ZEN - CH'AN PRACTICE IN CULTIVATION

21.1 What is Ch'an (Zen)?

Ch'an Buddhism is the core of Buddhism. Once, after a sermon, Gautama Buddha
(Shakyamuni) held up a flower before the assembly and the only person who understood
the profound meaning of this gesture was Mahakasypa; he responded with a smile.
Subsequently, the Buddha said "Here the Tathagata's Dharma-Eye, profound Nirvanic
Mind, formless Reality, profound and mystical Dharma, the wordless Doctrine, Special
Transmission outside the Scriptures, now I transmit to Mahakasypa to be my successor."
Thus Mahakasypa became the First Patriarch of Ch'an in India.
The founder of Ch'an in China is Bodhidharma who came to that country from India during
the reign of the Emperor of Liang Wu-ti in the sixth century A.D. Since then down to the
Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng, Ch'an had a large number of followers. At that time, the general
practice of Ch'an was to point directly at one's mind with just a few understanding words
and one became enlightened instantly. From this it can be seen that the Ch'an practice
depends on no words and emphasizes no setting up of words and letters.
21.2 Realizing the True Mind
Fundamentally, inexplicable by words, Ch'an is the mind-to-mind transmission in a simple,
direct manner and to the point.
Our mind is always illusory in its creation and cessation, and the conceptual thought in our
mind is basically false. A mind of inequality and discrimination is the source of affliction. If
we can refrain from thinking of anything and keep our mind blank and free from
conceptual thought, we will see the spontaneous manifestation of essence of the self-mind
by itself at that instant.
In reality, a blank and empty mind is nothing unusual in everyday life, but because it
comes in a flash, we are unaware of it and so let it slip by unknowingly, thus missing the
opportunity of self-experiencing when we would probably say "Oh! there you are." as a
mark of recognition. However, as thoughts come and go in succession, there is bound to
be an interval in which the preceding thought has gone while the succeeding thought is
still unborn, so we cannot help asking this question. "What sort of phenomenon is this?" If
we look into the mind pointedly and vigilantly, we will realize our understanding of its
reality spontaneously and instantaneously. (Please note that all this is said in the above
is only verbal communication and nothing of concrete value, but the moment you
experience self-realization, Truth is right before you).
21.3 Ch'an Hua Tou
Now we may see that the Ch'an practice is to realize the true nature of the mind, to point
directly to it and to be aware of what it is here and now, and from this standpoint,
fundamentally the so-called Ch'an Hua Tou and raising a doubtmethods of cultivation
should have been out of place in the Ch'an practice. However, in view of the fact that at

later period practitioners, generally of inferior root and dull mentality and being unable to
see the mind directly, used to indulge themselves in the verbal Ch'an practice (they merely
talked about Ch'an) to outwit each other, the Patriarchs and Ch'an Masters had to rectify
them by adopting the expedient means of Ch'an Hua
Tou.
The practice of Ch'an Hua Tou is to halt the mind,
usually distracted by the external influence of the
environment, and to turn it to look inward and to
concentrate with the utmost attention on that thought
provoking sentence known as Hua Tou. (If one cannot evoke one's attention in the
practice, this simply shows one's lack of sincerity). Hence, the greater doubt, the greater
understanding and inversely speaking, the less doubt, the less understanding. Because of
its power of illuminating wisdom and intensifying concentration, the practice of Ch'an Hua
Tou is really a profound Dharma to discipline the mind. Some of the popular thought
provoking sentences for practicing Ch'an Hua Tou are as follows:
"All things return to the One, but where does the One return?"
"Before I was born, where is that Fundamental Face?"
"Who is reciting Buddha?", etc. etc.
"Who" is the most important word among those Hua Tou, for as soon as it is said, instantly
it raises the point of doubt.
21.4 A Probe in Cultivation
How is it that the Ch'an practice can lead one to probe into Truth? Master Hsu Yun says:
"Regarding the question Who is reciting Buddha?, everyone knows that 'Who' refers to the
reciter himself. But is recitation done by the mouth or by the mind? If he does it by the
mouth, why can't he do it after death? And if it is done by the mind, who knows that the
mind does it since the mind is unattainable? So the practitioner should concentrate his
attention on the question word 'Who', the key word of the Hua Tou, and also should recite
softly and not harshly; the softer, the better; he should look into that question-word with
awareness of the time. As long as the point of doubt remains, concentrate your awareness
of it but if the doubt is not present, try to recall it gently". The practice of Ch'an Hua Tou
does not call for vigorous and persistent repetition as the Name-reciting method does,
also it is different from the way of solving a riddle for it defies all subjective thinking and
conceptualization for dialectical purpose; in the view of Ch'an Masters, even the thought to
attain wisdom and enlightenment is itself a hindrance to the practice of Ch'an Hau Tou,
and all worldly views and saintly interpretations should be done away with totally!
In short, every practitioner should look inward and give full attention and intense
concentration on the point of doubt so as to be aware of it continuously without break. At
the beginning of the practice, most likely wandering thoughts would come about only too
frequently, but if the practitioner may just ignore them and concentrate on the enquiry, he

should be able to keep up his awareness. The longer the practice, the better he will
develop and enhance his awareness, and when the moment of perfect practice arrives, all
thoughts and even the point of doubt would drop out automatically, then by selfexperiencing, the fundamental still and illuminating Self-Nature would be spontaneously
realized. Now that we can realize the substance of the mind, we should extend its
functions to all activities of daily life, and so much we may wipe out our passions, so much
we may enhance the power of concentration and wisdom and so much we would liberate
ourselves from the environmental influence and enjoy true freedom, this may be said to be
the crowning achievement of cultivating Buddhism.
The popular idea of Zen is that it's, like, Japanese Dada, with kung fu monks. I regret that the popular
idea is a tad romanticized.
The nerdy answer to the question What is Zen? is that Zen is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that
emerged in China about 15 centuries ago. In China it is called "Ch'an" Buddhism. Ch'an is the
Chinese rendering of the Sanskrit word dhyana, which refers to a mind absorbed in meditation.
Zen" is the Japanese rendering of Ch'an. Zen is called "Thien" in Vietnam and "Seon" in Korea. In any
language, the name could be translated "Meditation Buddhism."
Here I want to provide a bare-bones introduction to Zen. Note that what follows is barely a handshake.
I will use the word "Zen" for all schools, just to keep it simple.
This article also assumes you know what Buddhism is. If you aren't sure, read theIntroduction to
Buddhism.

A Very Brief Zen History

Zen began to emerge as a distinctive school of Mahayana Buddhism when the Indian
sage Bodhidharma (ca. 470-543) taught at the Shaolin Monastery of China. (Yes, it's a real place, and
yes, there is a historic connection between kung fu and Zen.) To this day Bodhidharma is called the
First Patriarch of Zen.
Bodhidharma's teachings tapped into some developments already in progress, such as the
confluence of philosophical Taoism with Buddhism. Taoism so profoundly impacted early Zen that
some philosophers and texts are claimed by both religions. The early Mahayana philosophies
of Madhyamika (ca. 2nd century CE) and Yogacara (ca. 3rd century CE) also played huge roles in the
development of Zen.
Under the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng (638-713), Zen shed most of its vestigial Indian trappings,
becoming more Chinese and more, well, Zennish. Some consider Huineng, not Bodhidharma, to be
the true father of Zen.
His personality and influence are felt in Zen to this day.

Huineng's tenure was at the beginning of what is still called the Golden Age of Zen. This Golden Age
flourished during the same period as China's Tang Dynasty, 618-907. The masters of this Golden Age
still speak to us through koans and stories.
During these years Zen organized itself into five "houses," or five schools. Two of these, called in
Japanese the Rinzai and the Soto schools, still exist and remain distinctive from each other.
Zen was transmitted to Vietnam very early, possibly as early as the 7th century. A series of teachers
transmitted Zen to Korea during the Golden Age. Eihei Dogen (1200-1253), was not the first Zen
teacher in Japan, but he was the first to establish a lineage that lives to this day. The West took an
interest in Zen after World War II, and now Zen is establishing itself in North America, Europe, and
elsewhere.

How Zen Defines Itself

Bodhidharma's definition:
A special transmission outside the scriptures;
No dependence on words and letters;
Direct pointing to the mind of man;
Seeing into one's nature and attaining Buddhahood.
Zen is sometimes called "the face-to-face transmission of the dharma outside the sutras." Throughout
the history of Zen, teachers have transmitted their realization of dharma to students by working with
them face-to-face. This makes the lineage of teachers critical. A genuine Zen teacher can trace his or
her lineage of teachers back to Bodhidharma, and before that to the historical Buddha, and to those
Buddhas before the historical Buddha.
Certainly, large parts of the lineage charts have to be taken on faith. But if anything is treated as
sacred in Zen, it's the teachers' lineages. With very few exceptions, calling oneself a "Zen teacher"
without having received transmission from another teacher is considered a serious defilement of Zen.
While we're talking about teachers, I should mention Zen masters. In my experience, the phrase "Zen
master" is hardly ever heard inside Zen. Popular notions of "Zen master," however smarmy, roughly
correspond to what a Zen teacher is. The title "Zen master" in Japanese, "zenji," is only given
posthumously. In Zen, living Zen teachers are called "Zen teachers." An especially venerable and
beloved teacher is called "roshi," which means "old man." I'm not sure how that works when the
teacher is a woman, however. In any event, if you ever run into someone who advertises himself as a
"Zen master," be skeptical.
Bodhidharma's definition also says that Zen is not an intellectual discipline you can learn from books. Instead,
it's a practice of studying mind and seeing into one's nature. The main tool of this practice is zazen.

Zazen

The meditation practice of Zen, called "zazen" in Japanese, is the heart of Zen. Daily zazen is the
foundation of Zen practice.
You can learn the basics of zazen from books, web sites and videos. However, if you're serious about
pursuing a regular zazen practice, I recommend that you sit with others at least occasionally; most
people find it deepens the practice. If there's no monastery or Zen center handy, you might find a
"sitting group" of laypeople who sit zazen together at someone's home.
As with most forms of Buddhist meditation, beginners are taught to work with their breath to learn
concentration. Once your ability to concentrate has ripened -- expect this to take a few months -- you
may either sit "shikantaza" -- which means "just sitting" -- or do koan study with a Zen teacher.

Why Is Zazen So Important?

Like many aspects of Buddhism, most of us have to practice zazen for a while to appreciate zazen.
At first you might think of it primarily as mind training, and of course it is. If you stay with the practice,
however, your understanding of why you sit will change. I can't tell you how it will change, because
this will be your own personal and intimate journey, not mine.
One of the most difficult parts of zazen for most people to comprehend is sitting with no goals or
expectations, including an expectation of "getting enlightened." Most of us do sit with goals and
expectations for months or years before the goals are exhausted and we "just sit." Along the way, you
learn a lot about yourself.
You may find "experts" who will tell you zazen is optional in Zen, but such experts are dilettantes.
I don't care how many degrees they have or how many books they've written; they are mistaken. This
misunderstanding of the role of zazen comes from misreadings of Zen literature, which is common
because Zen literature makes no sense to literal readers.

Why Zen Makes No Sense

It isn't true that Zen makes no sense.
Rather, "making sense" of it requires understanding language differently from the way we normally
understand it.
Zen literature is full of vexatious exchanges such as Moshan's "Its Peak Cannot Be Seen"that defy
literal interpretation. However, these are not random, Dadaist utterings. Something specific is
intended. How do you understand it?

Bodhidharma said that Zen is "direct pointing to the mind." Understanding is gained through intimate
experience, not through intellect or expository prose. Words may be used, but they are used in a
presentational way, not a literal way.
Zen teacher Robert Aitken wrote in The Gateless Barrier (North Point Press, 1991, pp. 48-49):
"The presentational mode of communication is very important in Zen Buddhist teaching. This mode
can be clarified by Susanne Langer's landmark book on symbolic logic calledPhilosophy in a New
Key. She distinguishes between two kinds of language: 'Presentational' and 'Discursive.' The
presentational might be in words, but it might also be a laugh, a cry, a blow, or any other kind of
communicative action. It is poetical and nonexplanatory - the expression of Zen. The discursive, by
contrast, is prosaic and explanatory. The discursive has a place in a Zen discourse like this one,
but it tends to dilute direct teaching."
There is no secret decoder ring that will help you decipher Zenspeak. After you've practiced a while,
particularly with a teacher, you catch on. Or not. Let me just say that the Web is peppered with
academic explanations of koans that are painfully and horribly wrong, because the "scholar" analyzed
the koan as if it were discursive prose.
So, how do you understand it? If you want to understand Zen, go face the dragon in the cave for
yourself.

The Dragon in the Cave

Wherever Zen has established itself, it has rarely been one of the larger or more popular sects of
Buddhism. The truth is, it's a very difficult path, particularly for laypeople. I don't think it's for
everybody.
On the other hand, for a small sect Zen has had a disproportionate impact on the art and culture of
Asia, especially in China and Japan. Beyond kung fu and other martial arts, Zen has influenced
painting, poetry, music, flower arranging, and the tea ceremony.
Ultimately, Zen is about coming face-to-face with yourself, in a very direct and intimate way. This is
not easy. But if you like a challenge -- check it out.

Zen Emptiness is Enlightenment

Updated on January 25, 2015

Awaken

Awareness
In Zen Buddhism people become aware of thoughts. The whole universe is made up of thoughts. Once you become
objectively aware of the thoughts, you clearly see that you are not the thoughts. A big mystery then occurs. If you
are using the thoughts, you can't be the thoughts. Most people collect a few thoughts and habits and assume that
this is who they are. If you are not those thoughts and habits, because you can change them at will, then who are
you? The truth is unchangeable.

clouds

Clouds
Thoughts are like clouds passing through the sky. If we watch those clouds come and go, a natural detachment
occurs. There is no need to be emotional about them because they are just passing by. They are only notions, not a
part of us.

See
Once you see that you are separate from the thoughts, a witness, the next question naturally would be who is it
that is seeing? Let's back up and look at the seen. The objects and the people that are seen are just empty forms.
No one should be offended by that statement because if you look closely you will see that it is a fact.

shadows

The Masters
The Buddha and the Zen masters concluded that all forms are empty. This means that all the people, and everything
that you are observing has no power. You are actually consciousness observing empty forms. When you remove all
of your thoughts, it becomes clear that you have been projecting thoughts at people. They were only shadows. You
were only dealing with thoughts all along. When you are talking with someone, the words are needed, the form is
secondary. That's why you can use a telephone and get the same results. These words that you are reading indicate
certain ideas, but I am not there with you. I have merely sent these words. You are always dealing with words.

world

The Empty
It may take time, but once you see that the world is empty, you are liberated. Nothing has any power to disturb you.
As Master Lu-tsu said, "strength is in envisioning the empty, therewith the matter is settled." If you can see that you
are only dealing with your thoughts, certainly all forms are empty. How can an "empty form" disturb you? It's like
saying a shadow or a statue can disturb you. When was the last time a shadow or a statue hurt you? Other people
are just like the shadow or the statue, they have no power. It's only your thoughts. The disturbance comes from our
own thoughts, feelings and reactions to what we perceive as happening to us. As long as nothing physical has
happened to you, nothing is happening but thoughts, your thoughts. Nobody makes you suffer. You can stop at any
moment. It is only in your mind, not from outside. Suffering is an illusion based on your thoughts, feelings, memories
of bad experiences and situations that you are imagining. The other person may have said or done some action
toward you, but there is no power in it. It is void. They can't do anything to you. They are just an empty form, an
appearance. Only you have the power within yourself. You can only feel your own feelings, not others feelings or
opinions. You must remove the habit of instantly reacting negatively to your perception of rude behavior. You should
have no conditioned reflex to whatever others are doing. Be free of it with detachment. Remembering the emptiness
of forms will help you. If you remove the thoughts of them from your mind, what is happening right now? Nothing.
You are always free because without your thoughts, nothing happens to you. You need not react at all. It has
nothing to do with your being. Maharaj described others as hollow shells without any content whatsoever. Again, this
is not a cruel statement about people, it is a deep insight that awakens you to the fact that you are always only
dealing with your own mental concepts. More proof? Maharaj said he used to sit for hours repeating the words "I
AM". After a while the whole illusion of the world that was in his mind disappeared. Only silence, peace and bliss
remained. You can try it for a minute or two. Just repeat mentally the words "I AM". Don't think about anything else.

After a while, stop and return to your normal thoughts about anything. Now it is clear that you are creating your own
world with these thoughts. It is your own private world. A Zen teacher named Huang Po said when thoughts vanish,
then do all things vanish. He said every phenomena that exists is a creation of thought; therefore I need but empty
my mind to discover that all of them are void. Just let your minds become void and environmental phenomena will
void themselves; let principles cease to stir and events will cease stirring themselves. To eliminate environmental
phenomena, just put an end to your conceptual thinking. When this ceases, environmental phenomena are void. If
you can only rid yourselves of conceptual thought, you will have accomplished everything. He said, if we practice
stopping of thoughts, the mind will become tranquil. Pai-chang said, everything is in a state of quiescence right
where it is. Fenyang said, once you realize universal emptiness, all situations are naturally mastered. You are
always free of others and the world. Get rid of any thoughts that suggests you are in trouble. The whole illusion
depends on your thoughts. Without your thoughts, it does not exist. It is not there. The Buddha said, the sage knows
what is true reality, and sees all conditioned things as "empty" and powerless. Papaji said, all is mental construction.
It is only your concepts. Nothing ever happened. Get rid of any ideation and tell me what is left. Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche said, remain in equanimity in the understanding that all phenomena are nothing more than projections of
your own mind. He said, take a closer look at all these appearances, you will find that they have no true
existence. When examined they are empty forms. Lama Zopa Rinpoche said, whichever way you think, the
conclusion is that everything is empty of existing from its own side. All environmental phenomena are void as soon
as you empty your mind because it is your thoughts. There is no power in the behavior, attitudes or actions of
others. You live in your own thought environment and your thoughts are the only cause of any disturbance.You are
creating it as you think. Otherwise, the whole world is just an empty, silent movie. For example, you can turn on
the television and turn the volume down completely. You will only see objects and images of people doing certain
actions. You will hear your own thoughts about what you are seeing. You are thinking thoughts about the people and
what appears to be happening. It is the same in the outer world. You are continuously using your interpretations as
you observe the people. It is only your thoughts. Whatever others are doing is irrelevant because they are just
empty forms. They are the same as the people on the television screen. No one has ever had any power to disturb
you and no one ever will. Maharaj said, once you realize that the world is your own projection, you are free of it. As
soon as you realize this, you will become fearless. Bodhidhama said, all existents are empty, all appearances are
empty. As you go deeper into this awareness, you will discover that all is an illusion. Only you have the Power.
Never give power to other people no matter who they are. If you give them power, which is an illusion in your mind,
you will never have peace. You will be at the mercy of their moods and attitudes. By way of a conditioned habit, you
falsely think they have some external power to disturb you. In reality, the only energy that you can feel is your own.
They have no power to affect you because they can only dwell in their thought world, not yours. Each person lives in
their own world. You can remove anybody from your mind by simply not thinking about them. So how much power
do they have? None. It is your Universe. The whole world is fighting over concepts. One guy says, you should obey
the concepts floating through my head! The other guy says no, no, no, you should obey the notions floating through
my head! When you step out of it, you laugh and understand that both of them are ridiculous. Each one is trying to
lean things in favor of himself. You are primarily dealing with yourself and your thoughts. Just watch your own mind.
Your whole drama is in your thoughts. You are commenting, judging or criticizing what you see in others. Then you
are offended by your own thoughts and interpretations. You may even continue the offensive mental movie for hours
or days when the person is no longer present. You are caught in a daydream. Osho said, between the dream and
the actuality there is no difference. In both cases you are confined in your mind. You live in a dream world of your
own. We remain enclosed in our own world. Why should you dwell on offensive thoughts? You are reviewing them
over and over becoming more angry or frustrated. It's better to wake up. Clearly it's all internal now. It is an illusion
from your memory. It is not a reality. The Buddha said, the past is empty. Those memories are only concepts. If you
can remember when you started school, all the little kids and the teacher were there every day. Now return to the
present moment. You are an adult. Those little kids are grown. Those concepts of the school, the teacher and the

little kids are not a reality. They are only visual concepts stored in your memory. Life has moved on. Everything has
already changed into something else. The same is true with any of your past experiences. They are not real. They
do not exist now. Those concepts are illusions in your mind that you are choosing to dwell on. That's why Zen
teachers say come back to now, the present moment. Drop the past. Osho said, the past is no more, it is absolutely
irrelevant. In order to free yourself, you have to stop thinking about the offensive thoughts. Don't torture yourself with
the past. If you have a negative reaction to other's behavior just relax, laugh and forgive yourself. Remind yourself
that they have no power to affect you. It was only your thoughts and feelings about the situation. Maharaj said, there
are no persons, only threads of memories and habits. Forget the past drama/experience immediately. Let go of it
and stay with the truth, not the illusion. Ignore it. Ranjit said, be indifferent to things because they do not exist. It is
only your thoughts. Just as in a dream, its all in your mind. What happens and what you experience is nothing but
an illusion. You have to go beyond concepts. Stay in the present moment. Osho said, come back home. Take your
reality back. Things are only as real as you make them. It is your projection. Otherwise they are empty, of no
significance at all. Neither to be indulged in nor to be renounced. Both are irrelevant. Rest in yourself. Papaji said,
whatever you see around you is your concept only. You are agitated by your own notions, but know they are empty,
they do not exist. Just keep quiet. Don't entertain any notions. It has to work. Nothing is happening. Kalu Rinpoche
said, simply recognizing mind's true nature as emptiness, clarity, and unimpededness can completely destroy
emotional distractions. He said this kind of instantaneous power of recognition completely crushes one's emotional
and mental imbalances. Foyan said, just detach from emotional thought and understand that there is no objective
world. Ramana said, what is called the world is only thought. Apart from thoughts, there is no independent entity
called the world.

happy

Clarity
In summary, this is the way to freedom. Look at your thoughts. If you can see that you are only dealing with your
thoughts, who are you? Zen says first, toss all thoughts. Drop the past illusions, feelings, experiences, perceptions
and mistakes. Let go of everything. Don't cling to anybody or anything. Just be still. Now that there are no more
thoughts, what's left? Empty space or nothingness. There is nothing to comment on. Now you can relax. You are
only in this moment. Only silence is there. The people and the objects remain in the world, but you know they are
just empty forms. Remember, peace and freedom has nothing to do with other people's moods, faults or strange
behavior. If it did, nobody could have peace. Emptiness within and in the outer is the key. The no thought state.
Now you are freedom itself. Sri Ramana called this state solitude. It is the nonduality state. Maharaj said, there is

no question of duality because nothing exists except me. Only I exist. Hold on to the sense of 'I AM' to the
exclusion of everything else. Refuse all thoughts except one: the thought 'I Am'. He is simply acknowledging the
reality that he is only experiencing the concepts and himself, nothing else. By removing the concepts, only
consciousness remains. He said, be aware that whatever happens, happens to you, by you, through you; I am fully
aware that it is a projection of memories. No memory will persist if you lose interest in it. Refuse attention. Cease
being fascinated by the content of your consciousness. He said, the final answer is this: nothing is. Outside the self
there is nothing. Nothing else has being. All is momentary appearance in the field of the universal consciousness;
continuity as name and form is a mental formation only, easy to dispel. Abandon false ideas. Let things come and
go. However the picture, beautiful or ugly, you are painting it and you are not bound by it. Maharaj also states, to
take the world as real and one's self as unreal is ignorance. There is nothing else but illusions. The nothingness
state is infinite and eternal. If you want to be absolutely free, this is the true nature of things. This is clarity and
peace. If you have a bucket and you fill it with water, the weight of the bucket increases. When you pour the water
out, the bucket becomes lighter and free of the water. It is also true with the mind. When you empty the mind, you
become free. If there are no thoughts, there are no disturbances. Lama Zopa Rinpoche said, you should
abandon disturbing thoughts. You can use thoughts when you need them and when you don't, abide in the
nothingness state where nothing exists. Thus, Zen emptiness is enlightenment. The Buddha said, since I have
ignored and forgotten all worldly objects, I have fully realized this mysterious, enlightening nature of pure essence of
mind. Nityananda said, once you realize the Self, talking about the illusory world becomes a waste. The past does
not exist. What is the point in arguing, complaining or discussing something that does not exist? They are only
thoughts in your mind. One need not accept this method. Most people won't. Most people prefer to be entangled
in the thoughts. At least there is some identity to hold on to. The identity was given by others. Most have received a
name, an origin, a historical culture, a false identity etc...but these are not you. The energy that you really are has no
name. You exist beyond names, territories and descriptions, even the concept called earth. There are many people
who have transcended this whole earthly illusion. They live and work in a totally euphoric state because they know
how to be free of all concepts. Think about it. It's the ideas, words, or concepts that has people bound or restricted.
Take away all those words, opinions, categories, judgements, rankings, condemnations, criticisms, documents,
propaganda and nonsense and everybody is free. If you take away all of the words, the world is just a lot of animals
and people roaming around from place to place. Whatever they are thinking is within them. They are living in their
own creations, opinions, fantasies or illusions of how they think the world is or should be. It is a long daydream that
is built on their thoughts. It lasts for a lifetime or they may switch to a different daydream or illusion.

Freedom
Nobody owns the sun or the moon, at least not yet. Nobody owns your mind or your energy. You are totally free. The
Zen teachers say just be, don't be this or that. Don't carry any of world's labels or classifications. They say abide in
the state of mind prior to your conception. Yuanwu said, act as though there were not a single thing happening. He
said, cut off all entanglements. Osho said, it is as if the whole world has completely disappeared. He said, you
remain in your absolute purity, as if the world never existed. Only you are. You live in your consciousness and that is
your only world. Nothing else exists. That wisdom will free you of all the opinions and suggestions that you have
received from others. You remove all of the thoughts and become empty. You throw off all of the judgements,
appearances, negativity, rude attitudes, criticisms, conflicts, ignorant statements, condemnations, rankings, labels,
belittlement, faults, the past and categories created by ancient and modern day people. There is no need to carry
any of their opinions or problems within you. You are never really involved with what others think of you or what
category the world has tried to force on you as a classification or an identification. Their opinions of you does not
even exist in your mind. You return to your original nature as a totally free energy. Only emptiness remains. Your
original nature has no concepts, opinions, conditionings or categories from the society. You are an infinite being but

you unknowingly allow all of these names, divisions, territories, opinions and descriptions to limit you. All names,
descriptions, opinions and limitations have been created by humans and you have decided to go along with them
according to the society that you live in. You are letting others define the parameters of reality for you. They are all
opinions, limitations and delusions from their imaginations. Why should you run your life by others wrong opinions?
Who's opinions are they? Who started these concepts? Who do they belong to? Are you the concepts and
descriptions that the world has labeled you as or something far greater? Are you bound by the ancient concepts of
others? Why should you carry the world's limitations and delusional opinions of you? Are you a being that
exists beyond the opinions of others? Just something to think about. If this was too deep, I will leave you with this
thought; play the game of life, continue with your duties, but always remember that it is an illusion based on the
thoughts that you are carrying within you. Whenever you forget and get caught up in your thoughts, just have a good
laugh and return to emptiness. Ignore and forget the past mistakes. Don't carry any sorrow. For years you didn't
know the illusion was only your own thoughts. Maharaj once said, you need not free yourself of a world that does
not exist, except in your own imagination. You create the world in your imagination like a dream. The world you think
of is in your own mind. When you have seen the dream as a dream, you have done all that needs be done. He said,
you can tell me what you like about your world, I will listen carefully, even with interest, but not for a moment will I
forget that your world is not, that you are dreaming. It all comes from you. It's all a concept. It's all an illusion.
Shift your attention from words to silence. Robert Powell said, to see concept as concept immediately brings a
silence into being. Osho said, once you can see that thoughts are floating, that you are not the thoughts but
the space in which thoughts are floating, then you have attained to your Self-mind, you have understood the
phenomena of your consciousness. Stop being deceived by the thoughts. Nothing is happening but your thoughts.
Ranjit said, if that thought wouldn't have come, then no dream. It is your thought, thought has come upon you. Mind
is simply your thoughts, nothing else. No one is doing anything to you. All of their thoughts, feelings, opinions,
behavior and actions are empty. You have the only power. If you cannot see that nothing has happened to you right
away, it's no problem. Sometimes the old habit of thinking that others have done something to you will return.
Eventually you will come back to the truth. Once again, you have only had another thought experience in your
mind. The other person was empty all along. They never had any power to upset you. They may have said some
words, or displayed a certain emotion or attitude. Whatever they appeared to do to you is irrelevant because they
are always just empty forms. Their problem is only within them, not inside of you. They have absolutely no power
to disturb or offend you in any way. Your thoughts have played a trick on you again. You have activated your own
feelings based on your thinking about them. You have given power to something that isn't real. It is all in your mind.
It is an illusion. So never put the blame on others behavior, statements or actions because there is no power in it.
Can you see that nothing is happening to you but your thoughts and feelings? The most important thing to
remember is, everything is an illusion. You are always and only dealing with thoughts wherever you are and
wherever you go. That is all you need to understand if you want freedom. Just drop all of your thoughts right now
and see the nothing. You are free of everything now. A clear infinite, eternal space, emptiness itself. Ranjit said, you
are the thoughtless reality. Osho said, not thinking about anything is Zen. Get rid of the internal chattering. Stop all
the little stories, dramas, memories of injustices or complaints about what you think you are experiencing. They are
illusions. Once you stop creating those little stories, what is happening right now? Nothing. Lama Zopa said, you
have called it a problem, so it appears to you as a problem. Even though the problem appears to exist from its own
side, it is completely empty. Just look at your thoughts objectively and then you are in control of the illusion at every
moment because you are creating it. It is all in your mind. It is just another daydream. It is only your inner self
talk and your imagination. It is a complete hallucination. No one knows what you are thinking. Remain calm and
have a little compassion for yourself. Love yourself even more. Come back to the present moment. There is no need
to fight with yourself. In fact, there is nothing to do. Just relax in the emptiness state. When you completely realize
emptiness, all suffering ceases.Emptiness is freedom. Let go of all concepts and see if you are not free. Don't take

the illusions, other people or yourself too seriously. Take it lightly with ease. Clarity is always there waiting for you.
Just empty your mind.