The earth and the sky are entirely composed of mind, but how do you explain the principle of being composed of mind? And how do you explain the reality of mind without form pervading the ten directions? There is no part that does not come from compassion producing knowledge, there is no part that does not come from knowledge activating compassion, and there is no part that does not come from compassion and knowledge equally illumining the ocean of essential nature, pervading the universe, completely fluid and free.
Knowing the light and the dark, matter and emptiness, compassion and knowledge equally wind up at the door of concentration of kindness, with reward, response, and reality, independent and free, widely benefiting the world. The whole earth and open space are both manifestations of the door of concentration of kindness. That is why it is said that the reality of mind without form pervades the ten directions.
Zen Master Hsuan-Sha (835-908) was a Ch’an Master in the Fayan lineage who lived and taught in China.
Thomas Cleary is an author and translator of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian and Muslim classics. He lives in Oakland, California.
From Teachings of Zen, edited by Thomas Cleary, copyright ©1998 by Thomas Cleary, used by permission of Shambhala Publications, Inc., www.shambhala.org