Words about words

  In the near future, we’ll talk about chanting. But I thought it appropriate to first talk about words. Words can be fun, like a toy, we can play with them. “I went to a diner the other day, and order the chicken catastrophe, and eggs overwhelming.
The chicken was so undercooked that it walked down to the end of the counter and tried to beat up my cup of coffee. The coffee wasn't strong enough to defend itself.”(paraphrased from a Tom Waits song.)

Words are tools, descriptive tools.

A group of us gets together, and we agree on the meaning of the word and we agree that this thing (word) is going to point to that thing that is the real article.

I’m holding up a cup right now. I’m drinking “water”. I’m drinking “aqua”. I’m drinking “mool”, I’m drinking “woda”. Regardless of the word for water, in Spanish, Korean or Polish, the word itself just points to a thing. After all, we cannot drink the word “water”. Like a finger pointing to the moon. Don't get stuck on the finger or you will miss all the heavenly glory.
Words are like a map. The map is not the territory. You cannot look at the map and smell the pine forest or hear the bubbling creek that is drawn on the map.


 Like maps words are provisional. We have to remember that all of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the past, present, and future explain the truth using  Expedient Means (Bahng-Pyeon). They use provisional tools, language included. But ultimately, the explanation is itself not the thing it's talking about any more than a map itself is not the territory.

Words are very powerful but ultimately empty.

There is a Korean saying “What you say, becomes reality” (Ib-Seong-Su Go-Seong-Su). If you complain, sure enough, Heaven will send you more reasons to complain. The Heavens will say: “This person complains a lot…they must love complains… we will give them 10000 reasons to complain”. Because Heaven loves you.

Words can be like daggers and they can be like a soothing touch. A single word can cause a war. A single word can make peace. While speaking with your spouses, with your children, with your neighbors, with anyone in this world. Remember how powerful your words can be. Most arguments are simply a breakdown in communication. They are simply misunderstandings. We or the other may not be able to clearly convey their thoughts. We may have ran out of words.

Words are sounds. We assign to a specific combination of sounds a meaning. “Wa”  plus “ter” now refers to that wet thing there. The word itself is not wet or drinkable.

The Buddha divides sounds into two types. Sounds made by striking. Can you think of a sound made by striking? A drumbeat? A strum of a hand against a guitar string. The air striking your vocal cords when you speak. The sound of wind striking the branches of a tree. Afterall, we don’t hear the wind itself, but the sound it makes when it strikes something in its path.

What then are sounds not made by striking?

Those are sounds that do not originate in the world of form. Those are not the sounds of the material dimension of existence. Those belong to the realm of what the Buddha calls Mystery (Myo). Time and time again, there are references in the sutras to things beyond the realm of comprehension. The mysteries. The mysterious powers accessible to masters and sages. Although usable, their mechanics, their inner workings remain a mystery even to those using them.

 There is a point in our Zen journey where the words become an obstacle. Where words, and our attachment to them, obscure the truth we are seeking. Zen is said to be “Not reliant on words or letters. A special transmission outside of scripture. Directly pointing to the mind”. We take the words, we chew them up, we swallow them.  We put them into practice. Out of that practice come experience and knowledge and truth. Please understand this. This is critical for those of us who are here for the purpose of changing our lives. Memorizing 84,000 sutras might get you a job of a professorship of Buddhist studies at a university. But your day-to-day life may still be uncomfortable, filled with suffering and misery. The Buddhist teaching is always, always intended for us to be practiced. Don't use your brain too much. Use your heart more.

Take care of yourself and each other.

 

With Joined Palms,

Myong-Ahn Sunim