Baizhang: True Words, False Words

Tradition says that the Chinese master Baizhang Huaihai (749-814) developed the first set of "temple rules" (Baizhang guang lu) governing life in the Zen temples of Tang Dynasty China. The surviving document contains this interesting passage:

All verbal teachings are just like cures for diseases. Because the diseases are not the same, the medicines are also not the same. That is why sometimes it is said that there is Buddha, and sometimes there is no Buddha.

True words cure sickness. If the cure manages to bring about healing, then all are true words. On the other hand, if they cannot effectively cure sickness, all are false words.

True words are false words, insofar as they give rise to views. False words are true words, insofar as they cut off delusions.

This passage seems to do two things. First, it celebrates the power of words as expedient means (upaya). Secondly, it undercuts the power of any given formulation or phrase.

Baizhang's teacher, Mazu, said that "mind is Buddha." In one circumstance, "mind is Buddha" can give life; in another circumstance, it kills. Later, Mazu said, "not mind, not Buddha." Does that help?

Zen words give us nothing to hold onto. Even Baizhang's clear teaching can produce attachment and reification. When this occurs, Baizhang kills us.

We can ask ourselves: What is our disease in this moment? What can liberate us in this moment?

Source for the Baizhang text: Ordinary Mind as the Way, by Mario Poceski
Photo by Mo Riza

Comments

[Uku]

Thank you, Barry, great post!

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.

Take care,
Uku

[Jordan]

What Uku said!

[zensquared]

What a great teaching! This is a very clear way to say this. It goes straight to one of the things about Zen that is both wonderful and crazy-making. X means x. But maybe not tomorrow. Maybe then, x means y. And the next day, y might mean y.

But until then, only don't know.

[Barry Briggs]

Thanks, everyone for your comments. I've just spent the last couple of weeks reading "Ordinary Mind as the Way" - a history of Mazu and Hongzhou school that comprised his followers (Baizhang, Huangbo, Linchi, etc.) This is an historical look at these teachers and their teaching - very revealing in many ways as it breaks down much of the mythology that arose around Chan, lineage, and koans in the years between 700 and 1200. Most of what we "know" about Chan is wrong or, at least misleading. But at its core, the basic teaching remains the same.

On Wednesday and Thursday I'll follow up with two more posts about Mazu and the ways in which he and his teachers used language to cure our disease(s).

Thanks again, Barry

[Molly Brown]

Within the last hour I felt frustration/irritation arising within me directed towards my husband. As I turned and walked away from him your questions at the end of the post arose clearly in my mind.
"What can I do to liberate myself in this moment? What is my dis-ease in this moment?"

I softened.

Thanks Barry.