Inter- Faiths Dialogue

The Man > Man's True Nature

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O ne day the Fifth Patriarch assembled all his disciples and said to them, "Go and seek for Wisdom in your own mind and then write me a stanza about it. He who understands what the Essence of Mind is will be given the Robe and the Dharma, and I shall make him the Sixth Patriarch. Go away quickly. Delay not in writing the stanza, as deliberation is quite unnecessary and of no use. The man who has realized the Essence of Mind can speak of it at once."

Having received this instruction, the disciples withdrew, but none dared to write a stanza, as they all deferred to the head instructor Shen Hsiu... At 12 o'clock that night Shen Hsiu went secretly with a lamp to write his stanza on the wall of the south corridor, so that the Patriarch might know what spiritual insight he had attained. The stanza read,

Our body is the Bodhi tree,
And our mind a mirror bright,
Carefully we wipe them hour by hour,
And let no dust alight.

...When the Patriarch saw the stanza the next morning, he instructed that it be read and recited by all the disciples, so that they might realize the Essence of Mind. At midnight he sent for Shen Hsiu to come to the hall, and asked him if the stanza was written by him or not. "It was, Sir," replied Shen Hsiu. "I dare not be so vain as to expect to get the Patriarchate, but I wish Your Holiness would kindly tell me whether my stanza shows the least grain of wisdom." "Your stanza," replied the Patriarch, "shows that you have not yet realized the Essence of Mind. So far you have reached the 'door of enlightenment,' but you have not yet entered it. To seek for supreme enlightenment with such an understanding as yours can hardly be successful... You had better go back to think it over again for a couple of days, and submit to me another stanza."

I [Hui Neng] was pounding rice when I heard a young boy reciting the stanza written by Shen Hsiu... I asked him to lead me to the hall and show me the stanza. A petty officer who happened to be there read it out to me. When he had finished reading, I told him that I had also composed a stanza, and asked him to write it on the wall. "Don't despise a beginner," I said. "You should know that the lowest class may have the sharpest wit, while the highest may be in want of intelligence. If you slight others, you commit a very great sin." I dictated my stanza, which read,

There is no Bodhi tree,
Nor stand of a mirror bright.
Since all is void,
Where can the dust alight?

When he had written this, the crowd of disciples was overwhelmed with amazement, but the Patriarch rubbed off the stanza with his shoe, lest jealous ones should do me injury. The next night he invited me secretly to his room, and expounded the Diamond Sutra to me. When he came to the sentence, "One should use one's mind in such a way that it will be free from any attachment," I at once became thoroughly enlightened, and realized that all things in the universe are the Essence of Mind itself. "Who would have thought," I said to the Patriarch, "that the Essence of Mind is intrinsically pure!..." Thus, to the knowledge of no one, the Dharma was transmitted to me at midnight, and I became the Sixth Patriarch.

temple_buddhist

quote 4196 | Hui Neng
Sutra of Hui Neng 1

P assions consist of conceptualizations. The ultimate non-existence of these conceptualizations and imaginary fabrications--that is the purity that is the intrinsic nature of the mind. Misapprehensions are passions. The ultimate absence of misapprehensions is the intrinsic nature of mind. The presumption of self is passion. The absence of self is the intrinsic nature of mind.

temple_buddhist

quote 4195 | (Yuima) Vimalakirti
Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti 3

T his is a wonderful, unique discourse:
The living self is the image of the Supreme Being.
It is neither old nor a child;
Neither it suffers pain, nor in death's snare is caught;
It is not shattered nor dies;
In all time it is pervasive.
It feels not heat nor cold;
Neither has it friend nor foe;
It feels not joy nor sorrow:
All is its own; to it belongs all might.
It has neither father nor mother;
Beyond the limits of matter has it ever existed.
Of sin and goodness it feels not the touch--
Within the heart of each being it is ever awake.

quote 4187 | The Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
Gaund, M.5, p. 868

L et a man always consider himself as if the Holy One dwells within him.

synagogue

quote 4183 | The Talmud
Ta'anit 11b

H ave breathed into man of My spirit.

mosque

quote 4182 | The Quran
Qur'an 15.29

N ow what do you think, Vasettha... is Brahma in possession of wives and wealth, or is he not?"
"He is not, Gotama."
"Is his mind full of anger, or free from anger?"
"Free from anger, Gotama."
"Is his mind full of malice, or free from malice?"
"Free from malice, Gotama."
"Is his mind tarnished, or is it pure?"
"It is pure, Gotama."
"Has he self-mastery, or has he not?"
"He has, Gotama."
"Now what do you think, Vasettha, are the brahmins versed in the Vedas in possession of wives and wealth, or are they not?"
"They are, Gotama."
"Have they anger in their hearts, or have they not?"
"They have, Gotama."
"Do they bear malice, or do they not?"
"They do, Gotama."
"Are they pure in heart, or are they not?"
"They are not, Gotama."
"Have they self-mastery, or have they not?"
"They have not, Gotama."
"Can there, then, be agreement and likeness between the brahmins with their wives and property, and Brahma, who has none of these things?"
"Certainly not, Gotama!"
"Then that these brahmins versed in the Vedas, who also live married and wealthy, should after death, when the body is dissolved, become united with Brahma, who has none of these things--such a condition of things is impossible!"...
"Now what do you think, Vasettha, will the bhikkhu who lives [according to the Dhamma] be in possession of women and of wealth, or will he not?"
"He will not, Gotama!"
"Will he be full of anger, or free from anger?"
"He will be free from anger, Gotama!"
"Will his mind be full of malice, or free from malice?"
"Free from malice, Gotama!"
"Will his mind be tarnished, or pure?"
"It will be pure, Gotama!"
"Will he have self-mastery, or will he not?"
"Surely he will, Gotama!"
"Then as you say, the bhikkhu is free from household and worldly cares, free from anger, free from malice, pure in mind, and master of himself; and Brahma also is free from household and worldly cares, free from anger, free from malice, pure in mind, and master of himself. Is there then agreement and likeness between the bhikkhu and Brahma?"
"There is, Gotama!"
"Then verily, that the bhikkhu who is free from household cares should after death, when the body is dissolved, become united with Brahma, who is the same--such a condition of things is in every way possible!"

temple_buddhist

quote 4181 | Buddha Sakyamuni
Digha Nikaya xiii.31-34, Tevigga Sutta

B eloved is man, for he was created in the image of God. But it was by a special love that it was made known to him that he was created in the image of God.

synagogue

quote 4180 | The Talmud
Mishnah, Abot 3.18

A nd the Lord said to Moses, "Say to all the congregation of the people of Israel, 'You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.'"

synagogue

quote 4179 | The Torah
Leviticus 19.1-2

T hat which is the finest essence--this whole world has that as its soul. That is Reality. That is the Self. That art thou.

temple_hindu

quote 4178 | The Upanishads
Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7

G od said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."

synagogue

quote 4177 | The Torah
Genesis 1.26

S o God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

synagogue

quote 4155 | The Torah
Genesis 1.27

T hou art the sun
Thou art the air
Thou art the moon
Thou art the starry firmament
Thou art Brahman Supreme;
Thou art the waters--thou, the Creator of all!
Thou art woman, thou art man,
Thou art the youth, thou art the maiden,
Thou art the old man tottering with his staff;
Thou facest everywhere.

Thou art the dark butterfly,
Thou art the green parrot with red eyes,
Thou art the thunder cloud, the seasons, the seas.
Without beginning art Thou,
Beyond time and space.
Thou art He from whom sprang
The three worlds.

temple_hindu

quote 4122 | The Upanishads

S o many bodies, so many opinions! But my Beloved, though invisible, is in all these bodies.
There is no life at all without the Beloved; the Self lives as each and every one.
What, then, 0 friend, are you searching for like a fool?
The object of your quest is within you, as the oil is in the sesame seed.
As the pupil is in the eye, so is the Lord in the body;
The deluded do not know Him, and search for Him without.
The lock of error shuts the gate; open it with the key of Love.
By opening the door, you shall wake the Beloved.
Kabir says: 0 brother, do not pass by such good fortune as this!

candle

quote 3850 | Kabir
Bijak, Shastri, 1941;pp.52-53,41

L isten, riffraff: Do you want to be ALL?
Then go, go and become nothing.

You are nothing when you wed the One;
But, when you truly become nothing,
You are everything.

Regard yourself as a cloud drifting before your Sun;
Detach yourself from the senses,
And behold your intimacy with the Sun.

If you lose yourself on this path,
Then you will know for sure:
He is you, and you are He.

mosque

quote 3794 | Iraqi
in Chittock & Wilson, 1982; p. 10,112,123,120

B eloved, I sought You here and there,
Asked for news of You from all I met.
Then I saw You through myself,
And found we were identical.
Now I blush to think I ever searched
For signs of You.
By day I praised You, but never knew it;
By night I slept with You without realizing it,
Fancying myself to be myself;
But no, I was You and never knew it.

mosque

quote 3789 | Iraqi
in Chittock & Wilson, 1982; pp. 120, 124

W hen the mystery of the oneness of the soul and the Divine is revealed to you, you will understand that you are no other than God. ... Then you will see all your actions to be His actions and all your attributes to be His attributes and your essence to be His essence.

... Thus, instead of [your own] essence, there is the essence of God and in place of [your own] attributes, there are the attributes of God. He who knows himself sees his whole existence to be the Divine existence, but does not experience that any change has taken place in his own nature or qualities. For when you know yourself, your sense of a limited identity vanishes, and you know that you and God are one and the same.

mosque

quote 3778 | Ibn 'Arabi
in Landau, 1959; pp. 83-84

T hou art wise, and Wisdom, which is the Fountain of Life, floweth from Thee; and compared with Thy Wisdom, the knowledge of all mankind is folly. Thou art wise, and didst exist prior to all the most ancient things; and Wisdom was born of Thee. Thou art wise, and hast not learned aught from another, nor acquired Thy Wisdom from anyone else. Thou art wise; and from Thy Wisdom Thou didst cause to emanate a ready Will, an agent and artist as it were, to draw being from out of the Void, as light proceeds from the eye. Thou drawest from the Source of light without an intermediary, and producest everything without a means…

synagogue

quote 3771 | Salomon Ibn Gabirol
The Royal Crown; Zangwill, 1923, 1974; pp. 82-88

T hou art God, who by Thy Divinity supportest all things formed; and upholdest all creatures by Thy Unity. Thou art God, and there is no distinction between Thy Godhead, Unity, Eternity or Existence; for all is one mystery; and although each of these attributes is variously named, yet all of them point to One.

synagogue

quote 3770 | Salomon Ibn Gabirol
The Royal Crown; Zangwill, 1923, 1974; pp. 82-88

Y ou do not possess intelligence, nor do you possess ignorance;
Nor do you possess a mixture of these two.
You are, yourself, Intelligence-
An Intelligence that never ceases, never strays.

temple_hindu

quote 3732 | The Avadhuta Gita
#57, Reprinted from Abhayananda, S., Dattatreya: The Song Of The Avadhut, Olympia, Wash., Atma Books, 1992

I have neither Guru nor initiation;
I have no discipline, and no duty to perform.
Understand that I'm the formless sky;
I'm the self-existent Purity.

You are the one Purity! You have no body.
You are not the mind; you're the supreme Reality.
"I'm the Self, the supreme Reality!"
Say this without any hesitancy.

Why do you weep, 0 mind?
Why do you cry?
Take the attitude: "I am the Self!"
Drink the supreme nectar of Unity.

temple_hindu

quote 3731 | The Avadhuta Gita
#54to56, Reprinted from Abhayananda, S., Dattatreya: The Song Of The Avadhut, Olympia, Wash., Atma Books, 1992

Y ou are the ultimate Reality; have no doubt about this.
The Self is not something to be known by the mind;
The Self is the very one who knows.
How, then, could you think to know the Self?

temple_hindu

quote 3726 | The Avadhuta Gita
#42, Reprinted from Abhayananda, S., Dattatreya: The Song Of The Avadhut, Olympia, Wash., Atma Books, 1992

Y ou can't be heard, or smelled, or tasted;
You can't be seen, or sensed by touch.
Truly, you're the ultimate Reality;
Why, then, should you be troubled so?

Neither birth, nor death, nor the active mind,
Nor bondage, nor liberation, affects you at all.
Why then, my dear, do you grieve in this way?
You and I have no name or form.

0 mind, why are you so deluded?
Why do you run about like a frightened ghost?
Become aware of the indivisible Self.
Be rid of attachment; be happy and free!

Truly, you're the unchanging Essence of everything!
You're the unmoving Unity; you're boundless Freedom.
You have neither attachment nor aversion;
Why, then, do you worry and succumb to desire?

temple_hindu

quote 3715 | The Avadhuta Gita
#16 to 19, Reprinted from Abhayananda, S., Dattatreya: The Song Of The Avadhut, Olympia, Wash., Atma Books, 1992

Y ou, also, are the One! Why don't you understand?
You're the unchanging Self, the same within everyone.
You're truly illimitable; you'. the all-pervading Light.
For you, how can there be any distinction between the day and the night?

Understand that the Self is continuous Being,
The One within all, without any division.
The "I" is both the subject and the supreme object of meditation;
How can you see two in That which is one?

Neither birth -nor death pertain to you;
You have never been a body.
It is well known that "All is Brahman";
The scriptures have stated this in various ways.

temple_hindu

quote 3713 | The Avadhuta Gita
#11 to 13, Reprinted from Abhayananda, S., Dattatreya: The Song Of The Avadhut, Olympia, Wash., Atma Books, 1992

Y ou are the Self, the infinite Being, the pure, unchanging Consciousness, which pervades everything. Your nature is bliss and your glory is without stain. Because you identify yourself with the ego, you are tied to birth and death. Your bondage has no other cause.

temple_hindu

quote 3704 | (Adi Shankaracharya) Shankara
Vivekachudamani; Prahhavananda, 1947, p.97

U tterly destroy the ego. Control the many waves of distraction which it raises in the mind. Discern the Reality and realize "I am That."
You are pure Consciousness, the witness of all experiences. Your real nature is joy. Cease this very moment to identify yourself with the ego.

temple_hindu

quote 3703 | (Adi Shankaracharya) Shankara
Vivekachudamani; Prahhavananda, 1947, p.97

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