Teachings From Ancient Vietnamese Zen Masters – 120
49 Seeing the Buddha
If you want to see the Buddha, just perceive in sentient beings
who, ignorantly, don’t know that everyone has their own Buddha.
Remember that a Buddha never deludes sentient beings.
Being aware of the self-nature, a sentient being is Buddha;
Unaware, Buddha is a sentient being.
Upholding the self-nature equally, a sentient being is Buddha;
Slipping the self-nature unrighteously, Buddha is a sentient being.
Your mind already has Buddha; why still looking for Buddha elsewhere?
Thus the sutras said, “When the mind arises, all phenomena arise;
when the mind vanishes, all phenomena vanish.”
Thus unenlightened beings are Buddhas, and afflictions are Bodhi.
The previous thought unenlightened makes you an unenlightened
being;
The next thought enlightened makes you a Buddha.
The previous thought clinging to scenes is affliction;
The next thought unclinging to scenes is Bodhi.
HUONG HAI (1628 – 1715)
(COMMENT: Should we cling to the present? Some might say living
mindfully in the present is wonderful. That is true: Buddha said that it’s
very rare to be reborn as a human, and it’s very rare to hear the
Buddha’s teachings. Now we have both.
