To intellectually understand this is not good enough. One must experience it directly; yet it is difficult to do so, because we are emotionally attached to our perception of self. This is vexation, and the only way to loosen the bonds of attachment and vexation is to practice. Through practice one can experience, in varying degrees, that time and space have no existence, and that self is an illusion. One might experience time passing very quickly, or one might experience the boundaries of the body merging with the universe. An ancient Ch'an master composed a short verse:

One is empty-handed, yet holds a hoe;
One is walking, yet riding a buffalo;
One stands on a bridge ─ the bridge is flowing
and the water is still.


This master uses the concepts of ordinary sentient beings to describe his own perceptions. To him, holding a hoe and being empty-handed are the same; walking and riding a buffalo are the same; bridges and water are the same. The descriptions he uses are the activities and phenomena of ordinary people; they are things that are in motion. Yet, this master uses the movement of phenomena to describe the experience of non-motion. The experience of non-motion is free from causes and conditions. This master perceives reality, not illusion. It is we who perceive the illusion.

STUDENT:

Is cause and consequence similar to karma?

SHIH-FU:

Karma means force or action. Karma is definitely related to causes and consequences, because actions have a force which leads to consequences. In fact, the Twelve Links of Conditioned Arising (nidanas) are sometimes referred to as the Twelve Links of Conditioned Arising from Karma.

STUDENT: