Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán: Entanglement Is Not Entanglement, Zen Is Not Zen — A Dead Tree's Dragon Song Illuminates the Great Thousand Worlds (XXV)
2006/7/7 15:54:59
The fools of this world all seek the unchanging within the changing, like a drowning man in rapids grasping for a single reed, not knowing that the changing is not changing, that the non-changing is not unchanging, that "non-" is the changing yet unchanging. Seeking the unchanging within the changing does not depart from the delusory speculation of the mental consciousness — whether it be God, or savior, or Allah, or Heaven, or Dao, or Brahman, or noumenon, and the like. One delusion is erected and disputes arise — the catastrophes wrought throughout history by disputes arising from the divergence of worldly religions and beliefs are many indeed. There are further fools who, facing the multitude of delusions, wish to homogenize differences, seeking to unify and converge — generating delusion from delusion, when will it end? And some who take "not establishing a single dharma" as their creed do not know that "not establishing a single dharma" is likewise the delusory speculation of the mental consciousness.
Lion-worms put on the Tathagata's robe while drawing Buddha's blood. Some seek mind within the changing, or emptiness, or permanence, or purity — none departs from the delusory imagination of self-attachment. Those of lesser attainment recklessly proclaim supernatural powers and ghostly demons, peddling the Tathagata for worldly profit, not knowing that supernatural powers do not depart from delusory karma — "responding and thereby penetrating," yet the one who responds and what is responded to, the one who penetrates and what is penetrated through, are all delusion. There are further fools who take verbal formulas — that is, spoken and written words — as binding, holding that anything spoken or written is the illusory verbal formula, grasping the verbal formula of "do not cling to verbal formulas" while falling into the quagmire of illusion. Such views are inferior even to those of Western thinkers like Wittgenstein. They truly do not know that the ancient and present cosmos does not transcend verbal formulas, and that the illusory nature of spoken and written words is not illusory. Those who cling to the illusory as illusory and those who cling to the illusory as real — both are fools.
The unspeakable is still speech, yet when has speech ever truly spoken? Speech is not speech — it is called speech. Fools take the flower-holding smile, the raised finger, the blown-out candle as non-speech, seeking their livelihood in the presence or absence of words and sounds — truly pitiable. The ancients said: "With phrases and without phrases — like a vine clinging to a tree. When the tree falls and the vine withers, a fine pile of rotten firewood." Having words and not having words — how is this any different? One silence speaks eternally, ten thousand words are eternally silent. Clinging and calculating between silence and speech — when will there be an end? There are further fools who take sharp exchanges and turning phrases as ultimate, not knowing that even if one achieves swift wit and rounded phrases, what bearing does that have? If the wit fails and the phrases leak, what separation does that create? Since Yunmen and Fayan, the tricks of lion-worms have been endless, vines giving birth to more vines — truly lamentable.
All appearances are illusory. Because this is so, all appearances can be manifested. Conversely, if the world had only fixed appearances, how could one speak of illusion? Fools cling and calculate with their delusory minds, seeking their livelihood between the entering, leaving, joining, and separating of appearances, not knowing that entering is not entering, leaving is not leaving, joining is not joining, separating is not separating. And further: non-entering that enters, non-leaving that leaves, non-joining that joins, non-separating that separates — entering, leaving, joining, and separating are themselves appearances. Entering, leaving, joining, and separating all appearances while having nothing entered, left, joined, or separated; nothing entered, left, joined, or separated while entering, leaving, joining, and separating all appearances; forming, abiding, decaying, and perishing all appearances while having nothing formed, abided, decayed, or perished; nothing formed, abided, decayed, or perished while forming, abiding, decaying, and perishing all appearances — this is "all appearances are illusory."
A verse:
Nine sheer cliffs span the bird's path; one river flows east, dividing two mountains.
Through vast skies, geese pass — wind moves over water; ten thousand miles of billowing waves, ten thousand miles of cloud.
Chán Zhōng Shuō Chán 2010/3/26 16:32:28
Haha.