DHARMA SPRING

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  A monk said to Dasui, "When the thousands of universes are utterly destroyed in the kalpa fire at the end of this aeon*—I wonder whether this perishes or not."
   "This perishes," said Dasui.
   "If so," persisted the monk, "does it follow the other?”
   "It follows the other," said Dasui.

   The same monk later asked Longji, “When the thousands of universes are utterly destroyed in the kalpa fire at the end of this aeon—I wonder whether this perishes or not."
   Longji said, “This does not perish.”
   The monk asked, “Why does it not perish?"
   Longji said, “Because it is the same as the universes.

Book of Serenity, Case 30

*A kalpa is an inconceivably long age. In Chan cosmology, the universe undergoes endless cycles of emptiness, formation, existence, and destruction, called great kalpas, each of which ends in an all-consuming fire.

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The two previous talks I offered were connected to Taoism and explored the territory of wu wei to a certain extent. This brought to mind a talk I offered several years ago about wu wei, coming at it from a different angle, a different approach. I didn’t offer a fresh talk this week, so I thought I’d send this older one along. Might be a fitting companion to the other two - have a listen and find out for yourself:

Thirty spokes converge on a hub
but it's the emptiness
that makes a wheel work
pots are fashioned from clay
but it's the hollow
that makes a pot work
windows and doors are carved for a house
but it's the spaces
that make a house work
existence makes a thing useful
but nonexistence makes it work

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 11 (Red Pine, trans)

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Lofty nobility is like water.
Water's nobility is to enrich the ten thousand things
and yet never strive:
it just settles through places people everywhere loathe.
Therefore, it’s nearly Way.

Dwelling's nobility is earth,
mind's nobility is empty depth,
giving's nobility is Humanity*,
word's nobility is sincerity,
government's nobility is accord,
endeavor's nobility is ability,
action's nobility is timing.

When you never strive
you never go wrong.

*Humanity is the touchstone of Confucian virtue. Simply stated, it means to act with a selfless and reverent concern for the well-being of others.

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 8 (David Hinton, trans)

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Not doing, not being a corpse presiding over your good name;
Not doing, not being a repository of plans and schemes;
Not doing, not being the one in charge of what happens;
Not doing, not being ruled by your own understanding.

In this way, embody the endlessness and roam where there is no sign, fully living through whatever is received from Heaven without thinking anything has been gained, thus remaining a vacuity, nothing more. The Utmost Person uses the mind like a mirror, rejecting nothing, welcoming nothing, responding but not storing. And thus can overcome all things without harm.

-from Zhuangzi: The Complete Writings, Chapter 7 (Brook Ziporyn, trans)

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   A student asked Zhaozhou, "Does a newborn baby have consciousness?"
   Zhaozhou said, "Tossing a ball on rushing waters."
   The student went on to ask Touzi, "What does 'tossing a ball on rushing waters' mean?"
    Touzi said, "Moment after moment, it never stops flowing."

Blue Cliff Record, Case 80

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   Someone asked Zhaozhou, "Does a dog have buddha nature or not?"
   "Yes," replied Zhaozhou.
   "Then why did it jump into that bag of fur?"
   "Because it knew what it was doing and that's why it transgressed."
   Another time someone asked Zhaozhou, "Does a dog have buddha nature or not?"
   "No."
   "All beings have buddha nature. Why doesn't a dog have it?"
   "Because it's only beginning to awaken in the world of ignorance."

Book of Serenity, Case 18

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   A student said, "I have not yet arrived at the source. I ask for your expedient guidance."
   Jingqing said, "What source is that?"
   The student said, "The source."
   Jingqing said, "If it’s that source, how could you get any expedient guidance?"
   The student bowed in thanks and went away.
   Jingqing’s attendant said, "Just now did you give that student support or not?"
   Jingqing said, "No."
   The attendant said, "Then you didn’t answer his question?"
   Jingqing said, "No."
   The attendant said, "I don’t understand your meaning."
   Jingqing said, "One drop is just black ink. Two drops and a dragon is born."

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   One day a monk came to visit Guizong as he was weeding the garden with a hoe. Suddenly, a snake appeared. Guizong took the hoe and chopped it in two.
   The monk said, "Long have I heard that Guizong was a crude-mannered teacher."
   Guizong said, "Are you crude or am I crude?"
   The monk then asked, "What is ‘crude’?"
   Guizong held the hoe upright in the air.
   The monk said, "What is ‘refined’?"
   Guizong then assumed a posture to chop the snake.
   The monk said, "If you let it, it will go away by itself."
   Guizong said, "If I let it go away, how could you see me chop the snake?"
   The monk was silent.

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   Someone asked, "How can I be free?"
   Shitou replied, "Who has put you in bondage?"

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   Great Ancestor Ma was sick. The superintendent of the monastery asked him, "How have you been feeling lately?"
   The Great Ancestor replied, "Sun Face Buddha, Moon Face Buddha."

Blue Cliff Record, Case 3

From Tenkei's commentary:

In the Buddha Names Sutra it says that Sun Face Buddha lives for 1800 years, while Moon Face Buddha enters extinction after a day and a night. But what about your own Sun Face Buddha, Moon Face Buddha? Is it something long or something short? How do you understand it? Set your eyes on the absolutely inextricable within yourself.

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