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TEACHINGS | EASTERN HORIZON 43

but Chan Master Tianhuang never gave any formal knowledge, and knowledge is constantly changing. “No-
instruction. Longtan finally became frustrated and went mind” is a mind that does not differentiate. Only with
to bid farewell to Chan Master Tianhuang. Surprised by this kind of wisdom can we deeply penetrate the truths
this, Tianhuang said to him, “Where are you going?” of the Dharma.

Longtan said, “I am going elsewhere to learn the In the past, someone asked a Chan master, “Master, you
Dharma.” usually meditate for a very long time. May I ask: do you
enter samadhi with mind or no-mind?”
Chan Master Tianhuang replied, “There is the Dharma
right here. Why do you need to go somewhere else to The Chan master answered, “When I enter samadhi, it is
study?” neither with mind nor with no-mind. I enter it with the
mind that is beyond all duality.”
Longtan replied, “I’ve been here for a long time. Why
have you never taught me the Dharma?” When we talk about this mind that transcends duality,
it does not mean that we do not have any concept of
Chan Master Tianhuang said, “When you bring me tea, right and wrong, or good and bad. We should have
I use my hands to take it from you. When you bring me these concepts. However, in dealing with worldly affairs
food, I use my mouth to eat it. When you bow to me, I and dualities, we need to face them with the non-
nod to you. When have I not taught the Dharma to you?” differentiating mind, the mind of wisdom.

Longtan bowed his head in thought. Once a student asked Chan Master Guishan (771-853),
“What is the Way?”
Tianhuang then said, “Don’t think. Once you think,
you’ve gone astray. You need to experience and directly Chan Master Guishan replied, “No-mind is the Way.”
bear responsibility.”
The student said, “I don’t know how!”
With these words, Longtan suddenly had a great
awakening. Guishan replied, “Go find someone who knows how.”

Actually, the Dharma is in our every action, just as The student said, “Who knows how?”
Chan is in every flower, tree, and stone. We usually do
not realize that the Dharma is in our mind, so we look The master said, “It is not someone else. It is you!”
for it outside of ourselves. Yet, the more we seek, the
farther away we go. The Dharma teaches us that we No-mind allows us to see the world as it really is, not
must always look within. If we can do this, the Way will as our discriminating mind tells us it is. By applying
become very close to us. no-mind to the world around us, we will gain the
clarity to see the Buddha in everything and our Buddha
No-Mind nature within. EH
Wuxin (無心) or “no-mind” is a Chinese expression to
refer to a mind that is empty of discrimination. It is
the true mind, and transcends the duality of existence
and non-existence. When we study the Dharma we
cannot approach it with a discriminating mind, because
discrimination and differentiation are based on