What Is That Which Does Not Associate with All Dharmas?

Layman Pangyun asked Chan Master Mazu Daoyi: "What person does not associate with all dharmas?" The Chan master said: "When you can swallow the entire West River in one gulp, I will tell you." Upon hearing this, Layman Pangyun attained enlightenment. What did he realize? He realized that which "does not associate with all dharmas" — that which is not a thing. What is it? Why does it not associate with all dharmas?

Layman Pangyun realized the inherently pure mind. This mind does not associate with all dharmas because the Tathagatagarbha has no form and does not associate with form; it has no sound and does not associate with sound; it has no scent and does not associate with scent-dust; it has no taste and does not associate with taste-dust; it has no touch and does not associate with touch-dust; it has no dharmas and does not associate with dharma-dust. The Tathagatagarbha has no six sense faculties and does not associate with the six sense faculties; it has no six consciousnesses and does not associate with the six consciousnesses. The Tathagatagarbha has no Four Noble Truths and does not associate with the dharmas of the Four Noble Truths; it has no Six Perfections of the Bodhisattva and does not associate with the Six Perfections; the Tathagatagarbha has no Twelve Links of Dependent Origination and does not associate with the dharmas of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination; the Tathagatagarbha has no worldly dharmas and does not associate with any worldly dharmas. When the entire world ceases, it does not cease. Therefore, the Tathagatagarbha is precisely the mind that does not associate with all dharmas.

Moreover, because it does not mingle with all dharmas, it is what the Agama Sutras call "not abiding within" — the five aggregates and eighteen elements do not exist within the Tathagatagarbha, nor does the Tathagatagarbha exist within the five aggregates and eighteen elements. The two are not of the same kind; they do not mingle, are not one entity, not the same thing, and thus cannot blend. When the five aggregates cease, the Tathagatagarbha does not cease. It can exist alone, independent of any dharma, and thus does not associate with all dharmas.

Chan Master Mazu instructed Layman Pangyun: "When you can swallow the entire West River in one gulp, I will tell you." In truth, this had already been expressed, but it is not something ordinary conscious thought, imagination, or reasoning can comprehend. Layman Pangyun was also an astute individual; at that moment, he knew that "it" would manifest. His wisdom was extraordinary. It was not like people nowadays who think, "I fundamentally cannot drink the West River, much less drain it," and then let it go, believing that letting go is enlightenment. Or those who think, "The West River is also manifested by my mind and is also empty," believing that understanding this principle is enlightenment. Such understanding is mistaken; one cannot realize the essence of our Tathagatagarbha mind, much less understand how the Tathagatagarbha produces the five aggregates and all dharmas.

So we drink water every day, treating it as an ordinary matter and missing it entirely, never realizing there is a profound mystery here. This is called "using it daily without realizing it." Master Zhaozhou ordinarily told visitors: "Go drink tea." The words of great Chan masters always have special intent, profound meaning. Unfortunately, ordinary people fail to grasp their significance and end up drinking tea time and again, ultimately gaining nothing. We should ask ourselves while drinking tea: "Who is drinking tea? What is the principle behind drinking tea?" By doing so, one may one day realize the secret within.