Not till your thoughts cease all their branching here and there, not till you abandon all thoughts of seeking for something, not till your mind is motionless as wood or stone, will you be on the right road to the Gate.
Huangbo XiyunRead
...Therefore it is said: 'The perception of a phenomenon IS the perception of the Universal Nature, since phenomena and Mind are one and the same.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that our understanding of the world is intertwined with our mind's perception, highlighting the unity of consciousness and reality.
Huangbo Xiyun emphasizes the idea that our perceptions shape our understanding of existence. By asserting that phenomena and the mind are one, he invites us to recognize that the way we experience the world reflects the fundamental nature of reality itself. This perspective encourages us to explore the connection between our thoughts and the external world, suggesting that changing our perception can lead to a deeper understanding of universal truths.
Themes
PerceptionMindRealityUnityPhenomena
In practice
Example use cases
During a philosophy lecture on the nature of reality, this quote could spark a deep discussion among students.
More from Huangbo Xiyun
All quotes βA perception, sudden as blinking, that subject and object are one, will lead to a deeply mysterious understanding; and by this understanding you will awaken to the truth.
Huangbo XiyunRead
The nature of the Absolute is neither perceptible nor imperceptible; and with phenomena it is just the same. But to one who has discovered his real nature, how can there be anywhere or anything separate from it?... ...Therefore it is said: 'The perception of a phenomenon IS the perception of the Universal Nature, since phenomena and Mind are one and the same.'
Huangbo XiyunRead
Our original nature is...void, omnipresent, silent, pure; it is glorious and mysterious peaceful joy - and that is all. Enter deeply into it by awakening yourself.
Huangbo XiyunRead
On seeing one thing, you see all things. On perceiving an individual's mind, you perceive all mind. Glimpse one truth, and all truth is present in your vision, for there is nowhere at all that is devoid of the Truth.
Huangbo XiyunRead
People are scared to empty their minds_x000D_ _x000D_ fearing that they will be engulfed by the void._x000D_ _x000D_ What they don't realize is that_x000D_ _x000D_ their own mind is the void.
Huangbo XiyunRead
Similar quotes
The first step toward maintaining autonomy in any programmed environment is to be aware that there's programming going on. It's as simple as understanding the commercials are there to help sell things. And that TV shows are there to sell commercials, and so on.
Douglas RushkoffRead
So really what it comes down to, it's God. Wherever you look, it's God appearing as this, that, that...and what you really love and appreciate in each form is the divine formless out of which each form comes. But to be able to sense that you have to sense it in yourself first. And that is seeing the beauty in everything, that's really what it means.
Eckhart TolleRead
War never takes a wicked man by chance, the good man always.
SophoclesRead
If there is any realm where distinction is especially difficult, it is the realm of childhood memories, the realm of beloved images harbored in memory since childhood. These memories which live by the image and in virtue of the image become, at certain times of our lives and particularly during the quiet age, the origin and matter of a complex reverie: the memory dreams, and reverie remembers.
Gaston BachelardRead
We live in a spiritual Universe. God is in, through, around and for us.
Ernest HolmesRead
Man inhabits a realm half in and half out of nature, his mind reaching forever beyond the tool, the uniformity, the law, into some realm which is that of the mind alone.
Loren EiseleyRead