Transcend the Ordinary and the Sacred - Fo Guang Shan International Translation Center

When Chan Master Nanta Guangyong first went to study with Chan Master Yangshan, Yangshan asked him, “What have you come here for?”

Guangyong answered, “I’ve come to pay my respects to the Chan Master.”

Yangshan then asked, “Have you seen the Chan Master?”

Guangyong answered, “I’ve seen him.”

Yangshan further asked, “Is the Chan Master’s appearance like a donkey or a horse?”

Guangyong said, “I think the Chan Master is also not like a Buddha!”

Yangshan would not let up and proceeded to ask, “If he’s not like a Buddha, then what is he like?”

Not wanting to be outdone, Guangyong answered, “If he’s like anything at all, then what difference is there from a horse or donkey?”

Yangshan exclaimed in great admiration, “You’ve transcended the ordinary and the sacred! Emotions ceased, true essence revealed. In the next twenty years, no one will surpass you. Take good care of yourself.”

After this, whenever Chan Master Yangshan met anyone, he would say in praise, “Guangyong is a Buddha in the flesh.”

What, exactly, is the meaning contained within this gong’an? For instance, some have asked, what are people like? This is a very difficult question to answer because if there are things they are like, then there are things they are not like. If we answer that people are like ghosts, then there are also people among ghosts. If we say ghosts are like people, then there are also ghosts among people.

The Diamond Sutra says, “All forms are illusory. If we see that the various forms are formless, then we see the Tathagata.” What is space* like? Space is without form and without formlessness. Because space has no form, it can embrace the myriad phenomena. Space has no form, so it is like the forms of all phenomena.

Chan Master Yangshan and Chan Master Guangyong debated that he was not like a donkey and not like a Buddha. Then what exactly was he like? He was like himself. Only by seeing our own intrinsic nature can we be as one with space. What is it like? It is like the form of space without form. If we are able to transcend the ordinary and the sacred, and if essence and function are one, then that is seeing the truth of formlessness.

*In Buddhism, the term “space” refers to that which has no limits or boundaries, is permanent and eternal, and embraces everything.

Source: Chan Heart, Chan Art, written by Venerable Master Hsing Yun.

More Featured Articles

To Reform Oneself

We need to change and transform ourselves continuously: In order to achieve eventual perfection, we need to work on correcting our bad habits. Read more

What is Chan?

Chan is meditation throughout our lives. When we live with Chan, the taste of food and feel of clothes will change. We will not feel difficulty when dealing with our affairs. Any matter can be laughed away. The human world has its ups and down, but when we have a Chan mind it is like the world is ours and nothing is lacking. All human Read more

To Live in Hope

When there is hope, there is a future. The worst tragedy in life is to live without hope for the future. When there is hope, there is a future. One of the mottoes of the Buddha's Light International Association is "to give others hope." That is the highest act of benevolence. On the other hand, to disappoint and render others hopeless is the cruelest act.People live Read more

How To Change Destiny

What we often care most for in life is the self, and the most important aspect of self is none other than destiny. During one's lifetime, destiny changes frequently because of circumstances that arise. Because of a person, an event, a word, a dollar, or even a thought, entire lives may be altered. Similarly, the development of a country may be changed and the history Read more

A Good Reputation

We should always try to see the good in others, not the bad. On the samsaric level of this saha world alone, back-biting and faultfinding are known by most people to be totally counter-productive. Not only does faultfinding produce nothing but anger and mistrust, but the effects of negative speech also create an environment in which it becomes difficult to do anything positive. Read more

True Stature

True stature is not created by form or ornament; words spoken out of jealousy and greed oppose it. Only when evil has been stopped at its roots, and when there is wisdom without anger is there true stature.— Dharmapadavadana Sutra The False Stature of This WorldEveryone wants to be well regarded by others. However, in seeking true stature, people too often waste their time in Read more

Greed: The Cause of Suffering

Though the worlds that we see are fundamentally a product of our own minds, they usually do not appear this way to us. Like images in an intense dream, our perceptions appear to be wholly real to us, and not to have been generated by our own mental activity. For this reason, the Buddha taught many ways to help us comprehend the true nature of Read more

Repentance

It is only through loving-kindness and compassion that we can find room in our hearts to forgive others. It is only through our willingness to let go of resentment that we can find a way to magnanimity. Read more

I Am Not a Monk “Sponging Off” Buddhism (II)

It is enough for most monks to only have the ability to chant and teach the Dharma, and of course I too can chant sutras and teach the Dharma. But only being this kind of monk was not something I was willing to do. I wanted to become a monk who was able to engage in propagating the Dharma in a multifaceted way: There is Read more

Make Buddha Images in This Very Mind

Why should people create Buddha images? Did the Buddha really want everyone to make images of him and worship his body?In truth, the purpose of creating the Buddha images is not to create symbols for worship. Buddha images are reminders that “the mind is the Buddha,” and that everyone has Buddha nature. Buddha images also remind us to frequently recollect the virtues of the Buddha Read more

Healing the Body

Technological progress and advances in modern science have led to material improvements that have enhanced the quality of people’s lives on many levels. Yet, no matter how much we have progressed or how advanced our technology is, there still remain fundamental problems in life that science will never be able to solve.Two of the greatest problems people face are birth and death. No sooner are Read more

To be Flexible

If someone is too tough or stubborn, one can say that they have a cold heart, or even a heart made of stone. But consider this: our teeth may be hard and rigid, but they will each fall out as we get older. On the other hand, the tongue more or less retains its form even after we die. In general, things can sustain themselves Read more