A SUBTLE CHAN LESSON FOR THE WISE

When one enters into the mysterious world of either Dao or Chan Dharma, and decides to do more than intellectually capture what is spoken and written, it appears like one has entered a game of chess where one has to really understand the complexities of the game and develop the capacity to look beyond the pieces which are presented upon the board as black and white.

While there is a certain truth within that idea, there are Four Noble Truths to learn:

1. You must not play to win the game.

2. The Second Noble Truth is to learn that black and white, although apparent opponents, really have the same color.

3. The Third Noble Truth to learn is that you are all the pieces and that you cannot play until you really become all those pieces.

4. The Fourth Noble Truth to learn is that in order to play the game you have to stop playing.

The Pawns are your body within Samsara, stained black or pure virgin white. The problem is that when you start the game all the white pieces are invisible.

The Knights are really your confusion. They are able and sensitive and can dart about in all directions. The only problem in Dharma Chess is when they are black they don't know where to go.

The Bishops know where they are going alright; from one corner of the world to another with self-righteous acquisitiveness. The white Bishop on the other hand, with a pure mind, moves with great discrimination.

The Rooks are elephants who simply with their power and arrogance run over everything in their paths. The white elephant, of course, is quite different. It has a spiritual nature.

There is of course the Queen. In her white form she is a Bodhisattva filled with Gladness, Compassion, Benevolent Affect and Equanimity. When she is Black, she spouts all the right words but her heart is dark.

Finally there is the King. Now the important thing here is to know that neither king exists. It is the self in both cases... One, the black, appears visible and is not and the white appears transparent and is not.

Now perhaps you can begin to see why the Dao and Chan Dharma Chess is difficult.

The great complication in the game now arises, for in any given moment the pieces may appear in quite different positions and in quite a different relationship and naturally they cannot occupy the same square. Another great difference from normal Chess is the fact that black always moves first and can actually move as many times as is useful before white gets a move.

There is also another great problem and that is when a black piece appears to be taken it can suddenly appear somewhere else and when a white piece is taken it takes an incredible time and a great deal of meditative penetration before it can appear again.

It is natural, I suppose, that most people give up early and stop the game when it becomes difficult... Of course, they can cheat and make up their own rules... but they can never win.

The beautiful thing in this Dharma game is that the white cannot win either. So why play the game?

That is an important question.

Because there exists a force that demands to discover what the truth may be that explains why the human creature is such a disaster and is on a path of self-destruction.

To the intelligent and sensitive this may well be clear, but he who experiences a personal violation at the destruction of any living thing or the environment has the attitude which bodes well.