In the landscape of spring, there is nothing inferior, nothing superior. Flowering branches grow naturally, some short, some long.
Ryokan (1758-1831)
Though some are larger and some are smaller, every being without exception is released into the range of its own spontaneous attainments, so that each being relies on its own innate character, each deed exactly matching its own capabilities. Since each fits perfectly into precisely the position it occupies, all are equally far-reaching and unfettered. How could any one be superior to any other?
Guo Xiang (252-312) – Commentary on the Zhuangzi (trans. Brook Ziporyn)
There is no need to seek reality. It will suffice to lay down all opinions.
Jianzhi Sengcan – Third Patriarch of Ch’an
Remarkable passages all.
Being human, I’m apt to find myself making value judgements all over the place. Circumstances, others and perhaps, above all, myself are not always as I would wish they were. Suffering ensues.
I find that each of these passages, fully appreciated, has the power to dissolve, however temporarily, this discriminating mind and usher in a boundless sense of relief. And if they should fail to do so? Well that too is entirely and unconditionally affirmable.