Faith in Mind: A Commentary on Seng Ts'an's Classic by Chan Master Sheng Yen

Author:Chan Master Sheng Yen [Yen, Chan Master Sheng]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Shambhala
Published: 2006-10-10T04:00:00+00:00

9

Awareness of Vexations

Object is object because of the subject;

Subject is subject because of the object.

Know that the two

Are originally one emptiness.

In one emptiness the two are the same,

Containing all phenomena.

These lines describe a non-discriminating mind in which, nevertheless, there is perfectly clear discrimination.

In the course of practice, the more negative things you discover about yourself, the clearer you will be as to the road you should walk.

After leaving mainland China, I was conscripted into the Nationalist army in Taiwan. At that time, everything was in a state of confusion and the troops were crowded together in a warehouse. In this warehouse there were no windows or lights, and at night people couldn’t see their way to the toilet so many just relieved themselves where they were. Others who decided to feel their way outside ended up stepping on the mess in the dark. However, at daybreak one could see the shit very clearly and avoid it. It was a mistake to imagine that just because you couldn’t see it, there was no shit on the floor.

Those who have never taken up the practice are like the people in that dark room. No matter where they walk, they step into shit. Coming to retreat is like putting a light into the room. Maybe the light will only stay on for a minute, but at least you can see some of the problem areas. Gradually, you will be able to tell exactly where the shit is and where it isn’t. The more you know, the less likely you will step in it. But to get angry when you discover problems would just be adding trouble to trouble. It would be as if, after realizing you stepped on some shit, you did it again just to punish yourself.

Retreats are like road repair. When there is a problem underneath the road, the workers break up the pavement in order to fix the cables, pipes, or whatever is faulty. After they finish the work, they pave over it again and everything is just as it was before. Likewise, in order to make our own repairs, we have to break up the road and mess things up temporarily. Thus discovering one’s problems in the course of practice is very useful, but do these problems actually exist?

Yes, the miseries of the retreat are quite real. You are truly tired and uncomfortable. You are definitely in this place and not some other. Yet you must look at nonexistence from the point of view of existence. When you can’t concentrate on the method, when you haven’t gotten enough sleep, and when your legs are painful, it is all really happening. But originally your legs were not painful. It was only after you started sitting that they became painful. If you stretch out your legs they will no longer be painful. Thus when you experience pain you should keep in mind that it doesn’t have a true existence. If it did, it would be there even when you were not meditating.

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