To be bigoted & argue with others, is to subject one's essence of mind to the bitterness of mundane existence.
HuinengRead
Truth has nothing to do with words. Truth can be likened to the bright moon in the sky. Words, in this case, can be likened to a finger. The finger can point to the moon's location. However, the finger is not the moon. To look at the moon, it is necessary to gaze beyond the finger, right?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Truth exists beyond mere words and representations.
This quote emphasizes the idea that true understanding and truth transcend the limitations of language. It suggests that while words can guide us towards understanding or truth (like a finger pointing to the moon), they are not the truth itself. To grasp the essence of something profound, one must look beyond surface-level symbols and representations.
Themes
TruthWordsPhilosophyUnderstandingPerception
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the limitations of language in philosophy classes.
More from Huineng
All quotes →When our mind works freely without any hindrance, and is at liberty to 'come' or to 'go', we attain Samadhi of Prajna, or liberation. Such a state is called the function of 'thoughtlessness'. But to refrain from thinking of anything, so that all thoughts are suppressed, is to be Dharma-ridden, and this is an erroneous view.
HuinengRead
Words are not truth. Truth is like the moon, and words are like my finger. I can point to the moon with my finger, but my finger is not the moon. Do you need my finger to see the moon?
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Sit all together in meditation. Become peacefully calm and quiet, without motion, without stillness, without birth, without destruction, without coming or going, with no judgments of right or wrong, neither staying nor going. This, then, is the Great Way.
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To meditate means to realize inwardly the imperturbability of the Essence of Mind. _x000D_ _x000D_ The reason why we are perturbed is because we allow ourselves to be carried away by the circumstances we are in. Those who are able to keep their mind unperturbed, irrespective of circumstances, have attained Inner Peace.
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