Buddhahood

To practice as a buddha is to be a buddha.

~Hui-neng

The Way

To practice the Way singleheartedly is, in itself, enlightenment.There is no gap between practice and enlightenment, or between zazen and daily life.

~Tendo Nyojo

Liberation

The liberation of all the Buddhas must be sought within the workings of each sentient being's mind. It should not be sought elsewhere.

~Master Zongjing

Answers

In the course of practice, never ask someone else to reveal the truth to you. If they tell you, the answer will still be theirs. It will have nothing to do with you.

~Master Sheng Yen

Your Practice

In the course of practice, do not fear mistakes; rather, fear not realizing that you are wrong.

~Master Boshan

You Cannot See The Path - You Can Only See From It

Master Huairang asked his student Mazu why he spent so much time sitting in meditation.

Mazu answered, "I want to become a Buddha."

Saying nothing, Master Huairang quietly picked up a brick and started rubbing it on a stone.

Mazu watched his master for a few minutes then he asked, "Why are you rubbing that brick on a stone?"

Huairang answered, "I'm polishing it into a mirror.'

Mazu probably knew by this time that he had been set up, but he had to follow through, "But how can you make a mirror by polishing a brick on a stone?" he asked.

Master Huairang answered, "How can you become a Buddha by sitting in meditation? To become a Buddha, act like a Buddha."

The Tools of Buddhism

Ultimately, it does not matter what method we use or what kind of Buddhism we practice.

~Chan Master Sheng Yen

There Is Nothing To Attach To

Contemplating cessation (the fourth noble truth) is difficult because there is no concrete object of contemplation. It is, therefore, essential to contemplate the path that leads to the cessation of suffering. Contemplating the path means that you persist on the practice path in accordance with the three studies of precepts, concentration, and wisdom. There are people who think of themselves as great practitioners. They point to the number of years they have practiced and the experiences they have had. However, if their practice is not in accordance with these three studies, it cannot be considered Buddhist practice.

Unless you are fully enlightened, suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path still exist for you. Only when you experience genuine wisdom do the four noble truths reveal themselves as being empty and illusory. That is wisdom without outflows.

With the line "There is no wisdom and no attainment," the Heart Sutra goes one step further and removes attachment to wisdom itself. If you think that generating wisdom eliminates suffering, then you are still attached to the idea of wisdom. The Heart Sutra's intent is to remove all attachments from your mind, step by step. Most people cannot let go of one thing unless they have already grasped something else. The Heart Sutra speaks to this habit, and systematically removes all sources of attachment, until there is nothing left to attach to.

~Chan Master Sheng Yen, in There Is No Suffering

Enso

O Ch'an empty spot. There is no thing which you are and nothing you are not.

---Ch'an Master Yunmen Wenyan---

In The Everyday Things

The dharmas of the buddhas has no special undertakings. Just act ordinarily, without trying to do anything in particular. Move your bowels, piss, get dressed, eat your rice, and if you get tired, lie down.

---Linji Tixuan---

Kill the Buddha

A teaching ascribed to the Chinese Ch'an master Lin-chi I-hsuan (died 866 c.e.). In full, his teaching reads, "If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha; if you meet the patriarchs, kill the patriarchs; if you meet an Arhat, kill the Arhat; if you meet your parents, kill your parents . . . in this way, you attain liberation." (Taisho, vol. 47 p. 500b).

According to the Ch'an tradition, his intention was to shock students into realizing they themselves were Buddhas, patriarchs, Arhats, and so on, and that they had no need to depend upon, mistakenly objectify, or inordinately revere figures external to themselves.

Self Pride or Self-Pity

A person who thinks of himself as wise is full of self-pride. On the other hand, a person who thinks of himself as ignorant is full of self-pity.

---Chan Master Sheng Yen---

Comparisons

Making comparisons inevitably means judging others.

                                                                             ---Chan Master Sheng Yen---

The Buddha Way

If you want the Buddha Way to manifest before your eyes, it is a mistake to harbor any preferences or aversions, This includes anything you hope to acquire, keep, discard, avoid.

---Master Sheng Yen---

The Universal Existence

There is only the total, universal existence. Even before attaining the Way, practitioners should train themselves in the proper attitudes of one who is already enlightened. That is, they should discard the mentality of liking and disliking. So long as you practice diligently, that practice is the totality. After all, what you dislike and what you like are not separate from one another.

---Master Cheng Yen---

Learning and Teaching

I shall question anyone who is superior to me, even a seven-year-old kid. I shall teach anyone whose understanding is inferior to mine, even a hundred-year-old codger.

---Zhaozhou Congshen---

A "Self" Is Not To Be Found

What we generally regard as self is no more than a chain of momentary thoughts or impressions—a thought construct, if you will. A "self" is not to be found anywhere outside this momentary arising and perishing of conscious thought. Observing the mind's activity like this, one may suddenly experience the insight that mind itself is wholly shifting, unlocalized, and impermanent; or that the subjective "self" is just a thought, an "empty" construct to which we cling needlessly. Rather than the source of all truth and comfort, "self" is the source of petty craving, fear, frustration, and sorrow. By letting go of the thought of self and pacifying its negative influences, one experiences a thoroughgoing release from the pain of samsara. This is known as the unconditioned peace of nirvana and "no-self."

---Master Sheng-Yen---

Our Minds and Bodies

One should realize that one's mind is really nothing but a sequence of ever-changing thoughts. There is no enduring "mind" (or personality). Similarly, the body is composed of material elements and is itself not fixed or unchanging. Our minds and bodies, as we see them, are false perceptions.

---Master Sheng-Yen---

The Oxherder

The Yijiao ching ("Sutra of the Bequeathing of the Teaching") likens the Buddhist practitioner to an oxherder who—ever watchful, ever present—herds his ox with stick in hand, never letting it stray. In Chan tradition he becomes a model for the meditator, who must constantly guard his or her mind to prevent it from straying into defilement.

---Master Sheng Yen---

Enlightenment and Buddhahood

The one vehicle is the Buddha Way. What is the difference between Buddhahood and enlightenment? Buddhahood is attaining the ultimate, whereas enlightenment is seeing Buddha nature without encompassing it fully. You know the taste of the ocean but you have not yet become the ocean.

---Master Sheng Yen---