Slipknot

Yutang Lin

The root of sorrows is to hold on to an adversary;
In choppy sea fixing attention on a bubble.
Pulled and bound by reins tied;
Free to roam around once slipknot pulled off.

Comments:

Ordinarily the root of sorrows is the grasping of an adversary. In that case, one would not be able to understand that all are under the restrictions of conditions, and hence are in similar situations. Both sides are equally suffering and similarly pitiful. The fact is that phenomena in the universe are undergoing myriad changes in a glimpse. Thus, holding on to an adversary is similar to fixing attention on a bubble in choppy sea. In the light of this reflection, one could let go of the concept of an adversary as soon as one realizes that one is entangled in sorrows. In this way one could stop further confusing thoughts. This method would transform a knot of mind into a slipknot, and free one by pulling the slipknot off.

Written in Chinese and translated on October 27, 2000
El Cerrito, California

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