- This is the Dharma Hall -

The subway doors slide open, this is the Dharma hall.

Stepping out, stride by stride, this is the Dharma hall.

Climbing up, stair by stair, this is the Dharma hall.

Clattering out of the checkout, this is the Dharma hall.

The yellow line on the green sidewalk, this is the Dharma hall.

Walking forward, swinging my arms, this is the Dharma hall.

Seeing the red sign of the Hyundai Pharmacy, this is the Dharma hall.

Feeling the hot asphalt, this is the Dharma hall.

Seeing the Musim Seonwon sign, this is the Dharma hall.

Climbing up, stair by stair, this is the Dharma hall.

Pushing open the Musim Seonwon door, this is the Dharma hall.

Taking off my shoes and putting them in the shoe rack, this is the Dharma hall.

Spreading out my sitting cushion on the soft floor and sitting down, this is the

Dharma hall.

If one cannot see the Dharma hall here,

where else will one see the Dharma and the dwelling place of the Dharma?

(August 2002)

Rely only on emptiness,

and rely on nothing else.

Rely only on what is not,

and rely on nothing that is.

Desire only to be alone,

and do not desire to be two.

Wish only to be originally one,

and do not wish to gather many to become one.

Wish only not to be lonely in a thousand years of solitude,

and do not try to escape solitude by relying on others.

When you are thoroughly, thoroughly poor,

possessing nothing and desiring nothing,

you will meet someone.

Someone you have never met before,

with no face to gaze upon,

no body to embrace,

no hand to shake,

no name to call,

someone you cannot name,

yet the most vibrant,

the most active,

living and moving,

with the warmest and most comforting embrace.

Someone...

(August 2002)

When asked what Zen is, Master Guji held up one finger, and Master Zhaozhou

said, "The cypress tree in the courtyard." Yet, we see the finger but do not see

Zen, and we understand "the cypress tree in the courtyard" but do not

understand Zen.

Why is that?

The reason is due to ingrained habits. From childhood, we have cultivated the

habit of only seeing, hearing, and perceiving what is sensed and known through

the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and consciousness. Familiar habits are

easy to follow, and the easier they are, the harder it is to break free from them.

Zen study means transcending the habitual following of familiar sensations and

consciousness, to fully perceive the true nature of what appears above

sensation and consciousness. While the true nature of the world is not separate

from sensation and consciousness, sensation and consciousness alone cannot

fully perceive its true nature. On the contrary, when one is free from the

constraints of sensation and consciousness, the true nature of the world is fully

revealed.

Therefore, for the student, the most important thing is to not dwell on the

appearances presented by sensation and consciousness, but to maintain an

ardent aspiration and sustained attention to perceive the formless true nature

that appears right now, before one's eyes, within sensation and consciousness.

When this aspiration and attention mature sufficiently over days and months,

the formless true nature will suddenly and spontaneously be perceived right

before one's eyes when the time is ripe. At this moment, like a mute person who

has dreamed, one knows it but cannot express it in words. And one can also

confirm that this formless true nature has always been within oneself. It cannot

be grasped by sensation or consciousness, nor expressed in words, yet one

fully perceives it, fully utilizes it, and is fully one with it.

Because it cannot be grasped by sensation or consciousness, nor expressed in

words, the formless true nature, though constantly being utilized, seems

unfamiliar to us ordinary people. Study, then, is about becoming unfamiliar with

what is familiar and familiar with what is unfamiliar. The only way to become

familiar with the unfamiliar is to never lose that ardent aspiration and sustained,

pure attention towards that which is unknown.

Now, let's look again. What is Zen?

"Reach out your hand and drink a glass of water."

(September 2002)

“Please point to emptiness (空).”

“It’s the desk in front of you.”

“I asked you to point to emptiness, why do you point to form (色)?”

“I am not pointing to form.”

“Then please point to emptiness again.”

“It’s the desk in front of you.”

(September 2002)

Dharma is what is closest to oneself.

Look now, what is closest to yourself?

Dharma is unchanging.

Look here and now, what is unchanging?

Dharma is unmanipulated.

Look here and now, what is unmanipulated?

Dharma is not a limited object.

Look here and now, what is unlimited?

Dharma is alive.

Look here and now, what is alive and moving?

Dharma is not conceptual knowledge.

Look here and now, what exists prior to conceptual knowledge?

Dharma is without the slightest error.

Now, as you read this text, allow no error, not even a hair's breadth.

Dharma is the most powerful force.

Now, in every single movement, do not deviate in the slightest.

Dharma is the Dharma of no Dharma.

Now, as you see, hear, speak, and move, what else could be called Dharma?

If you yourself do not create delusions and go astray,

There will be nothing that is not Dharma in every single moment.

This evening, cold autumn rain falls with thunder and lightning,

So if you don't want to catch a cold, warm your room appropriately before

sleeping.

(October 2002)

Do you seek emptiness (空)?

It is right now, within a single object and a single thought before your eyes.

There is no water in a mirage,

Yet thirsty people are frantically busy chasing after it.

When one vainly relies on what is not true,

One tries to seek emptiness with emptiness itself.

(October 2002)

There are generally two Zen sicknesses (禪病) that hinder the practice of those

who have studied quite a bit.

One is being hindered by one's own feelings,

And the other is being hindered by one's own cleverness.

The person hindered by feelings

Is one who, after sitting in the meditation hall for a long time and performing

various physical and mental training, reaches a comfortable, subtle, and

refreshing emotional feeling, and then remains stuck there, unable to escape.

They trust the feelings they have gained the most,

And believe that these are close to the original nature of the human mind.

Therefore, no matter what anyone tells them,

They cling only to their feelings and do not listen at all.

They only want to know if anyone has done the same practice as them,

Or if anyone has achieved the same feelings as them.

The person hindered by their own cleverness

Approaches Zen study through reasoning,

Reading ancient sayings and koans meticulously again and again,

And if the reasoning becomes clear through clever speculation, they believe it

to be correct.

Then, once a certain conviction in this reasoning is established,

They read various books, measure and scrutinize with their intellect,

Making judgments freely here and there,

And further deepen their belief in their own understanding.

Thus, if someone speaks a word of truth,

They immediately exert their habit of scrutinizing and calculating,

Cutting things up arbitrarily,

And if anyone points out the problem,

They are immediately caught up in a desire to win, becoming entangled in

disputes.

For a person afflicted with such a sickness,

The attachment to and habit of that sickness are so strong

That it is extremely difficult to suddenly and completely break free and regain

Their original unhindered health.

Rather than such individuals,

An outsider who has not even heard what Zen is,

If they sincerely aspire to study and set their mind on it,

It is better for them to engage in proper practice.

(October 2002)

Where are you?

Are you in the body?

When and in what body are you?

Are you in thought?

When and in what thought are you?

Are you in feeling?

When and in what feeling are you?

Are you in desire?

When and in what desire are you?

Are you in consciousness?

When and in what consciousness are you?

Were you in that body, feeling, thought, desire, and consciousness of

yesterday?

Will you be in that body, feeling, thought, desire, and consciousness of

tomorrow?

The "you" of yesterday is not present now, and the "you" of tomorrow is not

present now.

Then you must be in this body, feeling, thought, desire, and consciousness of

now, right?

But where in this body, feeling, thought, desire, and consciousness of now are

you?

Right now, as you ask, 'Where am I?'

You are here.

Without relying on the body, feeling, thought, desire, or consciousness...

(November 2002)

As the snow stopped and he bid farewell to leave, Master Jizang saw Master

Fayan off from the doorway and said,

“Disciple, they always say that the entire world is merely mind, and all

phenomena are merely consciousness (識).”

Then, pointing to a stone in the courtyard below, he said,

“Tell me, is this stone inside the mind, or outside the mind?”

“It is inside the mind.”

“Why does a person who travels everywhere carry a single stone around in their

mind?”

Master Fayan was unable to respond. So he put down his bags and resolved to

find an answer under Master Jizang. For almost a month, Master Fayan

explained the principle with his own views every day, but Master Jizang would

only say,

“That is not the Buddha-Dharma (佛法).”

Finally, Master Fayan said,

“I have nothing more to say, and the reasoning for my explanation has run out.”

Master Jizang said,

“To speak of the Buddha-Dharma, everything is just as it is.”

Upon hearing these words, Master Fayan was immediately enlightened.

If you can accept that which is just as it is,

Then you are just as you are.

If you say that which is is this or that,

Or if you say it is just as it is,

Then that which is is no longer just as it is,

And you are no longer just as you are.

That which is is simply just as it is,

And not being able to accept that which is just as it is,

Is your fault, not anyone else's, nor anything else's.

If you yourself do not exert effort to create mistakes,

That which is is simply just as it is.

(November 2002)

The direction and success or failure of this practice are determined by resolve

(發心).

What is resolve (發心)?

Resolve is following what your heart thirsts for.

Do you thirst for fame?

Then you have resolved for fame.

You will ultimately pursue fame.

Do you thirst for wealth?

Then you have resolved for wealth.

You will ultimately pursue wealth.

Do you thirst for the opposite sex?

Then you have resolved for the opposite sex.

You will ultimately pursue the opposite sex.

Do you thirst for power?

Then you have resolved for power.

You will ultimately pursue power.

Do you thirst for knowledge?

Then you have resolved for knowledge.

You will ultimately pursue knowledge.

All such resolves are worldly resolves,

And have no relation to mind study.

Do you thirst for the true nature of your own being?

Now you have resolved for mind study.

You will ultimately discover your true self.

If you are truly thirsty,

And have enough courage to respond to your inner thirst,

You will surely achieve it.

If you truly thirst for the true nature of your own being,

Do not anticipate, expect, or calculate any kind of outcome;

Simply follow your inner thirst and proceed.

This is precisely what study is.

(November 2002)