What Is That Which Does Not Associate with All Dharmas?

Layman Pang Yun asked Chan Master Mazu Daoyi: "What kind of person is one who is not a companion to all dharmas?" The Chan master replied: "When you can swallow the entire West River in one gulp, then I will tell you." Upon hearing this, Layman Pang instantly attained enlightenment. What did he realize? He realized that which is not a companion to all dharmas—that which is not a thing. What is this thing? Why is it not a companion to all dharmas?

Layman Pang realized the inherently pure mind. This mind is not a companion to all dharmas because the Tathagatagarbha has no form and is not a companion to form, has no sound and is not a companion to sound, has no fragrance and is not a companion to olfactory objects, has no taste and is not a companion to gustatory objects, has no tactile sensation and is not a companion to tactile objects, has no mental phenomena and is not a companion to mental objects. The Tathagatagarbha has no six sense faculties and is not a companion to the six sense faculties, has no six consciousnesses and is not a companion to the six consciousnesses. The Tathagatagarbha has no Four Noble Truths and is not a companion to the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths, has no Six Perfections of the Bodhisattva and is not a companion to the Six Perfections. The Tathagatagarbha has no Twelve Links of Dependent Origination and is not a companion to the Dharma of the Twelve Links. The Tathagatagarbha has no worldly dharmas and is not a companion to any worldly dharma. When the entire world ceases, it does not cease. Therefore, the Tathagatagarbha is precisely the mind that is not a companion to all dharmas.

Moreover, because it does not intermingle with all dharmas—as stated in the Agama Sutras: "not dwelling within each other"—the five aggregates and eighteen realms do not dwell within the Tathagatagarbha, nor does the Tathagatagarbha dwell within the five aggregates and eighteen realms. They are not of the same kind, do not intermingle, are not one thing, are not the same substance, and therefore cannot be blended. When the five aggregates cease, the Tathagatagarbha does not cease. It can exist alone, independent of any dharma, and thus is not a companion to all dharmas.

Chan Master Mazu instructed Layman Pang: "When you can swallow the entire West River in one gulp, then I will tell you." In fact, this was already revealing it, but it is not something ordinary consciousness, thought, imagination, or reasoning can know. Layman Pang was also exceptionally sharp-witted; at that moment, he knew that "it" would manifest. His wisdom was extraordinary. It is not like people today who think, "I cannot possibly drink the West River, let alone drain it," and then give up, thinking that giving up is enlightenment. Or those who think the West River is also manifested by their own mind and is also empty, believing that understanding this principle is enlightenment. Such understanding is mistaken; one cannot realize the substance of our Tathagatagarbha mind, much less understand how the Tathagatagarbha produces the five aggregates and all dharmas.

Therefore, when we drink water daily, we treat it as an ordinary matter and miss it entirely, never realizing there is a profound mystery here. This is called "using it daily without knowing." Master Zhaozhou would often tell visitors: "Go drink tea." The words of great Chan masters always carry special intent and profound meaning. Unfortunately, ordinary people fail to grasp their meaning and merely drink 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 day we will surely realize the secret within.