Half 9-3
“World Honoured One, if I have been to entertain the thought that I’ve attained sainthood, then the World Honoured One wouldn’t say Subhuti enjoys the state of sainthood. It’s as a result of Subhuti actually does nothing that you just say Subhuti likes to benefit from the state of sainthood.”
Commentary:
A saint, one who has actually attained sainthood is above being deluded by any pictures to the extent that not solely is he not deluded by the considered having attained sainthood however does nothing as properly.
To elaborate on the which means of ‘doing nothing’, supposing you’re requested what you probably did yesterday, how will you reply? You could say, “I didn’t do something yesterday. I simply rested all day.” Sure, you probably did one thing. You rested. That’s what you probably did. I believe you probably did a number of issues throughout your relaxation; maybe you had meals, drank espresso and watched TV. You would possibly say that you just did nothing however sleep all day lengthy. Sure, you continue to did one thing. You slept all day. That’s what you probably did.
Yet another query. What are you doing now? You could say, “I’m not doing something now. I’m simply sitting.” Sure, you’re doing one thing. You might be sitting. That’s what you’re doing. You could say, “I’m simply mendacity in my mattress.” Sure, you’re mendacity in your mattress. That’s what you’re doing. We appear to be doomed to maintain doing one thing with out stopping even for a second so long as we’re alive.
In reality, when historic masters suggested their college students to do nothing, they by no means meant that they need to do nothing or make no motion in any respect like a useless physique, however informed them to understand that every one they did, no matter it was, was empty. In brief, ‘You must do nothing’ means ‘You must realise that every one your actions are empty’. Then, no matter chances are you’ll do, you’re doing nothing.
There’s a dialogue between an historic grasp and his disciple that exhibits properly this state of ‘doing nothing’.
In the future a grasp requested his pupil who was sitting in meditation, “What are you doing right here?” His pupil answered, “I’m doing nothing.” The grasp mentioned, “Then, you’re simply sitting idly.”
The scholar mentioned, “Simply sitting idly can be doing one thing.” The grasp requested, “What do you imply by doing nothing, then?” The scholar mentioned, “One thousand saints don’t comprehend it.”
So, a saint who can do nothing by no means thinks that he has attained sainthood.
While you suppose that you just did one thing good, for instance, after doing one thing good for considered one of your folks in want, you could be happy with your act, and that may stay in your reminiscence. Sometime the state of affairs reverses: you’re in want, and he’s very profitable. You could ask him for assist, anticipating him to pay you again in your earlier assist however he might flip down your request. How would you are feeling then? It’s seemingly that you’ll really feel the extra ashamed and even betrayed due to the reminiscence of the previous favour that you just granted him. Even when he offers you assist as you anticipate, you’re prone to take his assist as a right and unlikely to really feel as grateful to him for his assist as you’d really feel to another helper whom you’ve by no means helped earlier than. On this means your good act might convey you a detrimental end result. In some circumstances, you will get harm by the nice deeds that you just do.
So, masters would say that doing a great factor is inferior to doing nothing. They, nevertheless, by no means meant that we must always not do good, however that we, seeing our good deeds as empty, shouldn’t hold them in our reminiscence. In brief, we must always not let even the suitable hand itself, to not point out the left hand, know what it does.
Pupil: “If we must always do nothing, how ought to we learn this Sutra?”
Grasp: “Learn properly and your studying will probably be doing nothing.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All pictures ©Simon Hathaway
