Hsin Hsin Ming Commentary XII

In this world of suchness 

there is neither self nor other-than-self. 

To come directly into harmony with this reality 

just say when doubt rises "not two". 

In this "not two" nothing is separate, 

nothing is excluded. 


No matter when or where, 

enlightenment means entering this truth. 

And this truth is beyond extension 

or diminution in time and space: 

In it a single thought is ten thousand years. 


Emptiness here, emptiness there, 

but the infinite universe 

stands always before your eyes. 

Infinitely large and infinitely small; 

no difference, for definitions have vanished 

and no boundaries are seen. 


So too with Being and non-Being. 

Don’t waste time in doubts and arguments 

That have nothing to do with this. 

          I love the word suchness.  It seems to have no meaning but it perfectly describes the perception of the world when one is deep in samadhi.  I have a friend who translates Buddhist texts and he is convinced that the ultimate understanding is that everything we experience is a creation of our own mind.  My response is, "What about suchness?"  Suchness expresses that experience of things when we add or subtract nothing from raw experience.  Our mind becomes like a mirror.  That is why it is called Mirror Like Samadhi.  Of course even in this state the brain functions to assemble the reflected image from the light entering the eye but in Mirror Like Samadhi there are no  thoughts and it is hard to say that there is even a  person with a mind present.  We might even say that it is just mechanical.  Of course this is not a state of mind we want to exist in for very long but it is a very important experience for the Zen practitioner.  The experience of suchness demonstrates to the Zen practitioner that there is something out there that is not the creation of our individual mind.  But it also demonstrates that our individuality and consequently the individuality of all things is a sort of fiction created by our thoughts.  This experience and this understanding I have again and again expressed in this blog in dozens of differents ways.  Seng Tsan has also expressed this experience and understanding in many many ways in his poem.
          Even though we may have experienced Mirror Like Samadhi and have had a deep realization of Non-Duality we humans have to function in this world which takes thought and may lead to confusion so Seng Tsan gives us a simple practice to remind us of the clarity and understanding we have experienced.  Say not two and with this reminder we can bring our thoughts and actions into harmony with this understanding.  This is a simple practice which I have found useful in situations which could otherwise be tense and emotionally confusing.
          It takes year of practice to learn to bring with consistency the experience and understanding of deep samadhi off the cushion and into our daily lives.  And first we have to experience deep samadhi and the resulting experience which also can take years.  As I was told by one of my teachers life is too short to completely polish the mind, but really it doesn't matter this is the nature of being a human.  We just keep on practicing.  It is possible with lots of time and effort that we may experience a harmony between thought action and understanding in most of our lives.  It is possible to function without ego and to see the world through the eyes of non-duality.