Being is not being

Being is not being; non-being is not non-being;

Miss this rule by a hair,

And you are off by a thousand miles!

From my youth I piled studies upon studies,

In sutras and sastras I searched and researched,

Classifying terms and forms, oblivious to fatigue.

I entered the sea to count the sands in vain

And then the Tathagata scolded me kindly

As I read "What profit in counting your neighbor's treasure?"

My work had been scattered and entirely useless,

For years I was dust blown by the wind!

If the seed-nature is wrong, misunderstandings arise,

And the Buddha's doctrine of immediacy cannot be attained.

Shravaka and Pratyeka students may study earnestly

But they lack aspiration.

Others may be very clever,

But they lack prajna (wisdom).

Stupid ones, childish ones,

They suppose there is something in an empty fist.

They mistake the pointing finger for the moon.

They are idle dreamers lost in form and sensation.

Not supposing something is the Tathagata.

This is truly called the Bodhisattva who sees freely.

When awakened we find karmic hindrances fundamentally empty.

But when not awakened, we must repay all our debts!