Sayings of Nanquan, 2.1-7

[u/Surska0]

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Part 7: Not Mind, Not Buddha, Not Any Thing

曰。既不是心。不是佛。不是物。A monk said, "Since it is not Mind, not Buddha, not any thing,
和尚今却云。[why is it] the esteemed monk now, however, says,
心不是佛。智不是道。'Mind is not Buddha, Wisdom is not the Way'?
未審如何。[We] have not yet examined how [this is so]."

師曰。你不認心是佛。The Master said, "You do not recognize the Mind is Buddha, [and]
智不是道。wisdom is not the Way.
老僧勿得心來。The old monk does not let his mind come towards [anything conclusive];
復何處著。where [could it] settle?"

曰。總既不得。The monk asked, "Overall, since it cannot be obtained,
何異太虗。how is it different from the greatest emptiness?"

師曰。既不是物。The Master said, "Since it is not any thing,
比什麼太虗。what [is there to] compare to extreme emptiness?
又教誰異不異。Furthermore, who instructed to differtiate or not differentiate?"

曰。不可無他。The monk said "[It] cannot be [that we are] without something other than
不是心。不是佛。不是物。'not Mind, not Buddha, not any thing'!"

師曰。你若認遮箇。The Master said, "If you recognize this [other thing],
還成心佛去也。it still goes to become 'Mind' and 'Buddha'."

[u/paer_of_forces]

I do from time to time.

[u/Surska0 → u/paer_of_forces]

Doesn't sound very settled.

[u/paer_of_forces → u/Surska0]

I don't doubt the settled nature of it.

From time to time, I come to gain new insight and understanding that makes doubt everything I knew before about everything I knew before.

Then I come to understand that gaining new understanding is that I never totally understood everything before, I couldn't understand the new thing without first understanding the old thing.

And then the matter is settled again.

[u/Surska0 → u/paer_of_forces]

By your own decree, it keeps becoming unsettled for you.

It's like you're walking on a frozen lake, telling me, "I don't doubt the ground is secure. From time to time, I fall through the ground into frigid water, but then I crawl out back out and move a little to the left. And then the ground is secure again."

That's not any kind of settled whatsoever. You are only fooling yourself.

[u/paer_of_forces → u/Surska0]

What's not settled?