Tuesday 15 July 2014

The Dharma of Mind Transmission: Zen Teachings of Huang-po

http://www.abuddhistlibrary.com/Buddhism/C%20-%20Zen/Ancestors/The%20Zen%20Teachings%20of%20Huang%20Po/Zen%20Teachings%20of%20Huang-po.htm

The Dharma of Mind Transmission:
Zen Teachings of Huang-po

The Mind is neither large nor small; it is located neither within nor without.  It should not be thought about by the mind nor be discussed by the mouth.  Ordinarily, it is said that we use the Mind to transmit the Mind, or that we use the Mind to seal the Mind.  Actually, however, in transmitting the Mind, there is really no Mind to receive or obtain; and in sealing the Mind, there is really no Mind to seal.  If this is the case, then does the Mind exist or does it not exist?  Actually, it cannot be said with certainty that the Mind either exists or does not exist, for it is Absolute Reality.  This is expressed in the Ch'an Sect by the maxim:  "If you open your mouth, you are wrong.  If you give rise to a single thought, you are in error."  So, if you can quiet your thinking totally, all that remains is voidness and stillness.
The Mind is Buddha; Buddha is the Mind.  All sentient beings and all Buddhas have the same Mind, which is without boundaries and void, without name and form and is immeasurable.
What is your Original Face and what is Hua-Tou? Your Original Face is without discrimination. Hua-Tou is the Reality before the arising of a single thought.  When this Mind is enlightened, it is the Buddha; but when it is confused, it remains only the mind of sentient beings.
The Ch'an Master Huang-po Tuan-Chi was a major Dharma descendent of the Sixth Patriarch and was the Dharma-son of the Ch'an Master Pai-Chang.  He was enlightened by the Supreme Vehicle to realize the Truth.  Transmission of Mind is this alone ? nothing else!

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