Gengsang Chu (6)

1 “Pu”, a log without cutting and carving, is an object that integrated materials in terms of the principle of Tao.

2 “Pu” consists of all possible factors that make it to become a trunk. Once we cut off and carve the trunk into a utensil, tool, or building material, the integration of “Pu” is spoiled. It isn’t a trunk anymore.

3 Some one wants to decompose object to study its essence. After decomposing more times, what he finds at the end of day is nothing but the shell of object – a pile of molecule and atom.

4 He forgets them who compose in symbiosis with molecule and atom, such as Tao, self-nature, Buddha-nature, Qi, calmness and refinement, which you can’t obtain by analysis, dissection and cutting.

5 You must keep thing in its original and living character; and through research and experience its growth and changing phenomena, so that you can learn about its essence and got its whole view.

6 When Tao emerges, we don’t know where it comes from. When it hides, we don’t know where it goes.

7 Tao is of entity but it occupies no space. It is of length; however, we can’t retrace its source. It must be of entity, because it can show itself in existence. Nevertheless, it becomes nothing when disappearing.

8 Space is of essence but can’t be defined. Time is of length but can’t be retraced.

9 There are space and time, and then, there are life and death, existence and nonexistence.

10 The gate of heaven is between life and death, existence and nonexistence. The gate is shapeless, invisible and untouchable, via which all things come to this world.

11 The most primitive mothers of all things must have not been themselves. The most primitive mother of human must have not been human; the most primitive mother of chook must have not been chook. So, all things with form must have been from the formless. The spirit of a man of perfect practice roams in the field of the formless.