16 Quotes By Zen Master Huang Po

From The Zen Teachings Of Huang Po:

“Suppose a warrior, forgetting that he was already wearing his pearl on his forehead, were to seek for it elsewhere, he could travel the whole world without finding it.”

“Learn only how to avoid seeking for and attaching yourselves to anything.”

“There is only the one reality, neither to be realized nor attained.”

“Words used to attract the dull of wit are not to be relied on.”

“Observe things as they are and don’t pay attention to other people. There are some people just like mad dogs barking at everything that moves, even barking when the wind stirs among the grass and leaves.”

“Study leads to the retention of concepts and so the Way is entirely misunderstood.”

“When the fish is caught we pay no more attention to the trap.”

“All the concepts you have formed in the past must be discarded and replaced by void.”

“If you would spend all your time—walking, standing, sitting or lying down—learning to halt the concept-forming activities of your own mind, you could be sure of ultimately attaining the goal.”

“Throughout this life, you can never be certain of living long enough to take another breath.”

“FUNDAMENTAL DOCTRINE OF THE DHARMA IS THAT THERE ARE NO DHARMAS, YET THAT THIS DOCTRINE OF NO-DHARMA IS IN ITSELF A DHARMA; AND NOW THAT THE NO-DHARMA DOCTRINE HAS BEEN TRANSMITTED, HOW CAN THE DOCTRINE OF THE DHARMA BE A DHARMA?”

“Total abstraction leading to elimination of sense-perception.”

“Those who seek the truth by means of intellect and learning only get further and further away from it.”

“From morning till night, we should never rely on a single thing.”

“FIRST, LEARN HOW TO BE ENTIRELY UNRECEPTTVE TO SENSATIONS ARISING FROM EXTERNAL FORMS, THEREBY PURGING YOUR BODIES OF RECEPTIVITY TO EXTERNALS. SECOND, LEARN NOT TO PAY ATTENTION TO ANY DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THIS AND THAT ARISING FROM YOUR SENSATIONS, THEREBY PURGING YOUR BODIES OF USELESS DISCERNMENTS BETWEEN ONE PHENOMENON AND ANOTHER. THIRD, TAKE GREAT CARE TO AVOID DISCRIMINATING IN TERMS OF PLEASANT AND UNPLEASANT SENSATIONS, THEREBY PURGING YOUR BODIES OF VAIN DISCRIMINATIONS. FOURTH, AVOID PONDERING THINGS IN YOUR MIND, THEREBY PURGING YOUR BODIES OF DISCRIMINATORY COGNITION.”

“The past has not gone; the present is a fleeting moment; the future is not yet to come.”