From the moment we are born we tend to become attached to our physical body, and then we cling to ourselves and to other people as well. In this way we develop a heart/mind full of attachments. Our self-clinging is caused by our body and delusive thoughts about it. If there were no delusive thoughts regarding our physical body, where would self-attachment be? As we engage in spiritual practice, in seated meditation, we are able to get rid of self-attachment, and vanquish our deluded thoughts about our self.

Our notion of self is a phenomenon caused by Karma. We have accumulated all kinds of good and bad Karma from the past, and it is this Karma that has created our current physical body. This body is a container-- a container for good things and bad. When there is Karma, the body comes into existence, and when the Karma disperses, the body returns to emptiness. This body is a composite of the four elements--earth, water, fire, and space. It is just like a bubble, which bubbles up for just a little while, and then in an instant dissolves again.

So we have to see through our body and let go of it. This is the only way to really leave behind the notion of a body, the notion of an independent self, the notion of other human beings, the notion of sentient beings, the notion of biological existence. “The notion of self” is this individual I-consciousness that I am attached to. “The notion of other human beings” refers to other people around us. “The notion of sentient beings” means all living beings and all kinds of things. And “the notion of biological existence” means the time span of our existence (between birth and death), namely the time span within which beings and things exist. We should not get taken up by any of these four notions, because these all notions are misleading and delusive.

When we practice and study Buddhism, we have to leave all things of the phenomenal world behind to see our awakened nature. This physical body of ours is a delusion, and therefore we should observe it in daily life and see how empty and unreal it is. This is also true for all of the other things in the world of phenomena – they are also unreal. This is what we have to see clearly. Everything is impermanent. Once we realize impermanence, we no longer hang on to anything, and we don’t grasp out for anything. Out of this realization of impermanence we quietly continue our contemplation, continue to contemplate our nature of awakening, until we understand the nature of birth and death, and thus free ourselves from suffering.

How can we free ourselves from suffering? Simply by leaving behind all delusive notions! But how can we do this? Simply by engaging in contemplation. Contemplate the world of phenomenal objects – they are constructs of karmic causes and conditions, and these constructs are impermanent. They arise out of causes and conditions, and they disperse based on causes and conditions. All feelings and emotions, all things and activities, all lives are just like a rainbow in the sky, which dissolves again after the rain. What is there for us to gain or lose? So let us abide in emptiness, in our empty nature of awakening, which is free from gain or loss. To be able to often contemplate these things, to see everything as impermanent and therefore unreal, is to be able to abide in reality. This is called Prajna (true wisdom). Everything is unreal, and there is no gain or loss. Therefore let our thoughts and feelings leave all unreal things and notions far behind.

Dharma Master Hsin Tao
(Translated by Maria Reis Habito)

覺性的光明

我們這個身體叫做亦空亦有，色即是空、空即是色，色不異空、空不異色，這個身體亦色亦空，亦空亦色，看起來是有，事實上沒有。我們的覺性，看起來是沒有，事實上是有，就是要從我們禪修裡面，慢慢對覺性要非常的熟練，而不是從這個色身去貪執、熟練。我們一出生就對這個身體有一個貪執，所以我們也貪執別人，也貪執自己，所以就變成一個執著的心。我們的我執，是因為我們的這個身體跟想法，如果沒有我們的想法跟身體，那我執是什麼呢？所以我們修行、打坐，就是要去除我執、破除我相。

我相叫做業力所生的一個相，從過去累積了好好壞壞的業力，然後形成這個身體，也就是一個接收器，好壞的接收器。有業的時候就凝聚，業散的時候就成空，這個身體就是一個四大和合，也就是說如泡沫一樣的，短暫的生起，剎那滅去。所以我們要從對身體的看破、放下，才能夠真正的離身相，離這個身相，我相、人相、眾生相、壽者相。我相就是我所執著的這個我；人相是別人的相；眾生相：一切眾，各種各類的相；壽者相就是存在的時間，就是壽者，這「相」存在的時間叫做壽者。所以我們這個四相不可得，一切相都是虛妄的。

當我們在修學佛法的時候，要離現象來看到這個覺性。我們這個身體是一個錯覺，生活中都要去覺察這個身體的虛幻不實，眾生的相都是不實在的，一切能夠看的到的，這些相都是無常，從這個無常裡面，我們無住、無貪，從這裡靜靜地觀照，觀照我們寂靜的覺性，斷煩惱、了生死。

煩惱怎麼斷？就是要離相！離相要怎麼做？就是要觀照！觀照外在的虛妄的現象，是因緣組合，這些組合是短暫的，因緣生、因緣滅，一切的感情，一切的事業，一切的生命，就像彩虹一樣，稍縱即逝，我們有什麼得失呢？所以我們安住在空性，空的覺性，無得無失。要能夠常常去觀照這些虛妄不實，而能安住真實，這個就叫做般若；一切不實，一切無所得，我們的心念、感覺都是要遠離這些虛妄的相。

─── 心道法師