..续本文上一页tractable stubbornness is a great nuisance but from another, it”s a wonderful place to practice, very acute and powerful place to practice.

　　The I Ching says, "It”s important to understand the force of inner truth. This force is not identical with secret bonds or simple intimacy. Close ties may exist among thieves. It is true that such a bond acts as a force but it does not bring good fortune." He is talking about deals and collusion here, or the book is. "All association on the basis merely of common interest holds up only to a certain point; when the community of interest ceases, the holding together also ceases and the closest friendship may change into hate. Only when the bond is based on what is right and on steadfastness will it remain so firm that it triumphs over everything." I think this is very clear and lovely. It is not the kind of connection that we think will bring us advantage that is the important one. It is the same in our inner life, we are in negotiation with our own pigs and fishes. If we are to be serious about the Way, we always have to do this negotiation. Some parts of ourselves are so difficult and never really want to cooperate. The harder we do zazen, the more we lose our temper, that sort of thing. We must not have too much prejudice about this. "We must open the psyche to the other," it says, "and let it act upon us."

　　We must not think we already know who we are and where we are going and then the great Way will open to us and the right Way will be clear. It will not be just a pre-existing prejudice. Often when we think of the right way, it is in what Flaubert used to call "received ideas", with a curl of his lip. It is just something that we have never examined and do not own in our hearts. But when we do walk the right way, we”ll find it is generous; the images of the wind over the lake, the image of inner truth. "Thus the superior person discusses criminal cases in order to delay executions." I hadn”t thought of the benefits of law taking so long. "But the superior person tries to penetrate people”s minds with understanding," says the I-Ching, "in order to gain a sympathetic appreciation of their circumstances. The deep understanding that knows how to pardon is considered the highest form of justice and this springs not from weakness but from clarity."

　　Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish teacher who lived about two thousand years ago, said "When a righteous person searches for the nature of all things, an admirable discovery is made. Everything is God”s grace. Every being in the world and the world itself manifests the blessing and the generosity of God." I think the bond between us in the Sangha are very important. The inner truth hexagram also has something about kindred spirit here. It is the second moving line: "A crane calling in the shade, its young answers it. I have a good goblet, I will share it with you." This refers to the involuntary influence of a person”s inner being upon persons of kindred spirit. "The crane need not show itself on a high hill, it can be quite hidden when it sounds its call, yet its young will hear its note, will recognise it and give answer. Where there is a joyous mood, there is a friend who will appear to enjoy a glass of wine. This is the echo awakened in people through spiritual attraction. Whenever a feeling is voiced with truth and frankness, whenever a deed is a clear expression of sentiment, a mysterious and far-reaching influence is exerted. At first it acts on those who are inwardly receptive but the circle grows larger and larger. The root of all influence lies in one”s own inner being. Given true and vigorous expression in word and deed, its effect is great but the effect is the reflection of something that emanates from one”s own heart. Any deliberate intention of an effect would only destroy the possibility of producing it." This the way of zazen. We are not trying to bring anything about. We are just following the way of the inner truth.

　　Huang Po, who was the teacher of the great Lin-chi said, "This pure mind which is the source of all things shines forever with the radiance of its own perfection. Most people are not aware of it and think that the mind just sees, hears, feels and knows and that”s all it is. They don”t perceive the radiance of the source. If they could eliminate their conceptual thinking, the source would appear like the sun rising through the empty sky and illuminating tke universe. "

　　So here we are in the midst of that radiance in eternal sesshin. I think we all know how beautiful zazen can be by now, as well as how difficult. I should like you in your zazen not only to raise up the love of the Way and to keep trying to keep it alive, keep the possibility of change and more opening there. But also to allow that sense of play and lightness that is so characteristic of zazen, that "wandering out into the garden" quality. It is not necessary to be clenched and grim. We are in a place where we can trust our own hearts. All we need to do is to bring our attention to bear and the Tao will naturally carry you, will align with you, will open of itself, and then, as Huang Po says, "The sun will rise."

《Inner Truth - Tanks and Pears》全文阅读结束。