This is a Zen beautiful story.
Haikyu said, ”illusion obstructs the mind; how can illusion be got rid of?”
Obaku said, ”creating illusion, getting rid of illusion – both these are illusion, for illusion has no root; it appears by reason of discrimination. If you do not think of contraries, such as ordinary and superior, illusion ceases of itself, and how can you then get rid of it? When there is not a hair’s breadth of something to rely on, this is called ‘giving away with both hands, and thus receiving buddhahood.’”
haikyu said, ”there being nothing to rely on, how can anything be transmitted?”
Obaku said, ”mind is transmitted by mind.”
Haikyu said, ”if the mind is transmitted, why do you say there is no such thing as mind?”
Obaku said, ”not receiving the law is called ‘transmission of mind’. If you understand what this mind is, this is the no-mind, the no-law.”
Haikyu said, ”if there’s no mind, and no law, how can you talk about ‘transmitting’ something?
Obaku said, ”when you hear me say ‘transmission of mind,’ you think of there being a ‘something’ to transmit, so a patriarch declared: ‘when you realize the nature of mind, you speak of it as a wonderful mystery; enlightenment is unattainable. When attained, you do not describe it as something known.’
Obaku said, ”if i get you to understand this, do you think you could?”
