Chan Zhong Shuo Chan: Entanglement Is Not Entanglement, Zen Is Not Zen — A Dead Tree's Dragon Song Illuminates the Great Thousand Worlds (XVI)

2006/2/15 13:25:12

(XVI)

Karma follows the mind as a shadow follows the body. A shadow is neither existent nor non-existent — it depends on light to cast a shadow. Karma is neither non-existent nor existent — it depends on conditions to manifest. When light departs, the shadow perishes, yet the shadow has never truly perished. When light arrives, the shadow arises, yet the shadow has never truly arisen. When conditions depart, karma perishes, yet karma has never truly perished. When conditions arrive, karma arises, yet karma has never truly arisen. So-called arising and perishing — there is no arising or perishing; it is merely light coming and going, conditions departing and arriving.

Without a body, there is no shadow — this has nothing to do with light. Without a mind, there is no karma — this has nothing to do with conditions. Without shadow, there is no arising or perishing of shadow. Without karma, there is no arising or perishing of karma. The mind is the accumulation of karma. The body is the manifestation of karma. The world is the collective sharing of karma. Without karma, the arising and perishing of mind, of body, of the world — all are null.

Karma is, ultimately, emptiness — it has nothing to do with existence or non-existence. Mind, body, and the world are, ultimately, emptiness — nothing to do with existence or non-existence. Thus, those who grasp at the existence or non-existence of karma and thereby seek to empty the mind and extinguish wisdom are fools. Existence and non-existence — non-existent yet existing, non-non-existent yet non-existing — all are karma. The existence of karma, the non-existence of karma — these are the entanglement of karma. Continuing and entangling, thus arise this mind, this body, this world.

When conditions arrive, karma manifests. When conditions depart, karma conceals. Karma has no arising or perishing — only manifestation and concealment. Karma has no manifestation or concealment — it is ultimately empty. Worldly people love to speculate about the origin of this mind, body, and world — is it one? Is it many? Is it the same? Is it different? All these are the karma of greed, anger, ignorance, doubt, and pride. Manifestation and concealment continue in succession, coming and going entangle one another, and thus arise what the world calls scholarship, theories, disputations, and developments — all idle speculation.

Karma is not the origin of this mind, body, and world. Emptiness is not the origin of this mind, body, and world. "Origin" is a figment of imagination; worldly people love to speculate about it, but it has no basis whatsoever. Emptiness and karma's manifestation-concealment, karma's manifestation-concealment and emptiness — there is no such thing as an origin.

A verse:

Chasing currents, clinging to love — endlessly without term,
Hair unbound, mingling with dust — a single flavor of folly.
The moon surges through mountain ranges, the vast sea still,
Clouds drift past a lone island, precipitous the sheer cliff.
Sand-rock water-house stands defiant in the wind,
Straw-horse mud-ox charges breaking through the waves.
The Northern Dipper slants, the Southern Dipper reddens,
The Milky Way flows on and on, echoing with spring's thaw.