When Both Body And Mind Are At

As I Study Both The Exoteric And The Esoteric Schools Of Buddhism, They Maintain That Human Beings Are Endowed With Dharma-nature By Birth. If This Is The Case, Why Did The Buddhas Of All Ages - Undoubtedly In Possession Of Enlightenment - Find It Necessary To Seek Enlightenment And Engage In Spiritual Practice?

The Color Of The Mountains Is Buddha's Body; The Sound Of Running Water Is His Great Speech.

When Other Sects Speak Well Of Zen, The First Thing That They Praise Is Its Poverty.

In The Assemblies Of The Enlightened Ones There Have Been Many Cases Of Mastering The Way Bringing Forth The Heart Of Plants And Trees; This Is What Awakening The Mind For Enlightenment Is Like. The Fifth Patriarch Of Zen Was Once A Pine-planting Wayfarer; Rinzai Worked On Planting Cedars And Pines On Mount Obaku. . . . Working With Plants, Trees, Fences And Walls, If They Practice Sincerely They Will Attain Enlightenment.

Since It Is The Practice Of Enlightenment, That Practice Has No Beginning And Since It Is Enlightenment Within The Practice, That Realization Has No End.