1.
The Great Master, upon becoming enlightened, expressed his feeling
in verse, as follows: When the moon rises in a fresh breeze,
Everything becomes bright of itself.
2.
The Great Master said, "When the nature of a person is in a
state of being quiet, neither good nor evil exists. Once the
nature of a person is stirred or agitated it becomes either
good or evil."
3.
The Great Master said, "The good which transcends good and evil
is called the Absolute Good and that happiness which transcends
happiness and suffering is called the Absolute Happiness."
4.
The Great Master said, "The great Way is perfectly harmonious.
You cannot separate Being and Non-being, Facts and Principles,
birth and death, or Motion and Quietness. Each of these are
not two, but one in the great Way, and nothing exists outside
of it.''
5.
The Great Master said, "All great Truths are closely interrelated
and nothing can come between them. Human beings, however, not
knowing this truth, place barriers between themselves. Whoever
is enlightened to the principle of how to brighten up the mind
by seeing into all things and principles will be able to attain
great, Perfect and Right Enlightenment."
6.
The Great Master said, "If someone says that we cannot
see the mind because it is shapeless, or that one's Nature cannot
be explained because words are inadequate, that person does
not really understand the mind. But one who is able to see the
mind's form and the reality of the Nature and who is able to
speak about them without thinking may be said to be the very
one who has clearly seen Buddha Nature."
7.
The Great Master said, "The purpose of a person of moral
training who is trying to become enlightened to the origin of
the Nature is to use the mind and body in accordance with it
and thereby attain Buddhahood. If one is enlightened to the
Nature but makes no effort to attain Buddhahood, this enlightenment
will be of no use and can be compared to a leaden axe that has
correct shape but which is still impractical."
8.
The Great Master said, "To be enlightened to one's own
Nature is to be like a millionaire who, unaware of the extent
of the holdings, is finally made aware of the wealth. To utilize
one's Nature may be compared to one who recognizes the extent
to which one's holdings have been taken over by others, but
who finally regains ownership by trying every method."
9.
The Great Master said, "A religion which does not teach
about the Nature is not a perfect religion because the Nature
is the origin of all Laws and the basis of all Principles."
10.
The Great Master, while at Bongnae Cloister after a heavy
rain, was watching water running rapidly down from high cliffs
and mountain streams. After a good while he said, "The water
running from various places will finally converge at one place.
This suggests the deep truth that all principles and things
return to one."
11.
The Great Master, at Bongnae Cloister, composed a free verse
for his disciples:
On the nine turns at Pyunsan,
The stones stand listening to the sound of running water.
Nothing,... this nothing is also nothing;
Not, ... this not is also not."
And he said, "Those who understand the meaning of this are enlightened
to the Way."
12.
The Great Master, returning to the Bongnae Cloister from Yungsan
Monastery, said to a disciple, "On my way to Bongnae from
Yungsan on a ship, observing the deep vast sea, I measured all
the water and counted all the fishes. Can you imagine the amount
of water and the number of fishes?"
This disciple could not comprehend the meaning of his words.
13.
The Great Master said to all his disciples at Bongnae Cloister,
"Once a man learning the Way asked his master about the
Way, and the master replied, 'Whether I teach you the Way or
not, the Way does not become real. Then what should I do?' Now,
do you comprehend what the master meant?"
All the disciples sat in silence. It was winter and white snow
was piled up in the yard. The Great Master went out and started
removing the snow. One disciple hurried out. Taking the Great
Master's shovel, he asked the Great Master to return to the
room. The Great Master said, "My purpose in removing the
snow is not only to clean away the snow but to teach you the
profound Truth."
14.
The Great Master, at Bongnae Cloister, asked Moon Jung-Kyu,
"Can you make Bodhidharma, in the picture on the wall,
walk?"
Jung-Kyu answered, "I think I can make him walk."
The Great Master told him, "Then try to."
Immediately Jung-Kyu stood up and walked. The Great Master said,
"It is you who is walking. How can you say you made the
master in the picture walk?"
Jung-Kyu answered, "A wild goose which came flying over
from the east went flying toward the south."
15.
When the Great Master was at Bongnae Cloister, a monk of the
Son sect came from the Diamond Mountain to see the Great Master.
The Great Master asked, "What can I do for you who have come
such a long way?"
The monk answered, "I wish to know the Way. Please tell me where
the Way is."
The Great Master said, "The Way is in your question."
After a deep bow, the monk retreated.
16.
A monk of the Son sect came to Bongnae Cloister and asked the
Great Master, "It is said that Buddha was already born
into a royal family before he left the Heaven of Bodhisattvas
(Tosol-Chun) and had completed his work of saving all sentient
beings while still in his mother's womb. What does this mean?"
The Great Master answered, "Without leaving Silsang Temple,
your body is already in Suktoo Hermitage, and while staying
in Suktoo Hermitage you finished delivering all sentient beings."
17.
Guided by Seo Joong-An, a man visited the Great Master at Suktoo
Hermitage. The Great Master asked, "What words have you
heard and why did you come over this dangerous path?"
The man replied, "I have heard of your high virtues and
wished to see you at once."
The Great Master said, "What would you like me to do for
you?"
The man answered, "My mind is constantly disturbed by worldly
desires and delusions, and I wish to keep an undisturbed mind."
The Great Master said, "To keep a right mind, first of all you
must be enlightened to the origin of the mind and you should
not use the mind in a prejudiced manner. If you would like to
know why this is so, think about this question."
Having said this, the Great Master wrote: "All principles
and things return to one; where then does that one return to?"
18.
A Zen Master, Paik Hak-Myung, often liked to converse with the
Great Master at the Bongnae Cloister about the Principle of
the Nature by extraordinary means. One day the Great Master
deliberately spoke with a young novice, Lee Chung Poong. The
next day, when Paik Hak-Myung came from his Wolmyung Hermitage,
the Great Master told him, "Novice Chung-Poong, who is now hulling
something in a mortar, seems to be making a lot of progress
in her study of the Way."
Master Hak-Myung, upon hearing this, approached Chung-Poong
and said to her in a loud voice, "Don't move a step, and
show me the Way."
Upon hearing his words, Chung-Poong held up the pestle and did
not move. When Master Hak-Myung walked into the room in silence,
Chung-Poong followed him. Master Hak-Myung said to her,
"Can you make the Bodhidharma, in the scroll hanging on the
wall, walk out of it?"
Chung-Poong said, "Yes, I can."
Master Hak-Myung told her, "Then try to make him walk."
Chung-Poong stood up and walked three or four steps. Master
Hak-Myung was deeply moved and approved of her enlightenment
at the young age of thirteen. The Great Master, witnessing this,
smiled and said. "The attainment of enlightenment to the
Nature cannot be contained in words, but occasionally words
can reveal it. In the future, however, enlightenment cannot
be proved in this way."
19.
One day the Master Hak-Myung wrote a free verse to the Great
Master:
With the greatness of a mountain thrusting into the heavens,
With virtue as boundless as the sea,
The man is still far from where he should be,
And is host of a house by a rock.
The Great Master responded with the following verse:
Truth itself is the greatness of the mountain peak;
Innocence itself is the virtue of the Vast sea;
To a man fully being enlightened to where he should be,
The image of a house by a rock clearly appears.
20.
Kim Kwang-Son asked, "Before heaven and all things were
created, what was the substance of the universe?"
The Great Master answered, "Reflect deeply on the origin of
your words before you speak them."
Kim asked again, "In moral practice, why is enlightenment to
the Nature needed?"
The Great Master said, "It is like knowing alphabets when studying
languages."
21.
One of the disciples asked, "What will result if we become enlightened
to the Nature?"
The Great Master said, "You will be enlightened to the principle
of all things in the universe; you will be like a carpenter
who has obtained a ruler and a straight-edge
22.
The Great Master, while at a monastery listening to a discourse
on the Principle of the Nature by Kim Ki-Chun, said, "Last night
I had a dream, and in it I acquired a talisman and gave it to
Ki-Chun. I saw Ki-Chun swallow it and immediately his manner
changed. Today, his discourse on the Principle of the Nature
is really revealing." The Great Master continued Mi talk, saying,
"The Law is not to be given or accepted through personal feelings,
but one's eyes of Wisdom should be opened beforehand to accept
it. A dragon might be able to attain supernatural ability when
it acquires a talisman, but one of moral training will not be
able to acquire such ability until becoming enlightened to the
Nature and knows how to use it in one's moral training."
Moon Jung-Kyu asked, "Do you agree that Jungsan, whom we all
have respected for a long time, has be come enlightened to the
Nature?
The Great Master answered, "When building houses, some take
more time than others even though construction begins at the
same time. Some houses take a month or a year, others take a
year or several years. Jungsan will need time to become enlightened
to the Nature."
23.
One of the disciples asked, "Can we reach Buddhahood immediately
after enlightenment to the Nature?"
The Great Master answered, "According to their fundamental ability,
some persons occasionally attain Buddhahood immediately after
enlightenment to the Nature, but it rarely happens. In general,
you must undergo more difficult training to reach Buddhahood
than you take to attain enlightenment to the Nature. In the
past, however, when people were less intelligent, one who achieved
enlightenment to the Nature was said to be enlightened to the
Way, but in the future, enlightenment to the Nature, only will
not be enough to qualify one as enlightened to the Way. Most
persons of moral training will easily achieve enlightenment
to the Nature at their own homes in a short period, and in order
to attain Buddhahood they will try to find and follow some Great
Master."
24.
The Great Master, speaking to a large assembly at a monastery,
said, "Although the Principle of the Nature is regarded as being
beyond expression, it should be able to be expressed in words.
If some of you think yourself experienced in the Principle of
the Nature, try to answer this question: When we say 'all things
and principles return to One, how do they return? And where
does the One return to?'"
The assembly answered one after another, but failed to win his
approval. One of the disciples finally stood up and, bowing,
asked, "My Great Master, ask me the question again."
When the Great Master asked him the same question, the disciple
said, "All things and principles remain as they are. Is it necessary
for the One to return to any place?"
The Great Master only smiled in silence.
25.
The Great Master said, "Recently, people who have been training
themselves in the Principle of the Nature have often tried to
interpret it without using words. This is a big mistake. One
who is truly versed in the Principle of the Nature is able to
analyze it clearly even though it has no form, or can lucidly
express it in words, although it stands beyond words. Sooner
or later one can tell whether or not they really understand
the Principle of the Nature. No one can conceal what one knows
and does not know. You, however, should not regard words as
the most important thing. The thousands of sutras and the teachings
of Buddhas and patriarchs are merely like a finger pointing
at the moon."
26.
The Great Master, speaking in a monastery, said to the assembly,
"You disciples, has any one of you ever seen himself as a possessor
of the whole Dharma world?"
The assembly uttered not a word. The Great Master said again,
"Buddhas and Bodhitattvas of the Three Worlds have made efforts
to posses for themselves the whole Dharma world, which is formless
and invisible. Consequently, they can enjoy possession of all
things having form in the universe. On the other hand, the unenlightened
and the sentient beings waste their precious time just trying
to possess for themselves those things having form which never
remain theirs. What a regrettable thing this is! Therefore,
you disciples should not struggle to obtain only the things
having form, but should make more effort to possess the formless
Dharma world."
27.
The Great Master, speaking in a monastery, said to the assembly,
"To know how to divide the Absolute Unity into its various Components
or how to integrate the Components into the Absolute Unity is
to have a perfect understanding of the bass or the Principle
of the Nature. Or, if you know how to change Being into Non-being
or Non-being into Being, and if you know the truth that nothing
really changes nor remains unchanged, then you correctly know
the function of the Principle of the Nature. Even those who
claim they have been enlightened to the Principle of the Nature
are only able to comprehend in a general way the truth of the
Absolute Unity and of Non-being, and they often fail to comprehend
the truth of the Components and of Being. This is not true enlightenment
to the Principle of the Nature."
28.
The Great Master, speaking in a monastery, said to the assembly,
"Try to separate a human being into Mind, the Nature, Reason,
and Energy, or integrate these parts into Mind only or into
the Nature only, or into Reason or Energy only. Now, can you
perceive the result?"
There were various answers from the assembly, but none of them
were approved. The Great Master said, "When one feeds a goat,
one must not overfeed it at any one time. If one raises the
goat correctly, it will naturally grow to bear kids and will
serve human beings with milk. This is also the way, in a religious
Order, of leading followers toward Enlightenment."
29.
When the Great Master was in his room, a company of inspectors
visited him and asked, "Where is your Buddha enshrined?"
The Great Master said in answer, "Our Buddhas are now outside.
Please wait a while, if you would like to see them." The words
of the Great Master were quite incomprehensible to the inspectors.
After a while, at lunchtime, a group of workers came back from
the fields to eat, carrying their tools. The Great Master said
to the inspectors, indicating the group, "They are our Buddhas."
The company of inspectors was still at a loss.
30.
The Great Master said to Song To-Sung at a monastery, "Give
me your interpretation of the 'Verses of the Transmission of
the Law' of the seven ancient Buddhas."
To-Sung proceeded to interpret the seven verses of the transmission
of the Law one by one, and when he came to the seventh verse
of Shakyamuni Buddha, it read, "Dharma was originally established
with no-Dharma; Dharma of no-Dharma is also Dharma. When no-Dharma
is transmitted, what is the model of no Dharma?"
The Great Master told him to stop his interpretation, and said,
"Originally it was not necessary to give a name to Dharma, but
in order for one of low fundamental ability to understand, Dharma
was given a name. However, this Dharma named as Dharma is not
the true Dharma. Therefore, if you are enlightened to the essential
meaning of this verse, you do not have to read the thousands
of sutras."
31.
In January of the 26th year of Won Buddhism, the Great Master
composed the Verse of Truth and then said, "Being is the state
of change. Non-being is the state of non-change. This state,
however, cannot be said to be Being or Non-being. In order to
teach the Law, the words 'turning and turning' and 'absolute'
are used in my verses. It is not necessary to interpret the
Law with the words 'Absolute Void' or 'contains everything.'
This state is the true Reality of the Nature. Do not try to
comprehend the state of the Nature'. through knowledge, but
try to experience it through the light of insight."
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