Yuanwu in the next section of his book entitled “Completing the Task” talks about learning the teachings, learning to concentrate, and enabling the
“embryo of sagehood” to grow and mature. I really like the term: embryo of sagehood. I find myself thinking about the word sage and wonder if there is anyone alive today that I could say was speaking and acting like a sage. Someone that we all can look up to, someone we desire to emulate, someone we might consider a living, breathing, sage.
It could even be you!
He goes on to write: Then even if you encounter bad conditions, you will be able to melt them away with true insight and power of concentration, and fuse everything into one whole, so the great changes of birth and death will not be enough to disturb your heart (page 64).[1]
Having a practice of contemplation, mediation, and sitting is a way to live that kind of life where even the thoughts of “birth and death” do not undo our calm. Sooner then we might expect our practice will provide us with the ability to have “true insight” into our lives, and our actions, and will help us live in peace regardless of the chaos that seems to be happening around us.
Yunwu says “Nurturing your enlightenment over many years, you become a greatly liberated person who is free from contrived actions and obsessive concerns.” This may come in only fleeting moments or thoughts or situations but the longer we practice the more often we will find ourselves in this space where the sage within us lives. It is up to us to “nurture enlightenment.” It is up to us to wait in silent repose free from the drive of getting it, expecting it, or yearning for it. It will come if we simply quietly wait in the silence with no expectations.
Then one day “true insight” will appear and you’ll go in and wash the dishes…
[1] Cleary J.C. and Cleary, T. (1994) Zen Letters Teachings of Yuanwu. Boston & London: Shambhala
transmission in secret from the fifth ancestor Yuquan Shenxiu. As the story is told the fifth ancestor was getting old and looking for a successor and so a challenge was given to all the students to write a poem to show their understanding of the dharma. One student wrote a poem which indicated that in order to reach enlightenment or awakening we had to continuously be polishing the mirror because it was always collecting dust.