Post by Deleted on May 6, 2011 7:28:16 GMT -5
Urban Guru Cafe episodes #32 and #33 offers up the 'first poem of Zen,' pasted below, via a reading from Ram Dass and commentary from Sailor Bob. #32 is here urbangurucafe.com/2009/03/16/32-the-great-way-is-not-difficult-by-chien-chih-seng-tsan-bob-adamson/ and #33 is here urbangurucafe.com/2009/03/28/33-the-great-way-is-not-difficult-by-chien-chih-seng-tsan-bob-adamson-part-2/
UGC introduces it this way:
"One of the most profound texts of all time on the subject of Non Duality. If one were only to have this text to contemplate, it is enough. Its rich content touches the unfathomable nature of our existence. Written by the Chinese Third Patriarch of Chan (Zen in Japanese). His name, Chien-chih Seng-ts’an or Jianzhi Sengcan. The author is also known by the name Sosan in Japan. It seems fitting that so little is known about the author. The text transcends ‘the personal’ and reveals something profound about our true nature."
The text below is not the same translation as the one read by Ram Dass in the UGC episodes.
+++
Faith-Mind Inscription
By Third Ch'an Patriarch Chien-chih Seng-ts'an
The best way is not difficult. It only excludes picking and choosing.
Once you stop loving and hating, it will enlighten itself.
Depart for a hairbreadth, and heaven and earth are set apart.
If you want it to appear, do not be for or against.
To set longing against loathing, makes the mind sick.
Not knowing the deep meaning (of the way), it is useless to quiet thoughts.
Complete it is like great vacuity, with nothing lacking, nothing in excess.
When you grasp and reject, there is no suchness.
Do not follow conditions, do not dwell in emptiness.
Cherishing oneness in the hearth, everything will stop by itself.
Rest to stop motion, and rest will move you again.
If you are merely in either, how will you know oneness?
Not understanding oneness, you will miss in two ways.
Expelling being you will be without it, following emptiness you are always behind it.
The more words and thoughts the more you will go astray
Stop speaking, stop thinking and there is nothing you cannot understand.
Return to the root and obtain the purport. Following the outcome you lose the source.
For a moment turn inward, and surpass the emptiness of things.
Changes that go on in emptiness all have their cause in ignorance.
Do not seek the true, only abstain from views.
Do not dwell in dual views, be careful not to pursue them.
The slightest trace of right and wrong and mind is lost in confusion.
One being is the source of the two, however, do not even maintain the one.
With one mind there is no arising, then everything is without blame.
No blame, no things. No arising, no mind.
The subject follows when the object ceases. The object is expelled when the subject sinks.
The object is related to the subject. The subject is related to the object.
If you want to know these two, their origin is one emptiness.
In one emptiness both are equal, evenly containing innumerable forms.
Do not differentiate coarse and fine, and you will not be for or against.
The great way is all embracing, neither easy nor difficult.
Small views are irresolute, full of doubt, now in haste, then too late.
Grasp beyond measure, and you will go astray.
Letting go leads to spontaneity, essence neither goes nor abides.
Accord your nature with the way, and go free of troubles.
Fettered thinking strays from the real, it darkens, sinks and spoils.
To weary the spirit is not good. Of what use are strange and familiar?
In taking the One vehicle, do not dislike the six sense objects.
Not disliking the six sense objects turns out equal to perfect awakenness.
The wise performs through non action. The fool ties himself.
Things are not different, ignorance leads to preference.
To use the mind to hold the mind, is it not a great mistake?
Out of confusion arise rest and disturbance. Awakening negates liking and disliking.
All opposite sides lead to absurd consideration.
Dreams, illusions, flowers in emptiness. Why strive to grasp them?
Profit and loss, right and wrong, away with this once for all.
If the eyes are not closed, all dreams stop by themselves.
If the mind does not discriminate, all things are of one suchness.
In the deep essence of one suchness, resolutely neglect conditions.
When all things are beheld as even, you return again to spontaneity.
Put an end to the cause, and nothing can be compared.
Cease movement and no movement arises. Set rest in motion and there is no resting.
When both do not make a whole, how will one be for you?
Investigate to the end, and there is no principle or rule retained.
Accord the mind with Impartiality, which stops every action.
All doubts are cleared, true faith is firm and harmonized.
Nothing is detained, nothing to remember.
Vacuous, enlightened, self illumined, power of the mind is not exerted.
Thought is useless here, sense or feeling cannot fathom this.
In the real suchness of the thing realm, there is neither other nor self.
Swiftly to accord with that, only express non duality.
In non-duality all is equal, nothing is left out.
The wise from all directions all belong to this teaching.
This teaching is not urgent, or extensive, beyond a moment, or an eon,
Not here, not there, everywhere in front of the eyes.
Very small and large are equal. When boundaries are forgotten,
Very large and small are equal, the limits cannot be seen.
With being there is nonbeing. With non being there is being.
If not so – do not hold on to it.
One is all, all is one –
Merely with such ability, worry not for finality.
Faith in mind is non dual. Non duality is faith in mind.
Discourse here stops – with no past, present, future.
UGC introduces it this way:
"One of the most profound texts of all time on the subject of Non Duality. If one were only to have this text to contemplate, it is enough. Its rich content touches the unfathomable nature of our existence. Written by the Chinese Third Patriarch of Chan (Zen in Japanese). His name, Chien-chih Seng-ts’an or Jianzhi Sengcan. The author is also known by the name Sosan in Japan. It seems fitting that so little is known about the author. The text transcends ‘the personal’ and reveals something profound about our true nature."
The text below is not the same translation as the one read by Ram Dass in the UGC episodes.
+++
Faith-Mind Inscription
By Third Ch'an Patriarch Chien-chih Seng-ts'an
The best way is not difficult. It only excludes picking and choosing.
Once you stop loving and hating, it will enlighten itself.
Depart for a hairbreadth, and heaven and earth are set apart.
If you want it to appear, do not be for or against.
To set longing against loathing, makes the mind sick.
Not knowing the deep meaning (of the way), it is useless to quiet thoughts.
Complete it is like great vacuity, with nothing lacking, nothing in excess.
When you grasp and reject, there is no suchness.
Do not follow conditions, do not dwell in emptiness.
Cherishing oneness in the hearth, everything will stop by itself.
Rest to stop motion, and rest will move you again.
If you are merely in either, how will you know oneness?
Not understanding oneness, you will miss in two ways.
Expelling being you will be without it, following emptiness you are always behind it.
The more words and thoughts the more you will go astray
Stop speaking, stop thinking and there is nothing you cannot understand.
Return to the root and obtain the purport. Following the outcome you lose the source.
For a moment turn inward, and surpass the emptiness of things.
Changes that go on in emptiness all have their cause in ignorance.
Do not seek the true, only abstain from views.
Do not dwell in dual views, be careful not to pursue them.
The slightest trace of right and wrong and mind is lost in confusion.
One being is the source of the two, however, do not even maintain the one.
With one mind there is no arising, then everything is without blame.
No blame, no things. No arising, no mind.
The subject follows when the object ceases. The object is expelled when the subject sinks.
The object is related to the subject. The subject is related to the object.
If you want to know these two, their origin is one emptiness.
In one emptiness both are equal, evenly containing innumerable forms.
Do not differentiate coarse and fine, and you will not be for or against.
The great way is all embracing, neither easy nor difficult.
Small views are irresolute, full of doubt, now in haste, then too late.
Grasp beyond measure, and you will go astray.
Letting go leads to spontaneity, essence neither goes nor abides.
Accord your nature with the way, and go free of troubles.
Fettered thinking strays from the real, it darkens, sinks and spoils.
To weary the spirit is not good. Of what use are strange and familiar?
In taking the One vehicle, do not dislike the six sense objects.
Not disliking the six sense objects turns out equal to perfect awakenness.
The wise performs through non action. The fool ties himself.
Things are not different, ignorance leads to preference.
To use the mind to hold the mind, is it not a great mistake?
Out of confusion arise rest and disturbance. Awakening negates liking and disliking.
All opposite sides lead to absurd consideration.
Dreams, illusions, flowers in emptiness. Why strive to grasp them?
Profit and loss, right and wrong, away with this once for all.
If the eyes are not closed, all dreams stop by themselves.
If the mind does not discriminate, all things are of one suchness.
In the deep essence of one suchness, resolutely neglect conditions.
When all things are beheld as even, you return again to spontaneity.
Put an end to the cause, and nothing can be compared.
Cease movement and no movement arises. Set rest in motion and there is no resting.
When both do not make a whole, how will one be for you?
Investigate to the end, and there is no principle or rule retained.
Accord the mind with Impartiality, which stops every action.
All doubts are cleared, true faith is firm and harmonized.
Nothing is detained, nothing to remember.
Vacuous, enlightened, self illumined, power of the mind is not exerted.
Thought is useless here, sense or feeling cannot fathom this.
In the real suchness of the thing realm, there is neither other nor self.
Swiftly to accord with that, only express non duality.
In non-duality all is equal, nothing is left out.
The wise from all directions all belong to this teaching.
This teaching is not urgent, or extensive, beyond a moment, or an eon,
Not here, not there, everywhere in front of the eyes.
Very small and large are equal. When boundaries are forgotten,
Very large and small are equal, the limits cannot be seen.
With being there is nonbeing. With non being there is being.
If not so – do not hold on to it.
One is all, all is one –
Merely with such ability, worry not for finality.
Faith in mind is non dual. Non duality is faith in mind.
Discourse here stops – with no past, present, future.