Teachings From Ancient Vietnamese Zen Masters – 140
57 The Serene Mirror
Serene, serene – that mirror has no shades.
Luminous, luminous – that diamond has no features.
Clearly, clearly – it is not a thing; it is not nothing.
Tranquil, tranquil – it is emptiness; it is not emptiness.
NGUYEN THIEU (1648 – 1728)
(COMMENT: The mind nature is serene and luminous; however, the
mind nature is not a thing, and not nothing. How can we realize the
mind nature?
Many Zen masters say that that is gateless, that everyone has to jump
into it alone, and that there is no step-by-step to enter it. Why
gateless? Because it is originally emptiness, and it is not a thing.
Let’s suppose you have meditated for a long time, and now you know
how to keep your mind pure and calm, but you could not realize the
mind nature. The koan some Zen masters prefer to give you in this case
might be “At the top of a 100-foot pole, how can you step forward?”
