The Closest Expression (in words) of Truth

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Our original Buddha-Nature is, in highest truth, devoid of any atom of objectivity. It is void, omnipresent, silent, pure; it is glorious and mysterious peaceful joy-and that is all.

 

Enter deeply into it by awaking to it yourself That which is before you is it, in all its fullness, utterly complete. There is naught beside.

 

-- 黄檗希運 (Huangbo Xiyun)

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“Develop a mind that rests on no thing whatsoever.” -Haungbo

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"The very mind that can't understand is itself the Buddha; there's nothing more besides that."  -- Mazu

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Huang Bo:

 

"Consider the sunlight. You may see it is near, yet if you follow it from world to world you will never catch it in your hands. Then you may describe it as far away and, lo, you will see it just before your eyes. Follow it and, behold, it escapes you; run from it and it follows you close. You can neither possess it nor have done with it. From this example you can understand how it is with the true Nature of all things and, henceforth, there will be no need to grieve or to worry about such things."

 

"Where nothing is sought this implies Mind unborn; where no attachment exists, this implies Mind not destroyed; and that which is neither born nor destroyed is the Buddha."

 

Foyan:

 

Whatever you are doing ... there is something that transcends the Buddhas and Zen Masters; but as soon as you want to understand it, it's not there. It's not really there; as soon as you try to gather your attention on it, you have already turned away from it.... Does this mean that you will realize it if you do not aim the mind and do not develop intellectual understanding? Far from it – you will fail even more seriously to realize it. Even understanding does not get it, much less not understanding.