My quotes for peace The quote book of Sylvain (En)

T he myriad things are created and transformed out of the two material forces and the Five Agents. These Five Agents are the basis of their differentiation while the two material forces constitute their actuality. The two forces are fundamentally one. Consequently, the many are [ultimately] one and the one is actually differentiated in the many. The one and the many each has its own correct state of being. The great and the small each has its definite function.

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, penetrating the Book of Changes, Ch.22, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

the two material forces= Yin & Yang

C an one become a sage through learning?" -Yes."
-Is there any essential way?" -Yes."
-Please explain it to me."
-The essential way is to [concentrate on] one thing. By [concentrating on] one thing is meant having no desire. Having no desire, one is vacuous (hsu, being absolutely pure and peaceful) while tranquil, and straight forward while in action. Being vacuous while tranquil, one becomes intelligent and hence penetrating. Being straightforward while active, one becomes impartial and hence all embracing. Being intelligent, penetrating, impartial, and all-embracing, one is almost a sage.

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, penetrating the Book of Changes, Ch. 20, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

Confucianists had never advocated having no desire. Mencius merely advocated having few desires (Mencius, 7B: 3 5.). The Taoist influence here is obvious. Hitherto, it was only a Taoist and Buddhist method of moral cultivation, but from now on, it became a Confucian method too.

B ecause of calmness, one's desires will be appeased, and because of harmony, one's impetuousness will disappear. Peace, calmness, and moderation-these are the height of virtue.

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, penetrating the Book of Changes, Ch.17, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

H eaven produces the ten thousand things through yang and brings them to completion through yin.

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, penetrating the Book of Changes, Ch.11, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

H aving no thought and yet penetrating all-thus is one a sage.

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, penetrating the Book of Changes, Ch.9, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

S omeone asked, "How can good be promoted in the world?"
I said, "Through teachers."
"How is that?"
I said, "In human nature there are only strength, weakness, good, evil, and the Mean."

The questioner did not understand.
I explained, "Righteousness, uprightness, decisiveness, strictness, and firmness of action are examples of strength that is good, and fierceness, narrow-mindedness, and violence are examples of strength that is evil Kindness, mildness, and humility are examples of weakness that is good, and softness, indecision, and perverseness are examples of weakness that is evil. Only the Mean brings harmony. The Mean is the principle of regularity, the universally recognized law of morality, and is that to which the sage is devoted. Therefore the sage institutes education so as to enable people to transform their evil by themselves, to arrive at the Mean and to rest there. Therefore those who are the first to be enlightened should instruct those who are slower in attaining enlightenment, and the ignorant should seek help from those who understand. Thus the way of teachers is established.

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, penetrating the Book of Changes, Ch.7, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

T he way of the sage is nothing but humanity, righteousness, the Mean, and correctness. Preserve it and it will be ennobling. Practice it and it will be beneficial. Extend it and it will match Heaven and Earth. Is it not easy and simple? Is it hard to know? (If so), it is because we do not preserve, practice, and extend it.

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, penetrating the Book of Changes, Ch. 6, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

T he state of absolute quiet and inactivity" is sincerity. The spirit is that which, "when acted on, immediately penetrates all things. (1) And the state of subtle incipient activation is the undifferentiated state between existence and nonexistence when activity has started but has not manifested itself in physical form. Sincerity is infinitely pure and hence evident. The spirit is responsive and hence works wonders. And incipient activation is subtle and hence abstruse. The sage is the one who is in the state of sincerity, spirit, and subtle incipient activation.

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, penetrating the Book of Changes, Ch.4, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

O ne who returns to his nature and adheres to it is a worthy.

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, penetrating the Book of Changes, Ch. 3, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

(1) Cf. Mencius, 7B:25.

S agehood is nothing but sincerity. It is the foundation of the Five Constant Virtues (humanity, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness) and the source of all activities. When tranquil, it is in the state of non-being, and when active, it is in the state of being. It is perfectly correct and clearly penetrating. Without sincerity, the Five Constant Virtues and all activities will be wrong. They will be depraved and obstructed. Therefore with sincerity very little effort is needed to achieve the Mean .[In itself] it is perfectly easy but it is difficult to put into practice. But with determination and firmness, there will be no difficulty. Therefore it is said, "If a man can for one day master himself and return to propriety, all under heaven will return to humanity.” (1)

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, penetrating the Book of Changes, Ch. 2, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

(1) Analect, 12,1.

T he superior man cultivates these moral qualities and enjoys good fortune, whereas the inferior man violates them and suffers evil fortune.

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, An Explanation of the Diagram of the Great Ultimate, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

T he sage settles these affairs by the principles of the Mean, correctness, humanity, and righteousness (for the way of the sage is none other than these four), regarding tranquillity as fundamental. (Having no desire, there will therefore be tranquillity.) (1)

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, An Explanation of the Diagram of the Great Ultimate, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

(1) This insertion and that immediately following the sentence are Chou's own annotations.

T he Ultimate of Non-being and also the Great Ultimate (T'ai-chi)!
The Great Ultimate through movement generates yang. When its activity reaches its limit, it becomes tranquil. Through tranquillity the Great Ultimate generates yin. When tranquillity reaches its limit, activity begins again. So movement and tranquillity alternate and become the root of each other, giving rise to the distinction of yin and yang, and the two modes are thus established.
By the transformation of yang and its union with yin, the Five Agents of Water, Fire, Wood, Metal, and Earth arise. When these five material forces (ch'i) are distributed in harmonious order, the four seasons run their course.
The Five Agents constitute one system of yin and yang, and yin and yang constitute one Great Ultimate. The Great Ultimate is fundamentally the Non-ultimate. The Five Agents arise, each with its specific nature.
When the reality of the Ultimate of Non-being and the essence of yin, yang, and the Five Agents come into mysterious union, integration ensues. Ch'ien (Heaven) constitutes the male element, and k'un (Earth) constitutes the female element. The interaction of these two material forces engenders and transforms the myriad things. The myriad things produce and reproduce, resulting in an unending transformation.
It is man alone who receives (the Five Agents) in their highest excellence, and therefore he is most intelligent. His physical form appears, and his spirit develops consciousness. The five moral principles of his nature (humanity or jen, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness) are aroused by, and react to, the external world and engage in activity; good and evil are distinguished; and human affairs take place.

Chow Tun-i quote, Confucianism, Neo Confucianism
Chou Tun-yi, An Explanation of the Diagram of the Great Ultimate, in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 28

G ood and learned friends, when I was at Priest Hung-jen's place, I understood immediately as soon as I heard him, and suddenly realized the original nature of True Thusness. For this reason I propagate this doctrine so that it will prevail among later generations and seekers of the Way will be able to achieve perfect wisdom through sudden enlightenment, each to see his own mind, and to become suddenly enlightened through his own original nature. If they are not able to enlighten themselves, they should seek good and learned friends of high standing to show them the way to see their nature.

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 31

W hy not seek in one's own mind the sudden realization of the original nature of True Thusness? The P'u-sa chieh ching says, 'We are originally pure in our self-nature. If we understand our minds and see our nature, we shall achieve Buddhahood ourselves. [And the Wei-mo-chieh (so-shua) ching says] 'Immediately we become completely clear and recover our original mind’.

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 30

W hen there is no thought, one's nature is empty of differentiated characters and is tranquil, but when there is thought, that is self-transformation.

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 20

W hat is meant by the Perfect Reward-body? One light can illuminate the darkness of a thousand years, and one bit of wisdom can destroy the ignorance of ten thousand years. Never mind looking back to the past; always consider the future, and always make future thoughts good. This is called the Reward-body. The reward of one evil thought will remove the good of a thousand years, and the reward of one good thought will destroy the evil of a thousand years. At all times make the next thought a good one. This is called the Reward-body.

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 20

S elf-nature is always pure, just as the sun and moon are always shining. It is only when they are obscured by clouds that there is brightness above but darkness below and the sun, the moon, and the stars cannot be seen. But when suddenly a gentle mind blows and scatters all clouds and fog, all phenomena are abundantly spread out before us, all appearing together. The purity of people’s nature is comparable to the clear sky, their wisdom comparable to the sun, and sagacity comparable to the moon. Their sagacity and wisdom are always shining. It is only because externally people are attached to spheres of objects (1) that erroneous thoughts, like floating clouds, cover the self-nature so that it is not clear. […] By taking refuge ourselves is meant to remove evil deeds. This is called taking refuge.

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 20

G ood and learned friends, you must all go through the experience yourselves and receive the discipline that frees you from the attachment to differentiated characters. Follow me at the same time and repeat my slogans. They will enable you, good and learned friends, to see that the Three Bodies (1) of the Buddha are within you: 'We take refuge in the pure Law-body of the Buddha with our own physical bodies. We take refuge in the Myriad Transformation-body with our own physical bodies. We take refuge in the Perfect Reward-body with our own physical bodies.' The physical body is like an inn and cannot be spoken of as a refuge. It has always been the case that the Three Bodies lie in one's own nature. Everyone has them, yet because they are deluded they do not see, and they seek the Three [Bodies] of the Tathagata (Thus-come Buddha) externally, without realizing that the Three Bodies are inherent in one's own physical body. Good and learned friends, listen to your good friend. If you, good and learned friends, now see in your own physical bodies the self-nature that involved the Three Bodies of the Buddha. These Three Bodies will arise from your nature.

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 20

The doctrine of "becoming a Buddha in this very body" is a far cry from the original Indian idea that the body is a hindrance to freedom. One cannot help recalling that the Confucianists have always regarded the body as a gift from parents and as such it is a sacred trust and therefore to be well taken care of, and that for centuries the Taoists religion had tried in many ways, including medicine, diets, exercise, sex technique, and breath control, to make the body suitable for everlasting life on earth. These are some of the roots that make Zen essentially Chinese.

T he Wei-mochieh [so-shuo] ching says, 'Immediately we become completely clear and recover our original mind. The P'u-sa chieh ching (Scripture of Disciplines for Bodhisattvahood) says, 'We are originally pure in our self-nature. (1) Good and learned friends, realize that your self-nature is naturally pure. Cultivate and achieve for yourselves the Law-body of your self-nature. Follow the Way of the Buddha yourselves. Act and achieve Buddhahood for yourselves.

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 19

(1) Buddhism conceives a Buddha to have a threefold body, namely, the Lawbody or spiritual body (Dharmakaya), the Reward-body or Enjoyment-body (Sambhogakaya), and the Transformation-body or body of incarnation (Nirmanakaya). The Law-body is the Buddha-body in its self-nature, the body of the Dharma or truth, the body of reality, the body of principle. This "body" has no body existence. It is identical with truth. In various schools it is identical with the Realm of Dharma (Dharmadhatu), Buddha-nature, or the Storehouse of the “Thus-come" (Tathagatagarbha). The Reward-body is the person embodied with real insight, enjoying his own enlightenment or that of others. The Transformation body is a body variously appearing to save people. The three bodies are three in one, are possessed of all Buddhas, and are potential to all men.

N ow, this being the case, in this method, what is meant by sitting in meditation? In this method, to sit means to be free from all obstacles, and externally not to allow thoughts to rise from the mind over any sphere of objects. To meditate means to realize the imperturbability of one's original nature. What is meant by meditation and calmness? Meditation means to be free from all characters externally; calmness means to be unperturbed internally. If there are characters outside and the inner mind is not disturbed, one's original nature is naturally pure and calm. It is only because of the spheres of objects that there is contact, and contact leads to perturbation. There is calmness when one is free from characters and is not perturbed. There is meditation when one is externally free from characters, and there is calmness when one is internally undisturbed. Meditation and calmness mean that external meditation is attained and internal calmness is achieved.

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 19

M an's nature is originally pure. It is by false thoughts that True Thusness is obscured. Our original nature is pure as long as it is free from false thoughts. If one does not realize that his own nature is originally pure and makes up his mind to look at purity, he is creating a false purity. Such purity has no objective existence. Hence we know that what is looked at is false. Purity has neither physical form nor character, but some people set up characters of purity and say that this is the object of our task. People who take this view hinder their own original nature and become bound by purity.

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 18

G ood and learned friends, in this method of mine, from the very beginning, whether in the sudden-enlightenment or gradual-enlightenment tradition, absence-of-thought has been instituted as the main doctrine, absence-of-characters as the substance, and nonattachment as the foundation. What is meant by absence-of-characters? Absence of characters means to be free from characters while in the midst of them. Absence-of-thought means not to be carried away by thought in the process of thought. Nonattachment is man's original nature. Thought after thought goes on without remaining. Past, present, and future thoughts continue without termination. But if we cut off andterminate thought one instant, the dharma-body (Law-body or spiritual body ) (1) is freed from the physical body. At no time should a single instant of thought be attached to any dharma. If one single instant of thought is attached to anything, then every thought will be attached. That is bondage. But if in regard to dharmas no thought is attached to anything, that is freedom. [This is] the meaning of having nonattachment as the foundation.

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 17.

G ood and learned friends, in method there is no distinction between sudden enlightenment and gradual enlightenment. Among men however, some are intelligent and others are stupid. Those who are deluded understand gradually, while the enlightened achieve understand understanding suddenly. But when they know their own minds, then they see their own nature, and there is no difference in their enlightenment. Without enlightenment, they remain forever bound in transmigration."

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 16.

M aster Hui-neng declared, "Good and learned friends, perfect wisdom is inherent in all people. It is only because they are deluded in their minds that they cannot attain enlightenment by themselves. They must seek the help of good and learned friends of high standing to show them the way to see [their own] nature. Good and learned friends, as soon as one is enlightened, he attains wisdom

Hui Neng quote, Buddhism, Mahayana, Zen (Chan)
Hui-neng, in the “Plateform scripture” (liu-tsu t’an-ching), in Wing-Tsit Chan, Chinese Philosophy, Chapter 26, 12

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