"Go beyond language. Go beyond thought."

"Language and behaviour, perception and cognition are all functions of the moving mind. All motion is the mind's motion. Motion is its function. Apart from motion there's no mind, and apart from the mind there's no motion. But motion isn't the mind. And the mind isn't motion. Motion is basically mindless. And the mind is basically motionless. But motion doesn't exist without the mind. And the mind doesn't exist without motion. There's no mind for motion to exist apart from, and no motion for mind to exist apart from. Motion is the mind's function, and its function is its motion. Even so, the mind neither moves nor functions, because the essence ot its functioning is emptiness and emptiness is essentially motionless. Motion is the same as the mind. And the mind is essentially motionless.

Hence the sutras tell us to move without moving, to travel without traveling, to see without seeing, to laugh without laughing, to hear without hearing, to know without knowing, to be happy without being happy, to walk without walking, to stand without standing. And the sutras say, "Go beyond language. Go beyond thought." Basically seeing, hearing, and knowing are completely empty. Your anger, joy or pain is like that of a puppet. You can search, but you won't find a thing." ...from The Bloodstream Sermon in The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma translated by Red Pine, pg. 44-45 (written around the early 6th century).

John Crook, English Dharma heir to Master Sheng Yen, dies http://www.westernchanfellowship.org/news-item+M5468d1b790a.html

Also check out these Chan sites of interest:

1. http://chancommunity.ca/home.php

2. How to chan meditate:

http://chancenter.org/cmc/chan-practice/how-to-meditate/

3. Master
Sheng Yen in Facebook

4. The Western Chan Fellowship at http://www.westernchanfellowship.org/

Call Adrian at 250 898 8201,

email adrian2@shaw.ca

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