If you were in a situation where you had to burn a Buddha statue in order to survive, would your actions be justifiable, knowing that you acted not with the idea of true realization, but with the intellectual understanding that this is not the real Buddha, this is only a piece of wood? No, you cannot do this. T'ien-jan did this to help his disciples cut off their attachments. He did it for the sake of others. He did not do it because he was freezing. If you were to follow his example and repeat the scene, it would be for your own sake, not for others. You are not justified in doing such a thing. In other words, some karma will result, since your action is self-motivated.

To an enlightened person, the Buddha statue is still a Buddha statue. An ordinary piece of wood is still just a piece of wood. The two are different in his or her mind. Another person may think that the two objects are the same, but actually that person is confused; that person is not enlightened. It is not wise to recreate a kung-an. They cannot be imitated. If you purposely imitate them, you may end up doing bad things.

STUDENT:

I still do not understand. If all things have Buddha-nature, then why would an enlightened person see a Buddha statue and an ordinary piece of wood as being different?

SHIH-FU:

In terms of Buddha-nature, there is no difference between a block of wood, a Buddha statue, or anything else for that matter. But, there is a difference in terms of phenomena in the world. In terms of phenomena, everything is different, but in the enlightened person's mind, there is no discrimination. If Ch'an masters do not even have the common sense to see ordinary phenomena as being different, they would be considered lunatics.