Teachings of Zen

Thomas Cleary is translator of more than fifty volumes of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Islamic texts from Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Pali, Old Bengali, and Arabic.

A collection of the most essential and inspiring Zen writings, from a renowned translator. Zen Buddhism emerged in China some fifteen centuries ago and remained the most dynamic and influential spiritual movement in Asia for more than a millennium. The first Zen masters sought a return to the source of Buddhism in the personal experience of enlightenment. Though their teaching is sometimes considered innovation, it was actually a return to the core of Buddhist teaching and to an understanding of the importance of the personal experience of enlightenment.

This anthology presents talks, sayings, and records of heart-to-heart encounters to show the essence of Zen teaching by using the words of the Zen masters themselves. The selections have been made from the voluminous Zen canon for their accessibility, their clarity, and above all their practical effectiveness in fostering insight.

Synopsis Zen Buddhism has long been one of the most powerful spiritual forces in Asia, and lately its influence has been spreading throughout the rest of the world. Zen has inspired and uplifted the minds of people in all walks of life. This anthology presents a thousand years of Zen teaching for the modern reader.

Excerpted from Teachings of Zen by Cleary, Thomas. Copyright © 1998. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved

THE MIND MONARCH

Observe the empty monarch of mind; mysterious, subtle, unfathomable, it has no shape or form, yet has great spiritual power, able to extinguish a thousand troubles and perfect ten thousand virtues. Although its essence is empty, it can provide guidance. When you look at it, it has no form; call it, and it has a voice. It acts as a great spiritual leader; mental discipline transmits scripture. Like salt in water, like adhesive in coloring, it is certainly there, but you don't see its form; so is the monarch of mind -- dwelling inside the body, going in and out the senses, it responds freely to beings according to conditions, without hindrance, succeeding at all it does.

When you realize the fundamental, you perceive the mind; when you perceive the mind, you see Buddha. This mind is Buddha; the Buddha is mind. Keeping mindful of the buddha-mind, the buddha-mind is mindful of Buddha. If you want to realize early attainment, discipline your mind, regulate yourself. When you purify your habits and purify your mind, the mind itself is Buddha; there is no Buddha other than this mind monarch. If you want to attain buddhahood, don't be stained by any thing. Though the essence of mind is empty, the substance of greed and anger is solid. To enter this door to the source, sit straight and be buddha. Once you've arrived at the other shore, you will attain the perfections.

People who seek the way, observe your own mind yourself. When you know the Buddha is within, and do not seek outside, then mind itself is Buddha, and Buddha is the mind. When the mind is clear, you perceive Buddha, and understand the perceiving mind. Apart from mind is not Buddha; apart from Buddha is not mind. If not for Buddha, nothing is fathomed; there is no competence at all. If you cling to emptiness and linger in quiescence, you will bob and sink herein: the Buddhas and bodhisattvas do not rest their minds this way. Great people who clarify the mind understand this mystic message; body and mind naturally sublimated, their action is unchanging. Therefore the wise release the mind to be independent and free.

Do not say the mind monarch is empty in having no essential nature; it can cause the physical body to do wrong or do right. Neither being nor nonbeing, it is concealed and revealed without fixation. Although the essence of mind is empty, it can be ordinary and can be saintly: therefore I urge you to guard it yourself carefully -- a moment of contrivance, and you go back to bobbing and sinking. The knowledge of the pure clean mind is as yellow gold to the world; the spiritual treasury of wisdom is all in the body and mind. The uncreated spiritual treasure is neither shallow nor deep. The Buddhas and bodhisattvas understand this basic mind; for those who have the chance to encounter it, it is not past, future, or present. - Fu Shan-hui

LIBERATION IN ALL PLACES

Don't seek a Buddha, don't seek a teaching, don't seek a community. Don't seek virtue, knowledge, intellectual understanding, and so on. When feelings of defilement and purity are ended, still don't hold to this nonseeking and consider it right. Don't dwell at the point of ending, and don't long for heavens or fear hells. When you are unhindered by bondage or freedom, then this is called liberation of mind and body in all places. - Pai-chang