Heaven and Hell

Nanquan was an exceptional Zen master. Together with Zhaozhou, he stirred up the Zen wind and shook their era. He was an enlightened being. However, Zhijian had not yet attained enlightenment at that time. Though he clearly understood the realm of enlightenment intellectually, he had not yet become that state himself.

To explain this: when I tell you ‘this world is mundane,’ you immediately create an image of an otherworldly realm in your mind. And if I tell you to seek that otherworldly realm, you reflect on that concept and believe in your image of the otherworldly. But your concepts of the mundane and otherworldly are merely images you’ve created. They are illusions. One should not be swept away by such conceptual games.

Zhijian responded quite metaphysically:

‘Not only that, I wouldn’t even look back at the finest white rice.’

But his words missed the mark. He was striving to detach from worldly matters. He was seeking a transcendent, spiritual life untouched by any desires. Thus, he spoke words that seemed strong and unshakeable:

‘Would I even look back at the finest delicacies?’

But he was seeing only half the picture. He was biased – biased toward realizing enlightenment. The truly enlightened don’t strive to realize enlightenment. They simply enjoy it naturally. Everything comes to them and naturally manifests the enlightened state. They share the enlightened state wherever they go.

Nanquan calmly said:

‘Nevertheless, one must taste each thing for oneself.’

Some among you ask questions like this: “Teacher, do you also read books and study?” At that time, I was reading the Bhagavad Gita. I was truly enjoying it. I answered yes. The questioner seemed somewhat disappointed.