Abhorring only Picking

Yutang Lin

Right or wrong, antagonism was born from preference.
Always at ease under any circumstance is real freedom.
In picking and choosing there is self-imposed confinement.
Pure goodness overcomes worldly traps through patience.

Comment:

Buddha remains at ease under any circumstance, and hence has no complain whatsoever. When a practitioner holds a situation to be favorable or adverse, pleasing or abhorring, he is under the conditioning of attachment. Criticism to and antagonism with others often are based on one-sided and self-centered prejudice. When one understands the above, one should avoid falling into the trap of worldly entanglements. Instead, with pure motive one would dedicate one's time and energy to Dharma practices and services. Only in this way could one safely sail through the suffering sea of worldliness. Seng Can, the third patriarch of Chan School in China, composed a famous short essay called "An Article on Faith." It began by saying, "The ultimate path has no difficulty; it abhors only picking." Perhaps the comment above could serve as an explanation to this statement.

Written in Chinese and translated on December 16, 2000
El Cerrito, California

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