Teachings From Ancient Vietnamese Zen Masters – 198
84 Seeking the Mind
Holding a drum at waist, facing skilled listeners,
and relaxing both hands, I beat the drum of mind.
Tapping, tapping, seeking the mind, I see the mind is the tapping
sound. Seeking the mind, hearing the mind tapping, I tap to seek the
mind.
Drumming sound composes rhymes, and the wind in cypress trees
responds. Tapping the mind -- the way of the mind is to be serene and
reflective.
Always unrestrainedly, the bright moon and the cool wind exist there.
Now you know you can not find the mind; stop seeking the mind.
Stop, stop! Now you know the mind can not be found.
Even if you could find the mind, that is not the true mind.
Carrying a luminous lamp and asking for the fire, you make things
upside down.
You’d better stand in front of the window and sing a song.
THANH ĐÀM (~ 19th century)
(COMMENT: It is so much fun to be enlightened. It is so much fun to
enjoy the enlightenment. Get enlightenment first, then you will see that
beating a drum, singing a song, or dancing crazily is not different from
sitting still. Some people mistake Zen for some kinds of relaxation
meditation, and can not see the difference. Don’t have that mistake;
however, you can bring a dragon-killing sword into a kitchen to chop
vegetables.)
