Why Did Danxia Burn the Wooden Buddha?

After Zen Master Danxia attained enlightenment and realized the self-nature Buddha, he not only eradicated the four marks—the mark of self, the mark of others, the mark of sentient beings, and the mark of life span—but also eliminated the mark of Buddha. He recognized only the true Buddha, not the false Buddha. Since wooden and stone statues of the Buddha are certainly not the true Buddha, why not burn them? However, those who have not realized the true Buddha must absolutely not imitate this, for without realizing the truth, false appearances still remain. Burning a false appearance is equivalent to burning the true reality, which incurs grave offenses. The karmic retribution for destroying and insulting the Buddha is extremely severe. In ancient times, there was a lay practitioner who imitated an enlightened monk by writing the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on his underpants. Within a day or two, he vomited blood—whether he died or not, I do not recall. In modern times, someone threw a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva into a river and returned home drenched and chilled, suffering until he repented and made amends, only then recovering from a severe illness.

Danxia possessed profound roots of goodness from past lives. After enlightenment, his spiritual attainment was profound, his mind empty and formless. He often lay idly on bridges with ease, doing nothing, which often puzzled others. For one who has attained the Way, what matters remain? The five aggregates and the entire world are empty—formless, without vows, without seeking. Life is merely eating and sleeping. Stretching out both legs and lying down is perfectly normal. What is there to scheme about, busily running east and west, bustling about inside and out? Only when the mind is utterly empty and all dharmas operate naturally will the Buddha certainly come to bestow a prediction of Buddhahood. If even one dharma remains unemptied, if there is still one thing to seek, if one still aspires to become a Buddha or patriarch, forget about the Buddha coming to bestow a prediction. Those who exploit the name of liberating sentient beings to pursue selfish gains, turning Buddhism into a murky mess, will likely not only fail to receive the Buddha’s prediction but may also incur the Buddha’s reprimand. The consequences of karma are terrifying.

Some might say, "I also believe wooden and stone Buddha statues are not the true Buddha, so if I burn one, nothing will happen." Then go ahead and try burning one—see if your internal organs don’t feel scorched, wracked with unbearable agony. What you personally believe is irrelevant; what your consciousness thinks is useless. The mental faculty of discernment does not recognize such notions—karma never errs. Those who claim to have attained fruition, who believe they have clarified the mind and attained enlightenment, should try writing the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas on their underwear. Try burning a wooden Buddha or destroying a stone Buddha. If nothing happens, they can be regarded as truly enlightened, having shattered all marks. But is there anyone who dares to act like Zen Master Danxia?

Some might say, "The person who verified my realization possesses considerable spiritual attainment—I trust him completely." But I say the Buddha has the highest attainment. If the Buddha’s verification did not align with reality, the Tathagatagarbha would not acknowledge it, and karma certainly would not acknowledge it either. Of course, this is merely hypothetical—the Buddha’s verification is absolutely in accordance with reality and the Tathagatagarbha. Some people are stubborn, refusing to listen to anything, trusting only their own feelings. But the Tathagatagarbha is even more stubborn—it adheres solely to facts. Karma is especially unyielding, daring to confront anyone. Those who refuse to bow before facts will find karma confronting them relentlessly.