The important function for Buddha after Buddha
And the pivotal moment for Ancestor after Ancestor
Is to know It without ‘stirring anything up'
And to be illumined without setting up an opposite.
When one knows It without stirring anything up,
Such knowing is naturally humble:
When one is illumined without setting up an opposite,
Such illumination is naturally subtle.
Since that knowing is naturally humble,
There is never a discriminating thought:
Since that illumination is naturally subtle
There is never the least outward sign of It.
Since there is never a discriminating thought,
That knowing is wondrous, with nothing left to be dealt with:
Since there is never the least outward sign of It,
That illumination is complete, with nothing left unrealized.
The water is now so clear you can see to its depths,
As fish swim by at their leisure:
The sky is now so clear it is boundless,
As birds fly off, leaving no trace.