25

When speaking to people,
you must use words to explain
that reality is beyond words.
You must point to non-being
through being, and describe the whole
through names for the separate parts.
Show them that naming
separates, and that each thing
isn’t really itself.
But don’t use a finger directly
to show that it’s not a finger;
use a non-finger, and they’ll see
that a finger isn’t a finger.
Don’t use a horse directly
to show that it’s not a horse;
use a non-horse, and they’ll see
that a horse isn’t a horse.

 

Heaven and earth are one finger;
the ten thousand things are one horse.

When speaking to a Master, you don’t need to use words. You can sit around at a tea shop, for example, and not say anything to each other for hours. A smile is enough. A sip of tea is enough.

When speaking to other people, you can still say everything with a smile or a sip of tea. But if you want to be understood, a skillful relationship with words is important, since reality is beyond words. Though ultimately all you can do is point. Not this, not that.

An ancient Chinese logician explained that, because the word horse is color-blind, a white horse is not a “horse.” For that matter, a horse is not a “horse.” It may be a four-legged animal that neighs, but it is not separate from the rest of non-horsical reality. If anything, it is “reality horsing,” or “reality being horsed.” I realize that this is getting out of hand. Words are like that. Just when you try to get really serious, words refuse to behave. They just keep horsing around.

So do your best. Keep smiling. Keep sipping. Know from the start that no one will understand. If you come upon a non-finger (as if that were possible), point it in the right direction. If you come upon a non-horse, lead it to water but don’t expect it to drink.