Wednesday 2 January 2013

View from the window



First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is....


The famous saying of Ch'ing-yüan Wei-hsin (Seigen Ishin):

老僧三十年前未參禪時、見山是山、見水是水、及至後親見知識、有箇入處、見山不是山、見水不是水、而今得箇體歇處、依然見山山、見水是水 
Before I had studied Zen for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and waters as waters. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and waters are not waters. But now that I have got its very substance I am at rest. For it's just that I see mountains once again as mountains, and waters once again as waters. 

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