Musangsa 2023년 07월 23일
A Thousand Year Treasure
By Jason Quinn, JDPSN
“Three days looking into the self, a thousand-year treasure.
Whole life chasing power and things is gone in an instant.”
We either don’t get what we want, then end up dissatisfied. Or, we get what we want, but we can’t keep it. There is not one thing in this world we can keep. Or, we get what we want but it is not enough or maybe we wish it could be just a little different. The Buddha said the reason we are dissatisfied is that we don’t understand our original nature and we don’t see the nature of cause and effect.
The good news is that there is another way. As the calligraphy states, “Three days of looking into self, a thousand year treasure.” Three days of looking into the self means right now in this moment, what is this? What am I doing right now? What is this “I”? If we look at that with sincerity, honesty, and openness, it is possible to return to the mind before thinking. Before thinking is our original nature. In our school we call it “don’t know”.
“Don’t know” plus action is a human being’s function. When we return to this moment, we also return to the realm of name and form. Here we can use name and form in a clear and helpful way rather than name and form pulling us around and around. That even means using this “I”. Attachment to “I” results in I like and I don’t like. Using this “I” results in how may I help. Every moment. Every breath. How may I help? The name for that is Great Love, Great Compassion, the Great Bodhisattva Way. And that is a thousand year treasure for the whole universe.
