Seeing Has No Idea - Dragging Around This Corpse
by Ki Bong Sahn

A lot of people have so very many questions about life and death - especially about this, `where does one go when they die?" So I will ask this person, "what are you doing now?' Well, maybe this person will answer that they are sitting there talking with me right now. So this would prompt me to say, `so you know where people go now." This person probably will not understand that speech.

So where do people go? Where did my mother, my father go? I don't know where they went, yes? People sometimes get this notion that there is something about our life that makes life seem like a big deal. This sort of idea gives many of us some sort of reason for living-maybe a bit of direction. That question again, "what am I doing, right here, right now?" Why am I a monk? Again, I don't know. So when you have no idea one question surfaces always: What is this? What am I doing when I am working - why am I working? Well right now, in this moment, it is the very job you need to get done. But is there anything deeper than that? If you know, you only have an idea. maybe so and so went to heaven, maybe they went to hell. Does my idea really matter? If a brick falls from the sky, and hits you in your head-what do you say? Maybe "owwwwwwwieeeeeeeeee!!!!" Or we say, "ouch!"

So this , "owwwwwieeeeee!!", that, "ouch!" - did you hear that? Ok first of all, I don't know anything. These words today, what I write here-where do they come from? It is coming from my heart, OK? It doesn't have any Dharma in it; it has nothing at all. It cannot answer questions or do anything. It does not have any idea. It cannot see, hear, smell, think, taste, or touch. But I am sitting here before my computer writing this for you. About what? Who knows! I don't really have any Dharma. I have nothing at all really. I cannot figure why I am here doing this. Can you? If you can, please contact me.

But there is a seeing, hearing, smelling, thinking, tasting, touching even if I say there is no seeing, hearing, smelling, thinking, tasting, touching. But that's only naming, yes? Made by you, made by me, made by everyone of us. Only an idea. I say, "I write this." That's not dependent on hearing, on I like this I don't like that, incorrect or correct, good or bad. It's not actually dependent on anything at all. The sun is orange. We don't need any philosophy for that point. My eyes seeing the sun is not dependent on anything. Seeing, hearing, smelling, thinking, tasting, touching are not actually dependent on anything at all. We make it dependent on something, though. You go to a movie and afterwards you say, "I didn't like that movie - no good." But your eyes didn't not like it. They don't have any idea. Your eyes, ears, mind, nose, tongue and body don't depend on anything. If it is, you are suffering. Please do not confuse this, by the way, with the laws of interdependence. So where people go is just an idea, who I am is just an idea. So don't know-then you are free, and everything is very, very clear.

A few times I have gone to students funerals being held at churches. The ministers or priests would talk about God. One time the minister told everyone that if they have a problem, if they just depend on God-the problem goes away. But sometimes to me this does not seem to be quite enough. Our life is impermanent, like smoke or water, like grass or flowers. Our lives appear, then disappear just POOF! - like that. We worry about a lot of things while here, money - jobs, children - even next lives. Human life has a lot of worry. But becoming a human being means, don't worry. If you can understand impermanence, then everything is ok. Problems will appear, though-because human beings always want more.

How does someone control this desire for more, this human anger and ignorance? This is a very important point. In grade school and the children will study and then go play. They learn about their own country and it's geography and so on. They say, "This is where my country begins, and it ends here." After this lesson these children go home to their fathers and mothers an this idea of "my country" disappears. You are born into this world, when you are about to go leaving it you think, `this is my family, and my house, and my country." Then you're my situation, my condition - that I - my - and only me mind appears. But when you die, that disappears.

When we are children we are the child of whomever takes care of our needs. When we grow up, we become students of the cosmos. This is your home-when one is born-where do they come from? When one dies-where do they go? Everyone has a true home. Buddhism means becoming completely independent: not dependent on Buddha or God or even your own understanding. If you really do become your true self-there is no life or death, no coming or going.

If we find that then, we are free from life and death. Why would we now need Buddha or Jesus? You already are Buddha, and you are the same as Jesus. So put down these ideas and opinions and understand your true self. If you can understand what the one pure clear thing is that no dependent on life or death is - there will not be any problems - no life or death. It will not matter whether the sun rises or sets!

In the daylight we see the blue sky - dark sky at night time. But high, high up in the sky - it never changes. Only my ideas change it, perceive this change. Where do my eyes come from? Now I have eyes, but before I was born I had no eyes. When I die, my eyes will go away. Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind: these are like a mirage that come about and goes away. Do not be attached to them. Put down again, all of your opinions and thinking. When one is thinking, they perceive other people's minds as different from their own. If you cut off all thinking, though - your mind my mind are all the same - the same as Buddha and Jesus Christ. Then there are no opposites - no life or death, good and bad, no high and low, or you and me.

When we can put down "I," we can become our original human mind - that means becoming great love, and great compassion. Dogs and cats cannot nor do they have to find their true self - they already have it - but humans beings can and must! Zen means understanding who you are and what you are to be doing in this world. What is the correct life for me? Keeping my correct relationship to all beings - everything - in every moment is that. But if we cling to our ideas and opinions, we will experience a lot of difficulty. So when you die-where do you go?

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