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The Great Way: The Third Patriarch of Zen Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T’san

If you seek out a more spiritual existence, more connected with BEING, and less focused on WANTING, HAVING and DOING, it’s important to live in a state of non-resistance, non-attachment and non-judgement. The Third Patriarch of Zen Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T’san is a great guide to being more spiritually aligned.

The Third Patriarch of Zen Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T’san

The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Make the smallest distinction, however,
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.

If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.
To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.
When the deep meaning of things is not understood,
the mind’s essential peace is disturbed to no avail.

The Way is perfect like vast space
where nothing is lacking and nothing in excess.
Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject
that we do not see the true nature of things.

Live neither in the entanglements of outer things,
nor in inner feelings of emptiness.
Be serene in the oneness of things and such
erroneous views will disappear by themselves.

When you try to stop activity by passivity
your very effort fills you with activity.
As long as you remain in one extreme or the other
you will never know Oneness.

Those who do not live in the single Way
fail in both activity and passivity,
assertion and denial.
To deny the reality of things
is to miss their reality;
To assert the emptiness of things
is to miss their reality.

The more you talk and think about it,
the further astray you wander from the truth.
Stop talking and thinking,
and there is nothing you will not be able to know.

To return to the root is to find meaning,
but to pursue appearances is to miss the source.
At the moment of inner enlightenment
there is a going beyond appearance and emptiness.
The changes that appear to occur in the empty world
we call real only because of our ignorance.

Do not search for the truth;
only cease to cherish opinions.
do not remain in the dualistic state.
Avoid such pursuits carefully.
If there is even a trace of this and that,
of right and wrong,
the mind-essence will be lost in confusion.

Although all dualities come from the One,
do not be attached even to this One.
When the mind exists undisturbed in the Way,
nothing in the world can offend.
And when a thing can no longer offend,
it ceases to exist in the old way.

When no discriminating thoughts arise,
the old mind ceases to exist.
When thought objects vanish,
the thinking-subject vanishes:
As when the mind vanishes, objects vanish.

Things are objects because of the subject (mind):
the mind (subject) is such because of things (object).
Understand the relativity of these two
and the basic reality: the unity of emptiness.
In this Emptiness the two are indistinguishable
and each contains in itself the whole world.
If you do not discriminate between coarse and fine
you will not be tempted to prejudice and opinion.

To live in the Great Way is neither easy nor difficult.
But those with limited views are fearful and irresolute:
the faster they hurry, the slower they go.
And clinging (attachment) cannot be limited:
Even to be attached to the idea of enlightenment
is to go astray.
Just let things be in their own way
and there will be neither coming nor going.
Obey the nature of things (your own nature)
and you will walk freely and undisturbed.

When the thought is in bondage the truth is hidden
for everything is murky and unclear.
And the burdensome practice of judging
brings annoyance and weariness.
What benefit can be derived
from distinctions and separations?

If you wish to move in the One Way
do not dislike even the world of senses and ideas.
Indeed, to accept them fully
is identical with enlightenment.

The wise man strives to no goals
but the foolish man fetters himself.

There is one Dharma, not many.
Distinctions arise
from the clinging needs of the ignorant.
To seek Mind with the (discriminating) mind
is the greatest of all mistakes.

Rest and unrest derive from illusion;
with enlightenment
there is no liking and disliking.
All dualities come from ignorant inference.
They are like dreams or flowers in air –
foolish to try to grasp them.
Gain and loss, right and wrong,
such thoughts must
finally be abolished at once.

If the eye never sleeps,
all dreams will naturally cease.
If the mind makes no discriminations,
the ten thousand things are as they are,
of single essence.
To understand the mystery of this One-essence
is to be released from all entanglements.
When all things are seen equally
the timeless Self-essence is reached,
No comparisons or analogies are possible
in this causeless, relationless state.
Consider movement stationary
and the stationary in motion,
both movement and rest disappear.
When such dualities cease to exist
Oneness itself cannot exist.
To this ultimate finality
no law or description applies.

For the unified mind in accord with the way
all self-centered striving ceases.
Doubts and irresolutions vanish
and life in true faith is possible.
With a single stroke we are freed from bondage:
Nothing clings to us and we hold to nothing.

All is empty, clear, self-illuminating,
with no exertion of the mind’s power.
Here thought, feeling,
knowledge and imagination are of no value.

In this world of suchness
there is neither self nor other-than-self.
To come directly into harmony with this reality
just say when doubt rises “not two”.
In this “not two” nothing is separate,
nothing is excluded.

No matter when or where,
enlightenment means entering this truth.
And this truth is beyond extension
or diminution in time and space:
In it a single thought is ten thousand years.

Emptiness here, emptiness there,
but the infinite universe
stands always before your eyes.
Infinitely large and infinitely small;
no difference, for definitions have vanished
and no boundaries are seen.

So too with Being and non-Being.
Don’t waste time in doubts and arguments
That have nothing to do with this.

One thing, all things,
move among and intermingle without distinction.
To live in this realization
is to be without anxiety about non-perfection.
To live in this faith is the road to non-duality,
because the non-dual is one with the trusting mind.

Words!
The Way is beyond language,
for in it there is
no yesterday
no tomorrow
no today.

Translated from the Chinese by Richard B. Clarke
Featured in Jack Kornfield, Teachings of the Buddha.

Thanks for reading, please check out our spirituality guide while you’re here.

As a bonus, I came across this insightful audio version of Alan Watts “The Book” which covers the same subject matter and is a great companion for this post. If the video doesn’t play, please let me know so that I can update it. I have also included a link to the book and audible versions below, in case you want your own copy of a great piece of work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuQnhtdZpCs

Politics: Serving The Ego

POLITICS is a game of opinion. Sold on half truths and well presented self-serving arguments and unfulfillable promises. It is a battle waged by Egos vying for power. It is most divisive, it has to be to work.

Made up of rigid mental positions driven by beliefs and values that refuse to see the validity of another way, all in the pursuit of power. Held together by projections of what could go right or wrong if only…

The winner is the one who is most persuasive, the losers must go back and construct better persuasive arguments, and tell their target audience what they want to hear, and divert attention away from their failure to subsequently deliver.

Opinions of the Ego

Your BELIEFS and VALUES form your OPINIONS. To you they are the truth, but to others they are just OPINION. The fact you believe in them so much means you are lost in Ego.

To clarify what I mean by Ego, Ego, the way I am using it in this article (and the way I use it throughout the site), is identification with THOUGHT. It’s the process of mistakenly believing your thoughts to be who you are. Identification means to “make like”. Thoughts include BELIEFS and VALUES at their core, out of which come OPINIONS.

Get Results: everything we hear is opinion

Separation: The Enemy

Alternative views are cast as the enemy and the evil that lurks ready to destroy any chance for utopia, and those that hold them are seen as misguided, uneducated and not to be trusted to cast their vote. This allow us to dehumanise them, and prevents any connection or chance of empathy and compassion.

We see examples of this in arguments about Brexit, and Donald Trump. Separation is forged as sides are taken. Winners and losers, competition for gaining the moral ground, all are classic Ego positioning.

Get Results: bother each other with opinions

United by Intent

We must remember that all we have are opinions, that have become polar opposites with exaggerated consequences. They are not the truth. Truth comes from what motivates both sides, which is INTENT. We are divided by opinion, but united by intent. We all want the same thing, to have a better life, and do what is best for us and our loved ones, we disagree about how best to achieve it.

Instead of working towards something that works for all, politics keeps us stuck in division with no will to find a solution that works for all. Instead of conflict, we should try to work towards acknowledging and respecting alternative views and working towards a mutually rewarding solution.

For more about spiritual enlightenment check out our spiritual and wellbeing guide.

Putting knowledge Into Action

The old saying goes “You can’t beat experience.” You can be told time and again how to do something, but until you’ve actually experienced it, you don’t and can’t really know.

Taking action is key

Imagine trying to ride a bike, simply by reading a step by step process from a book. There are certain things that just can’t be conveyed by words. The experience of feeling the point of balance, of instinctively knowing how to shift weight to stay upright, can only be learned by DOING.

As the poster quote says at the top of this post;

“When you’re told it you might believe it, when you’ve done it, you know it.”

You can read as much as you like, glean insight and understanding about a subject, and you should, but without actually taking action to do something with that information, what’s the point? How do you really know it works?

There are many things that sound plausible, and on an intellectual level can be believed as fact, but without first hand experience, there is no way to know for certain.

We might fall foul of hidden agendas, manipulated for someone else’s gain, suckered into buying something we don’t need, all because of a compelling proposition and reasoned argument.

Information is abundant, you can Google just about anything, and find thousands of webpages devoted to it. If you look hard enough, you’ll also find lots of contradictory information on many topics, that might result in your head spinning with confusion.

Find reliable sources

I personally try to find reliable source of knowledge that risk their reputation and credibility on the information they impart on others, and that have impartial testimonials and reviews to back their claims. They are people that know what they are talking about, because they have succeeded in what they teach, they have first hand experience. They can be role models, mentors, or mastermind teams. You can study their models, relationships, systems and habits to get an good overall view of their approach.

Trial and Error

I then progress with a plan of action in mind and test their approaches for myself. This process of trial and error, can be an expensive one if you’re not careful, both financially and time wise, but I like to see for myself. Does it work for me? I do a process of DO, TEST, MEASURE, and TWEAK. The experience of others is a starting point, it’s an insight that can be used to build from. It might provide information that you hadn’t considered for yourself, and you can take things forward from there.

Don’t fear failure

You should never be scared of failure because it is an integral part of the learning process, just as much as your successes. “There is no failure only feedback.”

Improve skill

As you progress towards your destination or goal, your experience will improve as long as you adopt “purposeful practice” and along with it, your SKILL will improve. To be considered as an expert, it is commonly believed to involve 10,000 hours of purposeful practice.

Delegating

You can’t be good at everything and sometimes you would be best advised to employ the services of an expert, saving yourself time and effort, providing you can afford the expense of course. If you can’t afford it, then the one thing you do have is time. Stop binge watching the latest season of “House of Cards” and knuckle down to some purposeful practice and skill look towards improving and refining your skills.

However be very careful what you delegate to others. If you’re building an online business, you can employ a website designer to help you out, but you should know what is needed for success and ensure you direct them as to what you want and need, don’t just expect them to know, or care on your behalf. You’re the driver, and should take ultimate responsibility, using experts where appropriate, under your supervision and in-line with your vision. Use their knowledge, and experience of course, but don’t blindly offload everything without overseeing and understanding what’s going on.

Taking Action Quotes

Achievement and Fulfilment: Getting The Balance Right

When looking to attain HAPPINESS, attention is often focused on things like, the acquisition of economic wealth. The thinking goes, the more money a person acquires, the more freedom they can enjoy, and the happier they will be.

People also think the more stuff they own the more they will “BE“. Entangling possessions with their sense of self, can lead to all kinds of insecurities, because the flip side goes like this, the more stuff you have the more you have to lose.

Being a success is also seen to bring with it a sense of status. Society looks up to high achievers, putting them on a pedestal, so we can all aspire to be like them.

So ACHIEVEMENT becomes a measure of SELF-WORTH.

However if you’re looking for happiness in such things, you’re likely to be disappointed.

True happiness, will not come from anything external to you, from things like money, image or status.

Instead look to internal values and feelings that result in a sense of FULFILMENT.

FULFILMENT comes from things like personal growth and understanding of self, close relationships with friends and family and a strong sense of community and contribution. Such goals are more spiritual in nature.

We’ve included a number of guides on this website, that cover both ACHIEVEMENT and FULFILMENT.

On the fulfilment side, our Spirituality guide, Health guide.

On the achievement side, our Wealth guide, Business guide, Marketing guide.

These two aspects of life can coexist if you know how to balance them. Your primary aim should be to look after your spiritual health “BEING or fulfilment”, and secondary purpose is “DOING or achievement”. The aim should always be to bring BEING into any DOING.

Using Or Being Used By FEAR

Get Results: motivation fear drives appetite for more

I recently created a couple of graphics around the idea that fear of being nothing drives us to get and thus be more. The first graphic was designed from a spiritual perspective and says:

“The FEAR of HAVING and thus BEING nothing drives our appetite to get and thus be more and more and more and more and more. In reality, we can never be nothing because we are everything.”

Get Results: fear drives appetite for more

The second was designed from a motivational perspective, with almost the same wording and can be seen at the top of this post.

This got me thinking about how, effectively the same subject, can be viewed as a negative and a positive, depending how you choose to frame it.

What both of these graphics are saying is true, the seeming contradiction comes about because of the intent behind how “THE FEAR OF HAVING AND THUS BEING NOTHING” is used.

If we psychologically lose ourselves in this fear, being fully identified with it, it becomes a negative because we are a slave to it. It controls us, rather than the other way round.

If we use it as a technique to get us to the next level, and to grow, without fully identifying with it, it can be a good thing that positively motivates us. This is a subtle but skillful difference, which is difficult to distinguish between. However the contrast is as different as day and night.

The INSECURITY Paradox

INSECURITY can be very debilitating. It also has at the heart of it, a paradox. People tend to believe the more they HAVE, in the way of possessions and assets, the more they ARE. They entangle their self worth with stuff they own. They weigh their value as a person, by the size of their house, the brand of their car, the status of their job or business, the amount of money in their bank. The need to GET more, is driven by the need to BE more.

When operating from this mindset, and most people do if we’re being honest about it, then they’re never going to be able to satisfy this need. They will always want more. It’s an insatiable appetite that can NOT be satisfied.

On the other hand, and this is where the paradox kicks in, the more they HAVE, in the way of possessions and assets, the more they have TO LOSE. The fear of loss can be a further driver to accumulate even more stuff, in an attempt to get further away from the threat of loss and the possibility of HAVING nothing and thus BEING nothing. You see how insecurity feeds into this from all sides. It’s a situation that can’t be won.

INSECURITY is in fact a good motivator for CHANGE, but for the wrong reasons. When people buy into this way of thinking, there is no end point, it’s a constant source of discontentment in their lives.

If insecurity can be used to drive change and motivate action, enough to get you to where you want to be (goal), and you then have the capacity to switch it off and be contented with your situation when you have attained your goal, it can be a powerful tool. Unfortunately the underlying insecurity is often strengthened by being employed in this way and even harder to break, when you need to break it. When you reach your goal, you will have something else to strive for because your INSECURITY will convince you, you’re still not enough.

To prove this point out, look at the constant struggle many “A” list celebrities have with the constant need for approval, even when they seem to have it all, with millions in the bank and the adoration of their followers, their insecurity is often driving this need and subsequent behaviour.

Jim Carrey in a popular Golden Globes award acceptance speech joked;

“I am two-time Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey. You know, when I go to sleep at night, I’m not just a guy going to sleep, I’m two-time Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey getting some well-needed shut-eye. And when I dream, I don’t dream just any old dream. No sir. I dream about being three-time Golden Globe-winning actor Jim Carrey. because then I would be enough. It would finally be true. And I could stop this terrible search.”

He also is quoted as saying;

“I’ve often said, I wish people could realise all their dreams of wealth and fame so that they can see that it’s not where they’re going to find their sense of completion.”

So how do we get rid of INSECURITY? We all suffer from it to some degree, some more than others.

The most important thing you can do to free yourself from the possession of INSECURITY is to shine the light of AWARENESS onto it. Improve SELF AWARENESS and acknowledge the fact you are insecure. Even better confront and question your personal thought processes around insecurity.

Insecurity is built into us due to the evolutionary survival need. Insecurity helped our ancestors stay alive in a dangerous world, surrounded by wild animals. Today we still need it, to less of a degree, to survive in the modern dog eat dog world, but not to the extent that it drives us to despair.

It may have been further strengthened, by negative childhood experiences, and in more severe cases, from childhood trauma. If you’ve ever felt stupid, or that you’re not enough, that you weren’t as good as others, that others were better, faster, smarter, more capable, had more than you, were better looking than you, these would be examples of your insecurity, which are likely to be still haunting your memories and shaping your current behaviour.

To break INSECURITY you need to operate at a higher conscious level, above identification with THOUGHT. Thinking, particularly emotional thinking is always driven by fear. It’s main purpose after all is designed around our survival. When you take your thoughts to be WHO YOU ARE, you lose sight of the fact that thoughts are just thoughts. You can observe them, you can listen to the voice in your head, but as the observer you don’t make them part of you, of WHO YOU ARE, or THINK YOU ARE.

Your TRUE SELF is hidden in plain sight. Only obscured by identification with thought. It requires a SPIRITUAL AWAKENING, which is nothing more than freeing yourself from IDENTIFICATION WITH THOUGHT. It can be something of a journey for some, but it’s well worth the effort of SPIRITUAL PRACTICE.

Check out my spiritual guide for more information. Sign up for our newsletter for content not available on the website.

Consequences Of Being Lost In WANTING

What is it with mankind’s preoccupation with WANTING, wanting more and more, wanting better.. The growth mindset.

People often value WANTING more than they value HAVING. Think about it for a second, how much of your thoughts are made up of WANTING the next thing on your list and how much is spent appreciating what you HAVE?

So the lesson we need to learn is that being lost in WANTING should be tempered with AWARENESS of how our WANTING is causing us to miss the bigger picture perspective.

Bring AWARENESS into your THOUGHTS, add space around them. When we lose ourselves in incessant WANTING we lose ourselves in thought, and become preoccupied with what the future holds and in doing so, miss the PRESENT MOMENT where our lives actually unfold.

Below are a few graphics to illustrate this…

For more about spiritual awakening, please check out our spiritual guide.

Muddy Water Is Best Cleared By Leaving It Alone

When things go wrong, sometimes the best thing to do, is do nothing at all and see how things play out.

Bad decision-making is usually a result of making rash decisions, under pressure and when you’re highly charged with emotion. This is not a good time to be making decisions.

Give yourself some space and time to think things through, even get someone else’s view, to try to get a different perspective.

I like to use the decision matrix to help me think choices through in a rational way, again, if you are finding it difficult to look at the issue objectively, get some assistance from someone you trust to help you with it.

Click on the link for more about decision making.

But coming back to the initial point, sometimes the best decision is to do nothing, just let it be, and see how things progress. Sometimes things sort themselves out, without any intervention.

This is not to say you should bury your head in the sand and pretend it isn’t happening, hoping it will go away, this would be a disempowering coping strategy.

Instead, understand that doing nothing will always be one of your choices and not making a knee jerk reaction is nearly always a good idea.

Awakening from the Ego

Awakening is the process of lifting your awareness out of the Ego and freeing yourself from identification with compulsive thought. Doing so allows you to enjoy a more spiritual existence free of fear and all negative emotions which come about when living under the influence of the Ego.

Below are some quotes and wise words relating to awakening, that I have collated, and have taken inspiration and direction from, hope you enjoy them and find them useful on your journey to spiritual enlightenment.

Bookmark this page because I’ll be adding new content to it, as and when I come across it.

Get Results: Awakening: use thought don't be used by it — Get Results: Awakening: use thought don’t be used by it

If you would like more information about spirituality, feel free to check out my spirituality and wellbeing guide.

We Can’t All Be Right But We Could All Be Wrong

Eckhart Tolle describes, in his book A New Earth: Create a Better Life, how much of Mankind is currently under the control of the Ego and this is the cause of much social unrest and conflict around the world.

The Ego is thought you identify with, and to a large extent, is concerned with self-preservation, and in order to carry out that function is fearful by nature. It is preoccupied with the fear of pain and destruction.

Being rather imaginative, it comes up with all sorts of mind constructed scenarios resulting in its demise. It tries to build itself up so that it is more on the one hand, while resisting change and uncertainty on the other, instead opting for routine, consistency and predictability..

The Ego believes that by having more (possessions, ideas, psychological positioning) it will be more, and the more it is, the less chance of being nothing. While at the same time, fearing the more it has, the more it has to lose.

There is no scenario, that can end well, from a mindset of fear. Fear makes us inward looking, exclusive and more selfish because we believe the lie of scarcity, if there is not enough to go round we better grab our share, while we can.

Fear creates division, which in turn breaks communication, which in turn creates misunderstanding. For us to be more there needs to be an “other” that has less. We can’t be better or stronger if there isn’t an “other” to be less or weaker. There is no greater “other” than an “enemy”.

We all hold opinions based on social, political and cultural upbringing. Our parent’s, family, friends, colleagues, and mainstream media tell us their opinions and we make them our own, without really taking a long hard look at the logic and spirit behind them. These opinions become our beliefs and values, and over time, set into rigid thought patterns. We base all our decision making on these beliefs and values, they shape all aspects of our lives. Some of them serve us, but many hold us back from pursuing the kind of lives we would like to live, because they are consumed by fear.

Our Ego, in its attempt for growth, has us believing “we” are right and “they” are wrong. Our stance of superiority has us believing our perspective is the only valid one, so we fail to listen and be empathetic to other’s counter views, which are equally valid from their perspective. We can’t all be right but we could all be wrong.

Those with superior education might consider their views more informed, but if the source of that knowledge, turns out to be biased, than they might just be more brainwashed and less open to opposing narratives and views.

The media is largely responsible for fueling our fears, but they only supply what interests us, so while under the influence of the Ego, we pay more attention to, and takes interest in, fearful stories and bad news, so that we might avoid such situations ourselves in the future.

What is the solution for escaping such a destructive situation? Return your self-preservation instruct to servant and end its role as master. Open your heart and mind to opposing perspectives. Embrace an empathetic mindset and allow yourself to learn from others. Without the Ego in charge, there is only love and inclusion, and from that comes peace and prosperity for all.

If your interested in spirituality, check out our spiritual and wellbeing guide.

The Great Way: The Third Patriarch of Zen Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T’san

The Third Patriarch of Zen Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T’san

Further Reading

Like this:

Politics: Serving The Ego

Opinions of the Ego

Separation: The Enemy

United by Intent

Like this:

Putting knowledge Into Action

Taking action is key

Find reliable sources

Trial and Error

Don’t fear failure

Improve skill

Delegating

Taking Action Quotes

Like this:

Achievement and Fulfilment: Getting The Balance Right

Like this:

Using Or Being Used By FEAR

Like this:

The INSECURITY Paradox

Like this:

Consequences Of Being Lost In WANTING

Like this:

Muddy Water Is Best Cleared By Leaving It Alone

Like this:

Awakening from the Ego

Like this:

We Can’t All Be Right But We Could All Be Wrong

Like this:

The Third Patriarch of Zen Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T’san

Further Reading

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Like this:

Opinions of the Ego

Separation: The Enemy

United by Intent

Share this:

Like this:

Taking action is key

Find reliable sources

Trial and Error

Don’t fear failure

Improve skill

Delegating

Taking Action Quotes

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