Rooted in the Way of Nature, Laughing at the Changing World

Xuefeng

November 12, 2023

Everything that has occurred in history, whether magnificent or dark, now seems like a passing cloud or a fleeting moment, " as dew and lightning; thus, you should meditate upon them."

All that's happening today, be it tyrannical or democratic, all conflicts are like "Compete for the space of a snail's antler or contend for a flash of light”, “all conditioned things are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows."

The awakened ones play the game within the game; the ignorant ones are played by the game.

Crying out to the heavens stems from not understanding causality; rejoicing in the heavens comes from not comprehending the plot. Only the enlightened ones can be free and unfazed, "like bamboo swaying in the wind, which, when the wind passes, leaves no sound; or geese crossing the cold pond, which, when the geese are gone, leaves no trace," and they can laugh at the changing world.

Ensnared in the plot, deluded by illusions, hence "anxious for wealth, distressed by poverty," like ants on a hot pan, restless, and anxious. Stepping out of the storyline to observe the world's vicissitudes is simply witnessing the ebb and flow, the blossoming and withering of seasons.

Quietly observing the turbulent world, the changing climate, scrutinizing discussions on social media and various information platforms, where mixed truths and falsehoods clash, is like watching the rise and fall of waves, the struggle between black and white. From presidents to commoners, generals to soldiers, experts to armchair critics, from masters to servants, everyone is deeply engaged in the play, "mistaking vinegar for ink, and writing a lifetime of sourness."

How much effort is worth spending on the fleeting moments of life? Is it worth fighting for every inch of the vast world we inhabit? the full moon and waning moon ultimately reduce us to a handful of yellow earth; the rising and setting sun swiftly turns the landscape into desolate plains. “Broken walls where foxes sleep, deserted platforms where rabbits walk, all were places of singing and dancing in those days; yellow flowers covered with cold dew, withering grasses looming in mist, all belong to the battlefields of the old times. Where is the constancy in rise and fall? Where does strength or weakness lie?”

Amidst change, there's consistency, and within chaos, there's order. We can perceive the constancy and order in the cosmic life drama through the three verses of Shenxiu, Huineng, and Deiform Budha.

Shenxiu: "The body is a Bodhi tree, the mind a clear mirror standing. At all times diligently wipe it clean and let no dust alight."

Huineng: "Bodhi is not a tree, and the clear mirror is nowhere to stand. Fundamentally there is not a single thing — where could dust arise?"

Deiform Budha: Our heart (mind) can perceive the material world (Bodhi tree), and our soul (consciousness) is like a bright mirror which can “observe” how the heart responses to all kinds of phenomena. When reaching a state of enlightening, and perceiving the intrinsic nature of LIFE, consciousness can create millions of things and phenomena by itself, thus it transcends all “dust” on the “mirror” and reaches the other shore of true freedom.

The Bodhi tree and the mirror stand represent constancy and order, while dust represents change and chaos. Shenxiu warns against "attracting dust," Huineng suggests that neither constancy nor order exists, nor does change or chaos, while Deiform Buddha says that by rooting consciousness in constancy and order, one can transcend change and chaos.

What is "constancy" and "order"? The Way of the Greatest Creator is both constancy and order. It is eternal, unchanging laws and principles. Adhering to constancy and order, one can "transcend dust," no longer perplexed by the vicissitudes of society and nature.

The Way of the Greatest Creator is the Way of Nature. Only by rooting oneself in the Way of Nature can one laugh at the changing world, unobstructed by illusions. Hence, one can navigate gracefully through the vast transformations of chaos, freely, without being swayed by appearances, continually ascending toward the eternal realm of immortality.