The Principle of the Original Nature

1. 
The Great Master, upon becoming enlightened, expressed his feeling in verse, as follows: When the moon rises in a fresh breeze, Everything becomes bright of itself.

2. 
The Great Master said, "When the nature of a person is in a state of being quiet, neither good nor evil exists. Once the nature of a person is stirred or agitated it becomes either good or evil."

3.
The Great Master said, "The good which transcends good and evil is called the Absolute Good and that happiness which transcends happiness and suffering is called the Absolute Happiness."

4. 
The Great Master said, "The great Way is perfectly harmonious. You cannot separate Being and Non-being, Facts and Principles, birth and death, or Motion and Quietness. Each of these are not two, but one in the great Way, and nothing exists outside of it.''

5. 
The Great Master said, 
"All great Truths are closely interrelated and nothing can come between them. Human beings, however, not knowing this truth, place barriers between themselves. Whoever is enlightened to the principle of how to brighten up the mind by seeing into all things and principles will be able to attain great, Perfect and Right Enlightenment."

6. 
The Great Master said, 
"If someone says that we cannot see the mind because it is shapeless, or that one's Nature cannot be explained because words are inadequate, that person does not really understand the mind. But one who is able to see the mind's form and the reality of the Nature and who is able to speak about them without thinking may be said to be the very one who has clearly seen Buddha Nature."

7. 
The Great Master said, 
"The purpose of a person of moral training who is trying to become enlightened to the origin of the Nature is to use the mind and body in accordance with it and thereby attain Buddhahood. If one is enlightened to the Nature but makes no effort to attain Buddhahood, this enlightenment will be of no use and can be compared to a leaden axe that has correct shape but which is still impractical."

8.
The Great Master said, 
"To be enlightened to one's own Nature is to be like a millionaire who, unaware of the extent of the holdings, is finally made aware of the wealth. To utilize one's Nature may be compared to one who recognizes the extent to which one's holdings have been taken over by others, but who finally regains ownership by trying every method."

9. 
The Great Master said, 
"A religion which does not teach about the Nature is not a perfect religion because the Nature is the origin of all Laws and the basis of all Principles." 

10. 
The Great Master, while at Bongnae Cloister after a heavy rain, was watching water running rapidly down from high cliffs and mountain streams. After a good while he said, 
"The water running from various places will finally converge at one place. This suggests the deep truth that all principles and things return to one."

11. 
The Great Master, at Bongnae Cloister, composed a free verse for his disciples: 

On the nine turns at Pyunsan, 
The stones stand listening to the sound of running water.
Nothing,... this nothing is also nothing;
Not, ... this not is also not."

And he said, "Those who understand the meaning of this are enlightened to the Way."

12. 
The Great Master, returning to the Bongnae Cloister from Yungsan Monastery, said to a disciple, 
"On my way to Bongnae from Yungsan on a ship, observing the deep vast sea, I measured all the water and counted all the fishes. Can you imagine the amount of water and the number of fishes?" 
This disciple could not comprehend the meaning of his words.

13. 
The Great Master said to all his disciples at Bongnae Cloister, 
"Once a man learning the Way asked his master about the Way, and the master replied, 'Whether I teach you the Way or not, the Way does not become real. Then what should I do?' Now, do you comprehend what the master meant?"

All the disciples sat in silence. It was winter and white snow was piled up in the yard. The Great Master went out and started removing the snow. One disciple hurried out. Taking the Great Master's shovel, he asked the Great Master to return to the room. The Great Master said, 
"My purpose in removing the snow is not only to clean away the snow but to teach you the profound Truth."

14. 
The Great Master, at Bongnae Cloister, asked Moon Jung-Kyu, 
"Can you make Bodhidharma, in the picture on the wall, walk?"

Jung-Kyu answered, 
"I think I can make him walk." 

The Great Master told him, 
"Then try to." 

Immediately Jung-Kyu stood up and walked. The Great Master said, 
"It is you who is walking. How can you say you made the master in the picture walk?"

Jung-Kyu answered, 
"A wild goose which came flying over from the east went flying toward the south."

15. 
When the Great Master was at Bongnae Cloister, a monk of the Son sect came from the Diamond Mountain to see the Great Master. The Great Master asked, "What can I do for you who have come such a long way?"

The monk answered, "I wish to know the Way. Please tell me where the Way is."

The Great Master said, "The Way is in your question." 

After a deep bow, the monk retreated.

16. 
A monk of the Son sect came to Bongnae Cloister and asked the Great Master, 
"It is said that Buddha was already born into a royal family before he left the Heaven of Bodhisattvas (Tosol-Chun) and had completed his work of saving all sentient beings while still in his mother's womb. What does this mean?"

The Great Master answered, 
"Without leaving Silsang Temple, your body is already in Suktoo Hermitage, and while staying in Suktoo Hermitage you finished delivering all sentient beings."

17. 
Guided by Seo Joong-An, a man visited the Great Master at Suktoo Hermitage. The Great Master asked, 
"What words have you heard and why did you come over this dangerous path?" 

The man replied, 
"I have heard of your high virtues and wished to see you at once."

The Great Master said, 
"What would you like me to do for you?" 

The man answered, "My mind is constantly disturbed by worldly desires and delusions, and I wish to keep an undisturbed mind."

The Great Master said, "To keep a right mind, first of all you must be enlightened to the origin of the mind and you should not use the mind in a prejudiced manner. If you would like to know why this is so, think about this question." 

Having said this, the Great Master wrote: 
"All principles and things return to one; where then does that one return to?"

18. 
A Zen Master, Paik Hak-Myung, often liked to converse with the Great Master at the Bongnae Cloister about the Principle of the Nature by extraordinary means. One day the Great Master deliberately spoke with a young novice, Lee Chung Poong. The next day, when Paik Hak-Myung came from his Wolmyung Hermitage, the Great Master told him, 
"Novice Chung-Poong, who is now hulling something in a mortar, seems to be making a lot of progress in her study of the Way."

Master Hak-Myung, upon hearing this, approached Chung-Poong and said to her in a loud voice, 
"Don't move a step, and show me the Way." 

Upon hearing his words, Chung-Poong held up the pestle and did not move. When Master Hak-Myung walked into the room in silence, Chung-Poong followed him. Master Hak-Myung said to her, 
"Can you make the Bodhidharma, in the scroll hanging on the wall, walk out of it?"

Chung-Poong said, "Yes, I can."

Master Hak-Myung told her, "Then try to make him walk." 

Chung-Poong stood up and walked three or four steps. Master Hak-Myung was deeply moved and approved of her enlightenment at the young age of thirteen. The Great Master, witnessing this, smiled and said.
"The attainment of enlightenment to the Nature cannot be contained in words, but occasionally words can reveal it. In the future, however, enlightenment cannot be proved in this way."

19. 
One day the Master Hak-Myung wrote a free verse to the Great Master:

With the greatness of a mountain thrusting into the heavens,
With virtue as boundless as the sea, 
The man is still far from where he should be,
And is host of a house by a rock.

The Great Master responded with the following verse:

Truth itself is the greatness of the mountain peak;
Innocence itself is the virtue of the Vast sea;
To a man fully being enlightened to where he should be,
The image of a house by a rock clearly appears.

20. 
Kim Kwang-Son asked, 
"Before heaven and all things were created, what was the substance of the universe?" 

The Great Master answered, "Reflect deeply on the origin of your words before you speak them."

Kim asked again, "In moral practice, why is enlightenment to the Nature needed?"

The Great Master said, "It is like knowing alphabets when studying languages."

21. 
One of the disciples asked, "What will result if we become enlightened to the Nature?"

The Great Master said, "You will be enlightened to the principle of all things in the universe; you will be like a carpenter who has obtained a ruler and a straight-edge

22. 
The Great Master, while at a monastery listening to a discourse on the Principle of the Nature by Kim Ki-Chun, said, "Last night I had a dream, and in it I acquired a talisman and gave it to Ki-Chun. I saw Ki-Chun swallow it and immediately his manner changed. Today, his discourse on the Principle of the Nature is really revealing." The Great Master continued Mi talk, saying, "The Law is not to be given or accepted through personal feelings, but one's eyes of Wisdom should be opened beforehand to accept it. A dragon might be able to attain supernatural ability when it acquires a talisman, but one of moral training will not be able to acquire such ability until becoming enlightened to the Nature and knows how to use it in one's moral training."

Moon Jung-Kyu asked, "Do you agree that Jungsan, whom we all have respected for a long time, has be come enlightened to the Nature?

The Great Master answered, "When building houses, some take more time than others even though construction begins at the same time. Some houses take a month or a year, others take a year or several years. Jungsan will need time to become enlightened to the Nature."

23. 
One of the disciples asked, "Can we reach Buddhahood immediately after enlightenment to the Nature?"

The Great Master answered, "According to their fundamental ability, some persons occasionally attain Buddhahood immediately after enlightenment to the Nature, but it rarely happens. In general, you must undergo more difficult training to reach Buddhahood than you take to attain enlightenment to the Nature. In the past, however, when people were less intelligent, one who achieved enlightenment to the Nature was said to be enlightened to the Way, but in the future, enlightenment to the Nature, only will not be enough to qualify one as enlightened to the Way. Most persons of moral training will easily achieve enlightenment to the Nature at their own homes in a short period, and in order to attain Buddhahood they will try to find and follow some Great Master."

24. The Great Master, speaking to a large assembly at a monastery, said, "Although the Principle of the Nature is regarded as being beyond expression, it should be able to be expressed in words. If some of you think yourself experienced in the Principle of the Nature, try to answer this question: When we say 'all things and principles return to One, how do they return? And where does the One return to?'"

The assembly answered one after another, but failed to win his approval. One of the disciples finally stood up and, bowing, asked, "My Great Master, ask me the question again." 

When the Great Master asked him the same question, the disciple said, "All things and principles remain as they are. Is it necessary for the One to return to any place?" 

The Great Master only smiled in silence.

25. 
The Great Master said, "Recently, people who have been training themselves in the Principle of the Nature have often tried to interpret it without using words. This is a big mistake. One who is truly versed in the Principle of the Nature is able to analyze it clearly even though it has no form, or can lucidly express it in words, although it stands beyond words. Sooner or later one can tell whether or not they really understand the Principle of the Nature. No one can conceal what one knows and does not know. You, however, should not regard words as the most important thing. The thousands of sutras and the teachings of Buddhas and patriarchs are merely like a finger pointing at the moon."

26. 
The Great Master, speaking in a monastery, said to the assembly, "You disciples, has any one of you ever seen himself as a possessor of the whole Dharma world?" 

The assembly uttered not a word. The Great Master said again, "Buddhas and Bodhitattvas of the Three Worlds have made efforts to posses for themselves the whole Dharma world, which is formless and invisible. Consequently, they can enjoy possession of all things having form in the universe. On the other hand, the unenlightened and the sentient beings waste their precious time just trying to possess for themselves those things having form which never remain theirs. What a regrettable thing this is! Therefore, you disciples should not struggle to obtain only the things having form, but should make more effort to possess the formless Dharma world." 

27. 
The Great Master, speaking in a monastery, said to the assembly, "To know how to divide the Absolute Unity into its various Components or how to integrate the Components into the Absolute Unity is to have a perfect understanding of the bass or the Principle of the Nature. Or, if you know how to change Being into Non-being or Non-being into Being, and if you know the truth that nothing really changes nor remains unchanged, then you correctly know the function of the Principle of the Nature. Even those who claim they have been enlightened to the Principle of the Nature are only able to comprehend in a general way the truth of the Absolute Unity and of Non-being, and they often fail to comprehend the truth of the Components and of Being. This is not true enlightenment to the Principle of the Nature."

28. 
The Great Master, speaking in a monastery, said to the assembly, "Try to separate a human being into Mind, the Nature, Reason, and Energy, or integrate these parts into Mind only or into the Nature only, or into Reason or Energy only. Now, can you perceive the result?" 

There were various answers from the assembly, but none of them were approved. The Great Master said, "When one feeds a goat, one must not overfeed it at any one time. If one raises the goat correctly, it will naturally grow to bear kids and will serve human beings with milk. This is also the way, in a religious Order, of leading followers toward Enlightenment."

29. 
When the Great Master was in his room, a company of inspectors visited him and asked, "Where is your Buddha enshrined?"

The Great Master said in answer, "Our Buddhas are now outside. Please wait a while, if you would like to see them." The words of the Great Master were quite incomprehensible to the inspectors. After a while, at lunchtime, a group of workers came back from the fields to eat, carrying their tools. The Great Master said to the inspectors, indicating the group, "They are our Buddhas." The company of inspectors was still at a loss.

30. 
The Great Master said to Song To-Sung at a monastery, "Give me your interpretation of the 'Verses of the Transmission of the Law' of the seven ancient Buddhas."

To-Sung proceeded to interpret the seven verses of the transmission of the Law one by one, and when he came to the seventh verse of Shakyamuni Buddha, it read, "Dharma was originally established with no-Dharma; Dharma of no-Dharma is also Dharma. When no-Dharma is transmitted, what is the model of no Dharma?"

The Great Master told him to stop his interpretation, and said, "Originally it was not necessary to give a name to Dharma, but in order for one of low fundamental ability to understand, Dharma was given a name. However, this Dharma named as Dharma is not the true Dharma. Therefore, if you are enlightened to the essential meaning of this verse, you do not have to read the thousands of sutras." 

31. 
In January of the 26th year of Won Buddhism, the Great Master composed the Verse of Truth and then said, "Being is the state of change. Non-being is the state of non-change. This state, however, cannot be said to be Being or Non-being. In order to teach the Law, the words 'turning and turning' and 'absolute' are used in my verses. It is not necessary to interpret the Law with the words 'Absolute Void' or 'contains everything.' This state is the true Reality of the Nature. Do not try to comprehend the state of the Nature'. through knowledge, but try to experience it through the light of insight."

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