The Practice of Perfection: The Paramitas from a Zen Buddhist Perspective

by Robert Aitken

Perfection is a process.

Yen-yang asked Chao-chou, “What if I have nothing with me?” Chao-chou said, “Throw it away.” Yen-yang said, “If I have nothing with me, what can I throw away?” Chao-chou said, “In that case, keep holding it.”

But everything is in flux and everything flows.

The Emperor Wu of Liang asked Bodhidharma, “What is the first principle of the holy teaching?” Bodhidharma said, “Vast emptiness, nothing holy.” The Emperor asked, “Who is this standing here before me?” Bodhidharma said, “I don’t know.”

I’m interested in the wisdom of words and not the game of words. I’m always reminding myself about this.

So long as Kuan-yin is up in the sky, she bears responsibility for your conduct, speech, and thought. I want you to bring her down to your own cushions, to your own desk, to your own sink, to your own response.