The Realm Beyond the Prison of Samsara

Huanglong Chan Master once composed a verse: "Spring has a hundred flowers, autumn has the moon; summer has cool breezes, winter has snow. If no idle matters linger in the heart, every season is fine in the human realm." This describes the state of Chan masters who have passed the barrier of confinement. Those who have passed this barrier attain a pure mind, no longer clinging to the mundane world. They live in the world without attachment to any affair, without longing for any dharma. They no longer grasp at the five aggregates of the self, nor do they cling to the suchness they have realized. Their minds are utterly open and clear, retaining nothing. Though living in the human realm and experiencing the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—not a single dharma stirs their emotions. Scenery is scenery, form is form; people are people, things are things. All dharmas abide in their own positions, having nothing to do with them. While living in the world, they eat and drink as usual, yet they do not crave or cling to the world. Their minds have attained liberation because they are unfettered.