By Victor M Fontane
Causality is not empty, yet emptiness is not empty either. Karma is like a flowing river, ceaselessly moving, yet the nature of water itself is impermanent. Hell is not truly existent, but a projection of consciousness. Delusional thoughts are like clouds and smoke, obscuring the luminous nature of mind.
Consciousness clings, like a shadow following form. Good and evil are merely dualistic distinctions. Heaven and hell arise in a single thought, both born from the mind. Attachment to good or evil is bondage; only by transcending dualistic opposition can liberation be attained. Equanimity is not indifference to good and evil, but insight into their true nature. Compassion is not discriminating between good and evil, but embracing all.
Karma arises from the mind, with the ego-self as its root. Good and evil are human-imposed labels; reality is beyond good and evil. Evil deeds arise from deluded consciousness, not from an inherently evil nature. Compassion arises from universal empathy, requiring no specific object. Observing compassion is still a discriminating mind; true compassion is non-discriminating, like sunlight illuminating all. Ants and bees, each following their own path, are simply expressions of nature, requiring no comparison.
Good and evil are like steps on a staircase, guiding one to ascend. Ultimately, one transcends the staircase and reaches the other shore directly. Wisdom is like a bright lamp, illuminating ignorance. The duality of good and evil dissolves, and equanimous compassion manifests. Maps and signposts offer convenient guidance, yet ultimately must be discarded to reach the final destination.
Hell is not truly existent, but an illusion of consciousness. Forgiveness is not condoning, but understanding causality and releasing attachment. Clinging to good and perceiving evil gives rise to aversion, creating a self-made hell. True goodness is non-discriminating, without aversion, imperturbable and unchanging.
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