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<\/a><\/p>\nSome of the comments to a recent post seemed to come from the belief that practice and enlightenment are separate. Therefore, I\u2019m moved to offer this snippet from a Mahayana sutra (VIMALAKIRTI NIRDESA SUTRA, Chapter 7: The Goddess, Translated by Robert A. F. Thurman) for your reflection and freedom:<\/span><\/p>\n Then the venerable Sariputra said to the goddess, \u201cGoddess, how long have you been in this house?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The goddess replied, \u201cI have been here as long as the elder has been in liberation.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Sariputra said, \u201cThen, have you been in this house for quite some time?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The goddess said, \u201cHas the elder been in liberation for quite some time?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n At that, the elder Sariputra fell silent.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The goddess continued, \u201cElder, you are \u2018foremost of the wise!\u2019 Why do you not speak? Now, when it is your turn, you do not answer the question.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Sariputra: Since liberation is inexpressible, goddess, I do not know what to say.<\/span><\/span> In addition to jumping up and down, hollering, \u201cYou go, girl!\u201d I also want to ask a question that is best suited I suppose for the dokusan room.<\/p>\n How can this realization of \u201cthe equality of all things\u201d be practiced fully?<\/p>\n Friends, when we stick to our self-clinging, willy-nilly ways, this cannot be full<\/span><\/span> and neither is waging war against self-clinging <\/span>full<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n How can \u201cthe equality of all things\u201d be practiced fully?<\/p>\n Some of the comments to a recent post seemed to come from the belief that practice and enlightenment are separate. Therefore, I\u2019m moved to offer this snippet from a Mahayana sutra (VIMALAKIRTI NIRDESA SUTRA, Chapter 7: The Goddess, Translated by Robert A. F. Thurman) for your reflection and freedom: Then the venerable Sariputra said to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":182,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/span>Goddess: All the syllables pronounced by the elder have the nature of liberation. Why? Liberation is neither internal nor external, nor can it be apprehended apart from them. Likewise, syllables are neither internal nor external, nor can they be apprehended anywhere else. Therefore, reverend Sariputra, do not point to liberation by abandoning speech! Why? The holy liberation is the equality of all things!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n