Absence of Intentions

Yutang Lin

Originally pure beyond birth and death,
No form to grasp; don't chase illusions.
Keeping intentions just add confusions;
Liberation attained by resuming reality.

Comments:

Buddhist teachings expound on liberation through three aspects. Blank Essence (Sunyata) that is originally pure has no special characteristics, and hence originally there is no distinction of birth and death. All forms (appearances, phenomena) are in reality impossible to grasp. If one is deluded into grasping to forms and chasing after them, then there will be incessant birth and deaths carrying with them much suffering. Due to distinctions made out of grasping to forms there will be preferences and dislikes, expectations and longings, and these would amount to spreading delusive veils over evanescent phenomena.

Therefore, in order to attain ultimate liberation, one need to comprehend the significance of no form in original purity (Sunyata; Blank Essence without characteristics), one should not be deluded by forms into attempting to grasp them (No Grasping to Form), and one should see through the illusive nature of intentions and predisposition (Absence of Intentions). In other words, in complete oneness with reality is the attainment of originally natural liberation.

Written in Chinese and translated on June 1, 2003
El Cerrito, California

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