Monday 20 November 2006

the sages who, abandoning learning, rest in spontaneity

Fearing that none of you would understand, they gave it the name Tao,
but you must not base any concept upon that name. So it is said that
"when the fish is caught, the trap is forgotten." When body and mind
achieve spontaneity, the Tao is reached and universal mind can be
understood. In former times people's minds were sharp. Upon hearing a
single sentence, they abandoned study and so came to be called "the
sages who, abandoning learning, rest in spontaneity." In these days,
people only seek to stuff themselves with knowledge and deductions,
placing great reliance on written explanations and calling all this
the practice.

- Huang-po (d.850)

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