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

2006/2/23 19:02:41

(XXI)

The folly of worldly people does not depart from inverted delusions — unable to distinguish subject from object, mistaking the non-self for self, delusionally recognizing a master and thereby creating karma of the Avici hell. What the world takes as self is truly not self. The eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and body of the six consciousnesses are not self; the mental consciousness is likewise not self. Even from the perspective of modern science, eyes, ears, tongue, nose, body, and mental consciousness are all physiological processes, and so-called self-awareness is but a foolish delusion. Without the collective karma of the social environment, there would be no such self-awareness. The self of worldly people, their self-awareness — all are delusory consciousness and delusory views arising from the conjunction of causes and conditions.

There are further fools who, grasping the verbal formula that the six consciousnesses are not-self, seek a self outside the six consciousnesses — calling it soul, spirit, yang-spirit, yin-spirit, hun and po, ghost, the undying, sovereign, God, Brahman, the Great Dao, the Infinite, original mind, original source, the luminous and radiant one, and so forth. All such things are delusory speculations of the mental consciousness. Tracing to their source, they are the manifestation of the delusory karma of greed, anger, ignorance, doubt, and pride. Like those who practice blind cultivation and wild training and, through past karma, have experiences of so-called astral projection, soul leaving the body, or visions of gods, Buddhas, demons, or the Lord — these are cases of encountering evil conditions without knowing it, yet treasuring such experiences. Truly, these are fools.

All appearances are illusory. Worldly people love to speak of "seeing is believing" and "personal experience," not knowing that the structure and function of the body and eyes, and all that is seen and experienced, are manifestations of karma — where is there anything real? Zen is not verbal formulas, nor is it so-called practice. Verbal formulas and practice are manifestations of karma; none departs from the entanglement of delusory karma in the cycle of birth and death. What can be obtained through conditions can be lost through conditions — truly there is nothing gained or lost; it is the concealment and manifestation of karma. Zen is without cultivation, without realization — it has nothing to do with verbal formulas or practice. Even one who can "escape the three realms, stand beyond the five elements," in absolute solitude without counterpart, is still a fool carrying a corpse, a simpleton chasing shadows. Such fools and simpletons who love to discourse on empty words and empirical proof — throughout history, they have been legion.

Zen has nothing to do with empty words, nor with empirical proof. Deceivers who confuse the world and disorder the times employ nothing beyond grand claims and extraordinary deeds. Grand claims are easy to identify; extraordinary deeds are hard to discern. Even if such a person were indestructible through ten thousand kalpas, could travel anywhere at will, could with a single thought lift worlds as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges and hurl them into the void or balance them on a fingertip — this still would not escape carrying corpses and chasing shadows. Since Yunmen and Fayan, such fools have taken up old cases, practiced silent illumination, pursued huatou, and engaged in dharma combat, taking these for genuine cultivation and realization. The fools of the world mistake falsehood for truth, fish-eyes for pearls, blinding people's true eyes, damaging people's wisdom-life — truly pitiable.

A verse:

Wisps of smoke return to trees, leisurely dust cleanses the heart.
Cloud-wreathed mountain moonlight, stone-borne ocean tide's chant.
The Pure Land still becomes a fetter, the bright pearl cannot be sought.
Light floods as heaven darkens — awake or drunk, the wine poured for naught.