Teachings From Ancient Vietnamese Zen Masters – 76
When you realize the true nature, that is when you enter meditation.
Practitioner should not become attached to meditating; meditation
without a trace of meditation is called the unsurpassed meditation.
Moreover, practicing the thoai dau (Chinese: huatou) should be
unbroken, constantly ceaseless without any pause, also without any
overturned thought, without any turmoil and without any dull feeling.
Your mind must be transparent just like a diamond rolling on a tray,
and luminous just like a mirror on a frame…
PHAP LOA (1284 – 1330)
(COMMENT: Don’t be scared by the confusing questions. Zen Master
Phap Loa wanted to generate the great doubt in your thinking. The
great doubt may help you to attain great enlightenment. Some koans
will push you into a great doubt, some won’t. A short koan is usually
called thoai dau. You can practice thoai dau like this: Just say the name
of a Buddha, and ask yourself that who just said that name, look in
your mind to see that who just said that name, and you would fall into
a great doubt. No thoughts can exist in the great doubt. Just only the
great doubt exists while you are lying, sitting, standing and walking.
This will help you to see the nature of the mind.)
