Teachings From Ancient Vietnamese Zen Masters – 124
50 Bodhi
Precious jewels are hidden in the stone.
Lotus grow from the mud.
Once enlightened, you will know that
the world of birth and death is Buddha land.
MINH LUONG (circa 17th century)
(COMMENT: Is the world of birth and death truly Buddha land? Is
samsara truly nirvana? Buddha sidestepped the philosophical side, and
urged his students to practically master the mind.
Buddha once asked Rahula to let the mind be like a river receiving and
flowing, or be like a fire receiving and burning all things thrown into.
Nothing could be clung to in that river or fire. Flowing all things,
burning all things… What would remain after that? The emptiness?
It’s very hard to have a mind being like a river or a fire. Again and
again, we cling to something we treasure, to the image we regard as
beauty, or to the admiration we expect after a victory. Consciously or
unconsciously, we cling to something most of the time.
