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Verses on the perfect mind


Himalayan Mystic

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Written in the 6th century, it is considered the first clear and

comprehensive statement of Zen.

The Hsin-Hsin Ming has been much beloved by Zen practitioners for

over a thousand years. It is still studied today in Western Zen circles.

I find it is as relevant today as it was then.

The Hsin-Hsin Ming

Verses on the Perfect Mind

The Great Way is not difficult,

for those who have no preferences.

Let go of longing and aversion,

and it reveals itself.

Make the smallest distinction, however,

and you are as far from it as heaven is from earth.

If you want to realize the truth,

then hold no opinions for or against anything.

Like and dislike

is the disease of the mind.

When the deep meaning (of the Way) is not understood

the intrinsic peace of mind is disturbed.

As vast as infinite space,

it is perfect and lacks nothing.

Indeed, it is due to your grasping and repelling

That you do not see things as they are.

Do not get entangled in things;

Do not get lost in emptiness.

Be still in the oneness of things

and dualism vanishes by itself.

When you try to stop motion to achieve quietude,

the very effort fills you with activity.

As long as you hold on to opposites

you will never know the One Way.

Those who do not understand the Way

will assert or deny the reality of things.

Deny the reality of things, you miss its deeper reality;

Assert the reality of things, you miss the emptiness of all things.

The more you think about it,

the further you are from the truth.

Cease all thinking,

and there is nothing that will not be revealed to you.

To return to the root is to find the essence,

but to pursue appearances is to miss the Source.

The moment you are enlightened,

you go beyond appearances and emptiness.

Changes that seem to occur in the (empty) world,

appear real only because of ignorance.

Do not search for the truth;

only cease to cherish opinions.

Do not hold to dualistic views,

avoid such habits carefully.

If there is even a trace of right and wrong,

the mind is lost in confusion.

Although all dualities arise from the One,

do not cling even to this One.

When the mind exists undisturbed in the Way,

everything is without fault.

When things can no longer be faulty, it is as if there are no things.

When the mind can no longer be disturbed, it is as if there is no mind.

When thought-objects vanish, the thinking-subject vanishes.

When the mind vanishes, objects vanish.

The arising of other gives rise to self;

giving rise to self generates other.

Know these seeming two facets

as one Emptiness.

In this Emptiness, the two are indistinguishable

and each contains in itself the whole.

When no discrimination is made between this and that,

how can you prefer one to another?

The Great Way is all-embracing,

not easy, not difficult.

Those who rely on limited views are fearful and irresolute;

the faster they hurry, the slower they go.

Clinging, they go too far,

even an attachment to enlightenment is to go astray.

Just let things be in their own way as they are,

and there is neither coming nor going.

Be in harmony with the Way

and you will be free of disturbances.

Tied by your thoughts, you lose the truth,

become heavy, dull, and unwell.

Not well, the mind is troubled.

Then why cling to or reject anything?

If you wish to move in the One Way,

do not dislike even the world of senses and ideas.

Indeed, to accept them fully

is identical with true Enlightenment.

The wise attaches to no goals,

but the foolish fetter themselves.

There is but one Dharma, not many.

Distinctions arise from the clinging needs of the ignorant.

Using mind to stir up the mind

is the original mistake.

Peaceful and troubled derive from thinking;

Enlightenment has no likes or dislikes.

All dualities come from

ignorant inference.

They are like unto dreams or flowers in the air,

the foolish try to grasp them.

Gain and loss, right and wrong,

abandon all such thoughts at once.

If the eye never sleeps,

all dreams will naturally cease.

If the mind makes no discriminations,

all things are as they are, of One-essence.

To understand the mystery of this One-essence

is to be released from all entanglements.

When all things are seen without differentiation,

you return to the origin and remain what you are.

Consider the movement in stillness and the stationary in motion,

both movement and rest disappear.

When such dualities cease to exist

even Oneness itself cannot exist.

This ultimate state

is not bound by rules and descriptions.

For the Realized mind, at one with the Way,

all doing ceases.

Doubts and irresolutions vanish

and the Truth is confirmed in you.

With a single stroke you are freed from bondage;

nothing clings to you and you hold onto nothing.

All is void, clear, and self-illuminating,

with no need to exert the mind.

Here thinking, feeling, knowledge, and imagination

are of no value.

In this world of “as it really is”

there is neither self nor other.

To swiftly accord with that,

only express nonduality.

In this nonduality nothing is separate,

nothing is excluded.

The enlightened of all times and places

have personally realized this truth.

The Truth is beyond time and space,

one instant is eternity.

Not here, not there,

but everywhere always right before your eyes.

Infinitely large and infinitely small,

no difference, for definitions have vanished

and no boundaries can be discerned.

So too with “existence” and “non-existence.”

Don’t waste time in arguments and discussion,

attempting to grasp the ungraspable.

One thing and everything

move among and intermingle without distinction.

To live in this Realization

is to not worry about perfection or non-perfection.

To put your trust in the Way is to live without separation,

and in this nonduality you are one with the Way.

Words! Words!

The Way is beyond language,

Words never could, can not now,

and never will describe the Way.

The zen is beautiful no scripture, no dogma, just to be

No contradictions ,simple,elegant.............

no rules ,no way defined ,plain seeking

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Thanks for posting this. It sums it all up, doesn't it.

In my view, Ch'an which is early Chinese Buddhism as well as Zen is more Taoism than Buddhism.

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Thanks for posting this. It sums it all up, doesn't it.

In my view, Ch'an which is early Chinese Buddhism as well as Zen is more Taoism than Buddhism.

"ism" is now too widespread id say of any kind it creates identification

i feel zen takes us to simple word less essence

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"ism" is now too widespread id say of any kind it creates identification

i feel zen takes us to simple word less essence

Nicely said.

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I'm sorry, take this how you will, but I just do not understand the Way. I mean I know what the above is saying, if their is no dualism, no distinctions, oneness. But:

"The zen is beautiful no scripture, no dogma, just to be

No contradictions ,simple,elegant.............

no rules ,no way defined ,plain seeking"

I just read a whole complex, not simple, list of rules, dogma, and The Way defined.

How can anyone live a Way that contradicts living? No preferences, no right or wrong, no discussion, no thinking, no imagination, no knowledge,etc.

How does the Way define the ignorant, fearful, irresolute people it speaks of above? How do I become or avoid what I am not allowed to think about?

Isn't the Way a preference of choices as listed above?

Why would I want this? To be free of disturbances, unwellness, dullness, etc? How would you describe that? I am human... being nothing but being would be dull, to me.

How does one live in life who desires this? No marriage, no sexuality, no hunger, no drive, no Yin & Yang, no rules, just being?

How does one "seek" in the Way?

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I'm sorry, take this how you will, but I just do not understand the Way. I mean I know what the above is saying, if their is no dualism, no distinctions, oneness. But:

"The zen is beautiful no scripture, no dogma, just to be

No contradictions ,simple,elegant.............

no rules ,no way defined ,plain seeking"

I just read a whole complex, not simple, list of rules, dogma, and The Way defined.

How can anyone live a Way that contradicts living? No preferences, no right or wrong, no discussion, no thinking, no imagination, no knowledge,etc.

How does the Way define the ignorant, fearful, irresolute people it speaks of above? How do I become or avoid what I am not allowed to think about?

Isn't the Way a preference of choices as listed above?

Why would I want this? To be free of disturbances, unwellness, dullness, etc? How would you describe that? I am human... being nothing but being would be dull, to me.

How does one live in life who desires this? No marriage, no sexuality, no hunger, no drive, no Yin & Yang, no rules, just being?

How does one "seek" in the Way?

Zen and seeking

Marriage is not a problem ,sexuality is but natural

Dull ness and excitement are two states we go through routinely

We go for sex get tired after a while then after some interval again want to do the same,

No ying yang is impossible ,balanced ying yang is what medicine,yoga,healers, everyone try to achieve,moderation of everything ,

Now when the document was written these were words used to describe something difficult to express,

A masters toil on the seeking way,Years spent perfecting struggling wanting to know,

We have much going on in life in the mind so i should say that when someone is free its good to read and see if their is some merit in the words,

Questions arise trying to find the answer not rejecting ur own judgement ,not rejecting the words but trying to make sense of it

if their is some sense,Being a little more patient ,spending 10 minutes to honestly attempt contemplation,Not aiming for the stars directly but merely climbing steps one at a time,

Comparing with other philosophies,Ur way may be ur own with due respect............ i feel over the years that meanings of words change in the mind when we yearn over time spend time,in any case whatever u choose and decide is perfect for you no arguments we all seek ,weather reality or joy or peace name it whatever.......... but if questions arise strongly after reading something like this which doesent make direct sense i'd say ur already intellectually a seeker for others would discard it as nonsense,not all but many i know.......:)

:santa:

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I just read a whole complex, not simple, list of rules, dogma, and The Way defined.

How can anyone live a Way that contradicts living? No preferences, no right or wrong, no discussion, no thinking, no imagination, no knowledge,etc.

How does the Way define the ignorant, fearful, irresolute people it speaks of above? How do I become or avoid what I am not allowed to think about?

Isn't the Way a preference of choices as listed above?

Why would I want this? To be free of disturbances, unwellness, dullness, etc? How would you describe that? I am human... being nothing but being would be dull, to me.

How does one live in life who desires this? No marriage, no sexuality, no hunger, no drive, no Yin & Yang, no rules, just being?

How does one "seek" in the Way?

This may be an intellectual view of the Way, and in such it misses the point of Verses of the Perfect Mind. These are not rules or dogma but a way of understanding life as it is without adding or imposing our limiting thoughtful conceptions upon it.

The Way is lost to one who seeks for it through the intellect or through knowledge of the words used to describe it. It is rather a personal experience when the "me" separate from the "you" falls away by itself. "Personal experience" is incorrect as well, as all these words that attempt to describe are not the thing itself.

There is a more fundamental reality that our conceptual mind cannot grasp. When I look at my coffee cup I see it as a "cup" with 'coffee' in it and that leads me to think about caffeine and waking up and then to what the day may bring and what I should do today and pretty soon I'm thinking about all the complexities of my life.

If I look at it quietly without thought I see it as it really is, it's not a "cup", it just is as it is without adding anything to it. When I do this I usually smile in spite of myself, I can't help it, this thing-in-itself is so wonderful. In this kind of awareness everything becomes alive and I become alive. I see the real world around me as it is without adding my all my personal burdens to it.

This is a revelation for me. All my complications vanish and I am able to fulfill my day with a clear calm mind. It's like washing all the crud out of myself. What a relief! Now I'm the boss, and I have the roar of a lion, but my lion allows everything to happen as it will, and somehow by not interfering it accomplishes everything it needs to accomplish.

Adhering to the Way is a great mystery that allows me to accomplish everything easily and without effort, and unties all knots gracefully and without doing harm..

I my view this is what the Verses of the Perfect mind is all about.

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Thank you both for replying! I understand a little more, but still see contradiction. I accept that that may be me, not the Way.

I like "living in the moment". It's calming and you notice sooo much. Is that part of the Way?

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I like "living in the moment". It's calming and you notice sooo much. Is that part of the Way?

I am no expert in these matters at all, I just find Zen and the Way of the Tao or Dao or however its supposed to be spelled interesting and useful in everyday life and at a deeper level, as well.

I think living in the present moment is very much a part of Zen. The present moment is all we have to live in. If we can live in the present properly we are taking good care of our future at the same time.

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to

say something which there is no other way to say

A parable is open-ended: it says and yet it leaves much

to be said, it only hints

CHU’I THE DRAFTSMAN COULD DRAW MORE PERFECT CIRCLES FREEHAND THAN WITH A

COMPASS.

HIS FINGERS BROUGHT FORTH SPONTANEOUS FORMS FROM NOWHERE. HIS MIND WAS

MEANWHILE FREE AND WITHOUT CONCERN WITH WHAT HE WAS DOING.

NO APPLICATION WAS NEEDED, HIS MIND WAS PERFECTLY SIMPLE AND KNEW NO

OBSTACLE.

SO, WHEN THE SHOE FITS, THE FOOT IS FORGOTTEN, WHEN THE BELT FITS, THE BELLY

IS FORGOTTEN, WHEN THE HEART IS RIGHT, ’FOR’ AND ’AGAINST’ ARE FORGOTTEN.

NO DRIVES, NO COMPULSIONS, NO NEEDS, NO ATTRACTIONS: THEN YOUR AFFAIRS ARE

UNDER CONTROL. YOU ARE A FREE MAN.

EASY IS RIGHT. BEGIN RIGHT AND YOU ARE EASY. CONTINUE EASY AND YOU ARE RIGHT.

THE RIGHT WAY TO GO EASY IS TO FORGET THE RIGHT WAY AND FORGET THAT THE

GOING IS EASY.

just being when we keep seeing ,just listening to every point of view searching but calmly taking ur own time,enjoying the learning ,we all will find...........

why not ,others found,thats what matters............

we all contribute to each other making t easier for all of us ,keeping the interest the idea alive,we may never meet but ideas ,ways to make it to THE WAY

flowers bloom from seeds,trees grow lets spend a few years..lets keep simplifying..............simple,easy ,loving methods,wisom of masters............... :w00t:

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Lieh Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Lao Tzu, the three Taoist Masters, only talk about the Way ’Tao’ means the

Way – they don’t talk about the goal at all. They say: The goal will take care of itself; you need not

worry about the goal. If you know the Way you know the goal, because the goal is not at the very

end of the Way, the goal is all over the Way – each moment and each step it is there. It is not that

when the Way ends you arrive at the goal; each moment, wherever you are, you are at the goal if

you are on the Way. To be on the Way is to be at the goal. Hence they don’t talk about the goal,

they don’t talk about God, they don’t talk about MOKSHA, NIRVANA, enlightenment – no, not at all.

Very simple is their message: You have to find the Way.

Things become a little more complicated because they say: The Way has no map, the Way is not

charted, the Way is not such that you can follow somebody and find it. The Way is not like a superhighway;

the Way is more like a bird flying in the sky – it leaves no marks behind. The bird has

flown but no marks are left; nobody can follow. So the Way is a pathless path. It IS a path, but

it is a pathless path. It is not ready-made, available; you cannot just decide to walk on it, you will

have to find it. And you will have to find it in your own way; nobody else’s way is going to function.

Buddha has walked, Lao Tzu has walked, Jesus has walked, but those ways are not going to help

you because you are not Jesus, and you are not Lao Tzu, and you are not Lieh Tzu. You are you, a

unique individual. Only by walking, only by living your life, will you find the Way. This is something

of great value.

by the way its words,but i feel the essence is beyond im not good with words but others are

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Those without an inner vision are a slave to their surroundings...

And those without preferences are the easiest to control...

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Those without an inner vision are a slave to their surroundings...

And those without preferences are the easiest to control...

one on the tao can be no one's slave,

one controlled cannot be free,

The zen master is no idiot,for he goes through much before he declares ,sometimes arrives and doesen't even bother to declare,

Opinions are but natural,all are their,they are always their,true enquiry is rare time consuming,but true enquiry can give results,

Inner visions are ideas of achievement,ideas are endless,The mind develops longer periods of thoughtlessness,slows down on its own,

opinions dissolve,observation begins,bias dissapear's,acceptance appears,But slowly and slowly,easy and natural ..............:)

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Thank you both for replying! I understand a little more, but still see contradiction. I accept that that may be me, not the Way.

I like "living in the moment". It's calming and you notice sooo much. Is that part of the Way?

Hi QuiteContrary, it is such a troubling subject that some times it is easier to paint a picture rather than try to unravel the unfathomable.

Zen is both the start point and the end point, easiest way to use it is to draw a line in front of you that is your path, on both side of that line are discoveries, duality, you may veer from the path and that is experience but once experienced always return to the path as to keep on track, it is okay to be side tracked but don't wonder too far just far enough as not to get lost.

Hope that helps.

Edited by JC2
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