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Practice is nothing other than the
capacity to arouse fearless energy.
Without this energy,
whatever practices you perform,
whatever virtuous feelings you have,
all are without substance.
Without this energy,
will you be prepared when
you come face to face with death
in your ordinary state of mind?
How then will you persevere over other hardships?

~ Suzuki Shosan (1579-1655)

The moon’s appearance, a river of stars,
snow-clad pines, clouds hovering on mountain peaks.
In darkness, they glow with brightness.
In shadows, they shine with a splendid light.
Like the dreaming of a crane flying in empty space,
like the clear, still water of an autumn pool,
endless eons dissolve into nothingness,
each indistinguishable from the other.
In this illumination all striving is forgotten.

~ Hung Chih Cheng Chueh (1091-1157)

Immovable as mountains,
single-mindedly seeking true awakening,
with a mind inspired to effort
cultivate the path of concentration,
practice diligently for countless eons
with never any regression or digression.

~ Avatamsaka Sutra

In the ocean of the holy dharma
There is neither movement nor stillness.
The essence of the wave is like a mirror;
When something comes, the reflection appears.
When there is nothing in the mind,
Wind and waves are both forgotten.

~ Gido

Buddhas and ordinary people are equally illusions.

If you go looking for the true form,

it is a speck of dust in the eye.

The burnt bones of this old monk

embrace heaven and earth;

Do no scatter the cold ashes to mountain and sky.

~ Bukko (d. 1286)

All of the hundreds and thousands of
Dharma doors return to the mind.
The immeasurable subtle virtues
are in the source of mind.
All the doors of perception,
meditation, wisdom,
spiritual penetration,
and transformation are
contained in one’s mind.

~ Fa-yung (593-657)

I built a hut beside a path
But hear no cart or horse
You ask how this can be?
A distant mind is a far off place
Picking mums by the eastern fence
I lose myself in the southern hills.
The mountain air, the sunset light,
Birds flying home together.
In this there is a truth
To know, but not to say.

~ T’ao Yuan-ming

Although we know that a
Frozen pond is entirely water,
The sun’s heat is necessary to melt it.
Although we awaken to the fact
That an ordinary person is Buddha,
The power of dharma is necessary
To make it permeate our cultivation.
When the pond has melted,
The water flows freely.
When falsity is extinguished,
The mind will be numinous
And dynamic, and then its function
Of penetrating brightness will manifest.

~ Kuei-feng

The hermit practices the
Bleached Bones Meditation,
The Mahasattva vanishes into the void
like sweet dew, each of the six senses
is completely clean and pure,
Both the mind and the world
are out of the ordinary.
For me, the True Source has
not yet completely matured,
And the residue of unrooted
habits still lingers on.
It is like the falcon who although set free,
Still feels the tug of the midnight leash.

~ Su Shih (1075)

To look at life is like being in a dream;
It is really noisy being in the dream.
Everything stops when the dreamer suddenly awakens,
And in the same way as a dreamer awakes,
The wise understand how to wake from the dream.
The deluded believe in the dream and are disturbed
That understanding and dreaming seem to be two aspects.
When once the truth is comprehended,
There is no other comprehension.

~ Pen Ching (d.761)

Better than a thousand hollow words
is one word that brings peace.
Better than a thousand hollow verses
is one verse that brings peace.
It is better to conquer yourself
than to win a thousand battles.
Then the victory is yours.

Buddha in the Dhammapada

Singularly radiating is the wondrous Light;
Free is it from the bondage of matter and the senses.
Not binding by words and letters,
The Essence is nakedly exposed in its pure eternity.
Never defiled is the Mind-nature;
It exists in perfection from the very beginning.
By merely casting away your delusions
The Suchness of Buddhahood is realized.

~ Seng T’san (d.606)

Silently and serenely, one forgets all words,
Clearly and vividly, it appears before you.
When one realizes it, time has no limits.
When experienced, your surroundings come to life.
Singularly illuminating is this bright awareness,
Full of wonder is the pure illumination.

~ Hung Chih Cheng Chueh (1092-1157)

To learn to be always in a state of meditation means never to let your vital energy wane. You would never allow it to do so if it were certain that you were to die tomorrow. It wanes because you forget about death. Grit your teeth, fix your gaze, and observe death at this moment. You have to feel it so strongly that is seems as if it’s attacking you. Fearless energy comes from this. At this moment death is right before your eyes. It’s not something you can afford to neglect.

~ Suzuki Shosan (1579-1655)

You are no different from Buddha.
There is no other Dharma.
Simply let your mind be carefree.
You do not need to contemplate
your action and to purify your mind.
Let your mind be boundless
and without any obstruction.
Be free from going and coming.
Whether you walk or stay,
sit or lie down, and whatever
you see or meet,
all are the subtle functions of Buddha.
It is joy without sorrow.
This is called Buddha.

~ Fa-yung (593-657)