I ran across these files on Compuserve, uploaded there by John
Richards.  The first is a Ch'an Buddhist classic, the second was found
on the wall of an ancient monastery in Wales.  The similarity is
amazing.




  Title   : On Trust in the Heart by Seng Tsan (Chinese Zen)

  The Hsin Hsin Ming of Seng Ts'an is an acknowledged classic of Chinese
  Zen (Ch'an) Buddhist literature, and of world mysticism too. Its opening
  lines, Chi Tao wu nan Wei hsien chien-cheh (Perfect Way not difficult Only
  refuses picking-choosing) is one of the perennial themes of mysticism.
  
  Seng Ts'an (died 606 AD) was the 3rd. Patriarch of Zen.
  
  This translation is largely based on those of D. T. Suzuki and A. Waley.
  (John Richards)

On Trust in the Heart
by Seng Ts'an

The Perfect Way is only difficult
For those who pick and choose.
Do not like, do not dislike,
All will then be clear.
Make a hairsbreadth difference,
And heaven and earth are set apart.
If you want the Truth to stand clear before you,
Never be for or against.
To set up what you like against what you dislike,
This is the disease of the mind.
While the deep meaning is misunderstood,
Peace of mind is disturbed to no purpose.
The Way is empty and featureless, like space.
It has no too little, no too much.
Only because we take and reject,
Its nature is lost sight of.
Pursue not the outer entanglements,
Dwell not in the inner void,
Be serene in the oneness of things,
And dualism vanishes of itself.
Stop all movement in order to get rest,
And the rest will itself be restless.
So long as you linger in dualism,
How can you realise oneness?
And when oneness is not thoroughly understood,
In two ways loss is sustained.
Denial of the apparent is its assertion,
And the assertion of Emptiness is the denial of it.
The more you talk about it,
The more you think about it,
The further from it you go.
Stop talking, stop thinking,
And there is nothing you will not understand.
Return to the Root, and you will find the meaning.
Pursue the light and you will lose its source.
Look inward and in a flash you will conquer
The apparent and the Void.
Transformations going on
In an empty world confronting us,
Appear real only because of ignorance.
There is no need to seek Truth,
Only stop holding views.
Do not accept either position,
Examine it or pursue it.
As soon as you have right and wrong,
Confusion ensues and Mind is lost.
Though the two exist because of the One,
Do not cling to the One.
Only when no thought arises
Are the objects without blame.
No blame, no objects, no arising, no thought.
The subject is quiet when the object ceases.
The object ceases when the subject is quiet.
An object is an object for the subject.
The subject is the subject for an object.
The ultimate truth about the two opposites,
Is that they are One Void.
In that Void the two are not distinguished.
Each contains complete within itself
The ten thousand things.
Only when we boggle over fine and coarse
Are we tempted to take sides.
In its essence the Great Way is all-embracing.
It is as wrong to call it easy
As to call it hard.
Small views are irresolute,
The more in haste the heavier they go.
Clinging is never kept within bounds.
It is sure to go the wrong way.
And the heart trusts to sidepaths
That lead it astray.
Let things take their own course,
Knowing the essence can neither go nor stay.
Obey the nature of things,
And you are in concord with the Way,
Calm and easy and free from care.
Thoughts that are fettered turn from Truth,
Sink into the unwise habit of not liking.
Not liking brings weariness of spirit,
And aversion serves to no purpose.
If you want to follow the doctrine of the One,
Do not reject the world of the senses.
When you are not biased, the world of the senses,
Is seen as one with enlightenment.
The wise practise non-interference.
Folly ties its own bonds.
In Reality there are no separate realities.
Only the foolish cling to particular objects.
To use Thought to create thoughts,
What more misguided than this?
Ignorance creates rest and unrest.
The enlightened have no likes and dislikes.
All that belongs to the two extremes
Is inference falsely drawn,
A dream fantom, a flower in the air.
Why strive to grasp it in the hand?
Is and isn't, gain and loss,
Banish once and for all.
If the eyes do not close in sleep
There can be no evil dreams.
If the mind makes no distinctions,
All objects become one.
Let the One with its mystery
Blot out all memory of complications.
When the ten thousand things
Are viewed in their oneness,
We return to the origin,
And remain where we have always been.
Thus their origin is forgotten,
Nothing is left over to make us pit
One thing against another.
See motion at rest - and where is motion?
See rest in motion- and that disposes of rest.
Both of them having thus been disposed of,
What becomes of the One?
At the ultimate point,
Beyond which you can go no further,
You get to where there are no rules, no standards,
To where the mind can accept impartiality,
To where effect of action ceases.
Doubt is washed away, and faith has no obstacles.
Nothing is left over, nothing remembered.
Space is bright, and self-illumined.
No power of mind is exerted.
This is where thinking never attains,
This is where the imagination fails to measure.
In the high realm of true Being,
There is neither self nor other.
For quick reference to this sphere
Use the concept "not-two".
In the not-two are no separate objects,
Yet all objects are included.
The wise throughout the ten quarters
Have had access to this primal truth,
For it is not a thing of time and space.
A moment and an aeon for it are one.
Whether we see it or fail to see it,
It is manifest always and everywhere.
The very small is as the very large
When size is immaterial.
The very large is as the very small
When shape is no concern.
Being is the same as non-being,
Non-being is the same as being.
In climes of thought where this is not so,
The mind does ill to dwell.
One in all, all in One-
If only this be realised,
No more grieving for not being perfect.
To trust in the heart is the not-two,
The not-two is to trust in the heart.
I have spoken - but in vain,
For what words can tell
Of things that have no yesterday,
Tomorrow or today?






  Title   : The Gates of Paradise by St. Sensantius

  This poem, discovered in the cellar of an old West Wales Rectory, bears
  an uncanny resemblance to the Hsin Hsin Ming (On Trust in the Heart) of
  Seng Ts'an, the 3rd Patriarch of Zen. Perhaps it was written after he came
  to the West. - ? (John Richards)

The Gates of Paradise
by St. Sensantius

The Gates of Paradise are closed
Only for those who pick and choose.
Do not like, do not dislike,
And the gates are open wide.
Make a hairsbreadth difference,
And heaven and earth are set apart.
If you want THAT WHICH IS to stand before you,
Touch not the fruit of "good and evil".
Setting up what you like against what you dislike,
That is the original sin.
While the Great Mystery is misunderstood,
The heart is troubled to no purpose.
Grace is subtil and all-pervading like space,
Nothing too little, and nothing too much.
Only because we take and reject,
Its presence is not seen.
Pursue not the things of time,
Cling not to the world of the mind.
Be serene in the oneness of things,
And this world passes forever.
Suppress activity in search of stillness,
And your peace is embroiled in warfare.
As long as you cling to this world,
How can you enter the Kingdom?
While God's Kingship is not thoroughly understood,
On both sides loss is sustained.
Denial of the appearances is their assertion,
And the assertion of Unity is the denial of it.
The more you talk about "God",
The more you think about "God",
The further from the reality you go.
Stop talking, stop thinking,
And there is nothing you will not understand.
Return to the Root, and you will find the meaning.
Chase the water and the fountain is lost.
Look inward and in a flash you will conquer
Appearances and Unity as well.
Transformations going on
In a fallen world confronting us,
Appear real only because of missing the mark.
There is no need to seek God,
Just stop worshipping idols.
Do not accept any position,
Examine it or pursue it.
As soon as you have good and evil,
Babel ensues and Man is in exile.
Though duality exists because of the One,
Do not cling even to Unity.
Only when no thought arises within you
Are demons and angels one.
No demons, no angels, no arising, no thought.
The subject is quieted when the objects cease.
The objects cease when the subject is quieted.
An object is an object for the subject.
The subject is the subject for an object.
The ultimate truth about the two opposites,
Is that they are One Reality.
In that reality the two are not distinguished.
Each contains complete within itself
The whole of God's creation.
Only when we boggle over nice and nasty
Are we tempted to take sides.
In its essence Grace is all-embracing;
As wrong to seek it as to seek to evade it.
Small views are greatly in error,
The more in urgency the heavier they go.
Clinging is never kept within bounds.
It is sure to go the wrong way.
And the heart trusts to sidepaths
Off the straight and narrow.
Let things take their own course,
Knowing that Grace can neither depart nor stop.
Obey the nature of things,
And you are in concord with the Word,
Calm and easy and free from care.
Thoughts that are fettered turn from Truth,
Sink into the unwise habit of not liking.
Not liking brings the spirit of weariness,
The noonday demon, which serves no purpose at all.
If you want to follow the Word,
Do not reject the world of the senses.
When the mind is unbiased, the world of the senses
Is seen as the moving, living, image of Reality.
The wise love with holy indifference;
The foolish tie their own bonds.
In Reality there are no separate realities.
Only the foolish cling to particular objects.
To use the Image of God to create images,
What more misguided than this?
Ignorance creates stillness and motion.
The enlightened have no likes and dislikes.
All that belongs to the two extremes
Is inference falsely drawn,
A dream phantom, a flower in the air;
Why strive to grasp it in the hand?
Is and isn't, gain and loss,
Banish once and for all.
If the eyes do not close in sleep
There can be no evil dreams.
If the mind makes no distinctions,
All objects become one.
Let the One with its Mystery
Allay all thought of complications.
When entrancing appearances
Are seen in their oneness,
The erring son comes home,
And remains where he has always been.
Thus their origin is forgotten,
Nothing is left over to make us pit
One thing against another.
See motion at rest - and where is motion?
See rest in motion - and that disposes of stillness.
Duality having thus been disposed of,
What becomes of the One?
At the ultimate point,
Beyond which you can go no further,
You get to where there is no Law, no Commandments,
To where the mind can accept impartiality,
To where effect of action ceases.
Doubt is washed away, faith has no obstacles.
Nothing is left over, nothing remembered.
Space is bright, and self-illumined.
No power of mind is exerted.
This is where thinking never attains,
This is where man's mind cannot measure.
In the high realm of real Being,
There is neither self nor other.
For quick reference to this sphere
Use the concept "One Body".
In that One Body are no separate things,
Yet all things are included.
The wise of all times and all countries
Have had access to this Eternal Gospel,
For it is not confined by time and space.
A moment and eternity for it are one.
Whether we see it or fail to see it,
It is present always and everywhere.
The very small is the same as the very large
When size is immaterial.
The very large is the same as the very small
When shape is no concern.
Being is the same as non-being;
Non-being is the same as being.
In realms of thought where this is not so,
The mind does ill to dwell.
One in all, all in One -
If only this be realised,
No more grieving for not being perfect.
Obedience to the Word is the "One Body",
"One Body" is obedience to the Word.
I have spoken - but in vain,
For what words can tell
Of a Word that has no yesterday,
Tomorrow or today?