Teaching You Zazen 21: What Is "Yours"

2008/1/13 10:09:35

You — a falsely superimposed illusion — then what is "yours"? Everything you face is "yours," not "you." So what is "yours"?

In fact, so-called "yours" naturally arises first from the presupposition of the illusion of "you." "You" is innate — this illusion is as ancient as ignorance itself, through birth after birth and death after death, the illusion of "you" has always been thus.

The illusion of "you" undergoes multiple layers of transformation. The simplest layer comes from the collective karma of contemporary culture, tradition, and so on — this is relatively easy to see through. But the innate "you" is not so simple. This illusion follows you like a shadow; what sees through "you" is precisely the illusion of "you" — this is the crux of the matter.

Some so-called practitioners claim to have reached such-and-such a state, not realizing that states are themselves illusions of birth and death. Even if you become a so-called Buddha, that too is illusion. Why? The Buddha neither comes nor goes — how could there be any attainment? Whatever can be attained is all illusion.

But what cannot be attained is equally illusion. All talk of attaining and not attaining is dualistic language — all illusions of birth and death. Here, there is no room for your deliberation or scheming. All cleverness is in vain.

Even if you understand that "you" is an illusion, you are still within the illusion. "You" will not vanish just because your brain understands that "you" is an illusion. Understanding in the brain that "you" is an illusion is precisely being within the illusion of "you." Many people treat zazen as some kind of contemplative meditation — they are pitiable creatures who think they understand Buddhism just because they've looked up a Buddhist dictionary.

Even if you transform every cell in your body, even if you turn your entire world into a supreme Buddha-land, you are still within the illusion of "you."

So what exactly is "yours"? So-called "yours" is everything encompassed under the canopy of the illusion of "you."

Humanity — all sentient beings — are playing this game of ignorance. Under an illusion of "you" as ancient as ignorance itself, a world of "yours" is gathered together, through birth after birth and death after death, without end.

"You" can never step outside "your" world, and "your" world can never step outside the illusion of "you" — this is the ignorance game of every sentient being.

The illusion of "you" and "your" world are intertwined and entangled, birth and death continuous, covering heaven and earth, spanning all of past and present. Birth, death, and liberation — all exist within this great nest of ignorance.

Countless so-called enlightened teachers and practitioners are merely pitiable creatures scheming and fabricating within this great nest of ignorance. Even with the six supernatural powers and three insights, unlimited supernatural abilities, liberation from birth and death, freely entering life and death, flowers blooming to see Buddha, living as long as empty space, possessing boundless pure lands, and so on — all of this is still fabrication within the great nest of ignorance.

Self and no-self, liberation and bondage, nirvana and samsara, affliction and bodhi, and so on — none of these escape the great nest of ignorance. One who has transcended birth and death is precisely in the midst of the great birth-and-death. One who has attained bodhi is precisely in the midst of the great affliction. Here, there is nowhere for you to steal a moment's rest.

Ultimately, how is it? Investigate!