do exist in a certain superficial sense, they never lose their fundamental oneness. THE WAN LING RECORD
By such means you will fall among the followers of the usual Mahayana and Theravadin doctrines who rely upon deep PERCEPTION to arrive at a true understanding. There- fore they see what is near and fail to see what is far away, but no one on the right path thinks thus. I assure you there is no ‘inner’ or ‘outer’, or ‘near’ or ‘far’. The fundamental nature of all phenomena is close beside you, but you do not sEE even that; yet you still go on talking of your in- ability to see what is far away. What meaning can this sort of talk possibly have?
- Q: What guidance does Your Reverence offer to those of us who find all this very difficult to understand?
A: I have No Tune to offer. I have never had anything to offer others. It is because you allow certain people to lead you astray that you are forever sEEKING intuition and sEARcHING for understanding. Isn’t this a case of disciples and teachers all falling into the same insoluble muddle? All you need to remember are the following injunctions:
FIRST, LEARN HOW TO BE ENTIRELY UNRECEPTIVE TO SENSATIONS ARISING FROM EXTERNAL FORMS, THEREBY PURGING YOUR BODIES OF RECEPTIVITY TO EXTERNALS.
SECOND, LEARN NOT TO PAY ATTENTION TO ANY DISTINC- TIONS BETWEEN THIS AND THAT ARISING FROM YOUR SENSA- TIONS, THEREBY PURGING YOUR BODIES OF USELESS DISCERN- MENTS BETWEEN ONE PHENOMENON AND ANOTHER.
THIRD, TAKE GREAT CARE TO AVOID DISCRIMINATING IN TERMS OF PLEASANT AND UNPLEASANT SENSATIONS, THEREBY PURGING YOUR BODIES OF VAIN DISCRIMINATIONS.