What is true reality? Maitripa's song

I pay homage to and salute suchness,
Bereft of any dealings with existence or nonexistence,
Since its very stainlessness
Is the nature of enlightenment as realization.

Those who wish to realize suchness
Do so neither with aspects nor without aspects.
Not adorned with the guru's words,
Even the middle is just middling.

This entity is indeed enlightenment,
Which is due to having the nature of nonattachment.
Attachment is born from mistakenness,
And mistakenness is held to be without basis.

What is true reality? It is the actual form of entities,
While form is what lacks form,
Since the lack of form is surely also form
In terms of the nature of result and cause.


Thus, phenomena are of one taste,
Unhindered, and nonabiding.
Through the meditative concentration of reality as it is,
they are all luminosity.

The meditative concentration of reality as it is
Comes about through the engaging mind,
Since true reality dawns ceaselessly
For those who are aware of its ground.

In being free from cognition and what is cognized,
This very world is held to be nondual.
Even the vain presumptuousness of being free from duality,
In like manner, is luminosity.

Through having realized this true reality,
By any means and in whatever manner,
The yogin whose eyes are wide open
Roams everywhere, just like a lion.

Whoever has thus abandoned the worldly dharma
and relies on the lifestyle of a madman
Does everything without a reference point,
while being adorned with self-blessing.

As for true reality, which has been taught as stainless
And is said to be nondual,
Those with great insight are worthy of realizing it,
Once they have eliminated equality and nonequality from it.

Maitripa

My teaching

Shih t’ou

My teaching which has come down from the ancient Buddhas is not dependent on meditation or on diligent application of any kind. When you attain the insight as attained by the Buddha, you realize that Awareness Mind is Buddha and Buddha is Awareness Mind, that Awareness Mind, Buddha, sentient beings, enlightenment, and passions are of one and the same substance while they vary in names.

You should know that your own mind-essence (Awareness) is neither subject to annihilation nor eternally subsisting, is neither pure nor defiled, that it remains perfectly undisturbed and self-sufficient and is the same with the wise and ignorant, that it is not limited in its working, and this is not included in the category of mind, consciousness, or thought.

The stone path is slippery, a Shih t’ou Koan

Ch'an Master Yin-feng decided to take his leave of Ch'an Master Ma-tsu Tao-i. The latter asked, "Where are you going?"

Yin-feng answered, "I am going to study under the guidance of Master Shih-tou Hsi-chien of Nan-yueh."

Ma-tsu remarked, "The stone path is slippery."

Then Yin-feng said, "The bamboo pole and wooden stick are with me, and I will play them by ear."

Ma-tsu gave Yin-feng permission to leave, and Yin-feng went from Kiangsi to Hunan to pay his respects to Master Shih-tou.

Yin-feng walked around the Ch'an platform once, shook his monk's staff, and asked, "What is your teaching?"

Master Shih-tou ignored him. After a long time, Shih-tou said, "Good heavens! Good heavens!"

Yin-feng could not understand his meaning and had nothing to say in reply.

Having no other alternatives, Yin-feng returned to Master Ma-tsu and told him what had happened at his meeting with Master Shih-tou.

Master Ma-tsu told him, "Go back, and when Master Shih-tou says, 'Good heavens! Good heavens!' you should reply, 'Hiss, hiss.'"

Yin-feng went to Nan-yueh once more and again asked, "What is your teaching?"

Without any hesitation, Master Shih-tou exclaimed, "Hiss, hiss!"

Yin-feng was again at a loss for words and returned to report to Master Ma-tsu.

Master Ma-tsu consoled him by saying, "I told you that the stone path is slippery!"

Shih t’ou who lived from 700 to 790 A.D. was a disciple of the Sixth Patriarch, Hui-neng. And so he was part of the Sudden School of Chan teaching.