Continue to walk with me as we flow together on this Hsin Hsin Ming Journey. In this short post we’ll explore what it means to be awakened and to experience the melting of the illusion of separation, and what it means to be the rockstream.
A Flowing Stream
The ancient Zen poem continues,
“Although all dualities come from the One, do not be attached even to this One. When the mind exists undisturbed in the Way, nothing in the world can offend, and when a thing can no longer offend, it ceases to exist in the old way.”
When one is awakened to the nature of reality, such as what we find described in the Hsin Hsin Ming, and lives in this awakened state, “the mind exists undisturbed in the Way.” One is moving, breathing, speaking, living, flowing in harmonious union, not so much with the whole, but as the whole. Every movement, thought, word, is a happening. A happening of Existence itself.
In Taoism this is the concept known as “wu-wei”. One way of putting wu-wei is to speak of “effortless action” or “non-doing”. More precisely, the idea is that of “simply happening”.
So the “enlightened” one is not making an effort to walk around in a solemn, serious state thinking constantly of their connection and identity with the whole. Rather, one walks around not being blocked by morbid introspection, overthinking, or straining effort in thought, word, or deed. The one who understands doesn’t think constantly, “This is just a happening, that is a happening…” The one who understands IS a happening. This doesn’t mean there is no thought taking place, including the thought “this is a happening”. But, if thoughts occur, they are intuitively known to be happenings of the whole. One is not trapped or caught in the thoughts. One is not overthinking and consumed in the thoughts. Thoughts arise and thoughts disappear like the occurrence of waves.
The awakened one flows effortlessly like a stream. When a large rock appears in the stream, the water simply flows around it moving as the energy of the whole. When the rock “can no longer offend,” the rock “ceases to exist in the old way.” Where the rock was once seen as an enemy or an obstacle, the rock is now seen as part of the pattern of the entire stream, inseparable from it.
RockStream
The poem then says, “When no discriminating thoughts arise, the old mind ceases to exist.” The “old mind” is the unawakened mind which looks at the world through the illusion of separation without realizing the illusion. The unawakened mind discriminates and makes distinctions, imagining that reality is made of bits and pieces of separate entities, objects, and parts. The unawakened mind believes that the stream and the rock are separate entities, and in some way enemies of each other.
When one awakens, separation is seen as the illusion that it is. The illusion melts away, and in its place all is realized as the inseparable whole of existence. All is realized as the flow of cosmic energy in the various patterns we’ve called people, places, and things. The rock and the stream are seen as the “rockstream”.
The following old zen story of enlightenment takes on new meaning:
“Before one studies Zen, mountains are mountains and waters are waters; after a first glimpse into the truth of Zen, mountains are no longer mountains and waters are no longer waters; after enlightenment, mountains are once again mountains and waters once again waters.”
The old mind discriminates mountains and waters, rocks and streams, as distinct, separate objects, existing apart from and unrelated to the other. When one first glimpses “the truth of Zen” like we find in the Hsin Hsin Ming, the illusion of separation melts away and all is seen as the one, or “emptiness”. One might be caught in thought about all that is seen being an illusion to the point that there is no rock or stream at all. Yet, after “enlightenment” one sees the mountains and waters, the rock and stream, not as this or that, not as separate entities, but as “mountainwaters” and “rockstreams”. The mountains and waters, the rocks and streams, are no longer seen as separate objects, but as continuous and inseparable patterns of the energy of the whole of existence! “They” are there, but all is the effortless, flowing happening of the entire thing.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s new translation of the Heart Sutra (The Other Shore) proclaims the same truth when it says, “because there are no more obstacles in their mind, they can overcome all fear, destroy all wrong perceptions, and realize Perfect Nirvana.” The rock once seen as an obstacle to the water, is realized as no longer an obstacle. There is now the rockstream. The illusions and obstacles of the old mind disintegrate, fears lose their hold, and “Perfect Nirvana” is realized. Realized because this has been the case all along! The unawakened one has simply been unaware, asleep, caught in the illusion of separation. But, the awakened one is no longer asleep!
Continue Together
As I conclude the exploration of this part of the Hsin Hsin Ming and the nature of awakening, I invite you to join me on this journey of self-discovery and realization.
Have you experienced moments of “effortless action” and “non-doing”? Have you experienced the awareness of harmony as the flow of existence, effortlessly moving as the great “rockstream” that is the whole?
Whether you’re just beginning to explore these truths or seeking to deepen your understanding, know that you’re not alone on this path. In fact, we aren’t separate at all. We are the path. We are all that is happening in this moment.
If you’re inspired to dive deeper into these teachings or would like support taking a step into your own way, we can connect in various ways. Feel free to comment below, or reach out through the Ask Rick page to receive a video response to a specific question. If you’re ready to embark on the journey of self-realization and awakening on the deepest level, please visit the Private Sessions page to read about and schedule a one-on-one session with me.
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