Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán: Entanglement Is Not Entanglement, Zen Is Not Zen — A Dead Tree's Dragon Song Illuminates the Great Thousand Worlds (XVII)

2006/2/16 15:09:22

(XVII)

The fools of this world invariably cling to the two extremes: some cling to the myriad existences without knowing that the myriad existences are emptiness itself; others cling to emptiness as emptiness without knowing that emptiness is the myriad existences itself. Still worse are those whose thieving hearts refuse to die — they steal the phrase "do not cling to the two extremes" without understanding its meaning, speculating that if one does not hold to either extreme one must hold to the middle, not knowing that the middle is itself the two extremes. How can there be a middle apart from the two extremes? To investigate the two extremes is still merely to chase after names and words spun by the flow of karmic transmigration — what middle is there to discuss? Worldly names and words are utterly without real meaning; they are all the karma of greed, anger, ignorance, doubt, and pride. Those who cling to oneness, to the middle, to emptiness — all are fools. The saying "Before joy, anger, sorrow, and delight have arisen, this is called the middle" does not depart from the delusory imagination of the six consciousnesses; it is utterly without real meaning — all the karma of greed, anger, ignorance, doubt, and pride.

The six consciousnesses are delusory imagination. Manas and alaya are likewise delusory imagination. Fools are immersed in the illusory play of the six consciousnesses' names and words without knowing it — how much less can they discuss the mutual continuation and entanglement of manas and alaya since beginningless time. Fools who do not recognize manas and alaya sometimes claim that the concept of self in ordinary consciousness is manas and that the great cosmic self is alaya; or that "the arising of joy, anger, sorrow, and delight" is manas and "before joy, anger, sorrow, and delight have arisen, called the middle" is alaya; or that clinging to the two extremes is manas and the emptiness of the middle that does not cling to the two extremes is alaya. All such notions are the delusory speculation of worldly minds — they truly do not know manas and alaya.

Clinging to the two extremes and not clinging to the two extremes, idealism and materialism, existence and non-existence, the Dao and non-Dao, benevolence and non-benevolence, science and superstition, inorganic and organic, gods, ghosts, sages, and commoners — all such categories do not transcend the speculative names and words of the six consciousnesses. Manas and alaya are neither outside the six consciousnesses nor apart from the outside of the six consciousnesses; neither inside the six consciousnesses nor apart from the inside of the six consciousnesses; neither in the middle of the six consciousnesses nor apart from the middle of the six consciousnesses; neither identical with the six consciousnesses nor apart from the six consciousnesses. Seek them and they cannot be found; abandon them and they cannot be lost. They are not what the names and words of the six consciousnesses can fathom.

Past and present so-called Zen practitioners mostly love to discuss the so-called three barriers, yet none transcends the speculative names and words of the six consciousnesses. The three barriers are neither existent nor non-existent: realize them and they become nothing; fail to realize them and they exist. To speak of existence or non-existence is merely the disputation of names and words about two extremes. And one who has not realized manas and alaya cannot claim to have passed the first barrier. If manas and alaya are beyond the fathoming of the six consciousnesses' names and words, then the first barrier — how could it be fathomed by the names and words of the six consciousnesses?

A verse:

A clear breeze chases sleeves as if at ease,
Pale shadows dance upon the azure bay.
Here and there, secluded flowers add rustic charm,
A spring of gentle rain softens heaven's face.
Raise your brows — that is the phrase before sound,
Touch your eyes — nothing but the final barrier.
Do not seek Zen in the depths of meditation —
Clouds arise in empty space, mottled and kaleidoscopic.