Originally, Not a Single Thing
Awakening is no tree; the clear mirror has no stand. Originally there is not a single thing — where could dust ever cling?
Do I carry a burden that isn't there, believing there's dust to wipe away?
📝Reflection
This verse has a famous rivalry behind it. One monk wrote, "The mind is a mirror; wipe it diligently so dust won't settle." A fine teaching. But Huineng went one level deeper: "There is originally no mirror to wipe, no dust to settle." Both are right — only at different levels. We constantly strive to polish the mind, to become better, to fix our flaws. That effort is precious. But sometimes, as in this verse, we need to set down even the thought that there is something to wipe. Seen from the originally clean place, what we took for dust is just a passing cloud.
🌱Apply It Today
When self-reproach rises today — "I lack this, I must fix that" — briefly set down even that thought and rest in "I am originally fine, just as I am."
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
