Rest Within True Nature 見性則休

Zen stones in water. Image: Shutterstock.

The Buddha’s teaching isn’t found in words alone. It is in seeing the true nature. Once the true nature is clearly seen, the search is over.

First, see the true nature

It is like the sun—bright, steady, and never changing. Or like a mirror—clear, pure, and able to reflect everything without being marked by it. This true nature has no solid shape. It is not made of anything from this world, and nothing can stick to it. It is already present from birth. But over many lifetimes, it becomes covered. Unhelpful habits take root, false ideas are accepted, and the mind holds on to what should be released. When greed, anger, and ignorance take over, the true nature becomes hidden.

Seeing the true nature is like wiping the dust off a mirror. Once the dirt is cleared away, the brightness that was always there shines out again.

If this true nature seems lost, where can it be found again? Seeking it is not only about looking within. When it is said to be like the sun and the mirror, it is not meant only for one’s own light. True nature must reach farther—it must shine into what has no end. That is when the “great self” appears.

The small self is easily clouded. The great self is wide, pure, and without limits. The sun shines on everything—there is nowhere it cannot reach. The mirror reflects all things—inside and out—without distortion, without being changed by them.

The great self is a heart that does not think of itself first. It is a heart that lives to bring peace and freedom to others. The path is not only about keeping one’s own heart pure. If others remain in darkness, then clarity is not yet complete. Only with such a heart can one shine like the sun and bring light to all.

Then, rest from the world

Rest here does not mean giving up. It means stepping back from the noise of the world. Once the true nature is seen, it should not again be stained by desire or trouble. To rest from the world means to step away from the six distractions—what is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched, and thought about. When the heart is no longer pulled in every direction, it becomes still, clear, and whole again.

This stillness is where the path deepens. Stillness is more than outer quiet—it is a calm and steady heart. Like a pond without ripples, it reflects the sky with perfect clarity. When the heart stays steady and is not pulled by outside events, the mind becomes clear, and choices become wise. Peace follows, and wisdom rises naturally. Even in difficult times, this quiet heart can hold its peace.

When the heart is clear, the mind is bright. When the heart is calm, wisdom comes. And when wisdom comes, the way forward becomes clear. This is how seeing the true nature and resting in it lead to a life that is peaceful, open, and full of light—light that can be shared with the whole world.

見性則休

雨花集

濟公活佛

佛法不立文字，見性則休。

所謂見性，所謂休，作何解釋？性就是如日如鏡，絕無實體，亦非一物，更無一物可以留存，乃初生帶來，亦是累世染納而得，但一經三毒所蔽，本性已塵迷不現。見性者，就是撥塵去污，求其真體而已。

但何處追尋已失之性？性非只尋本身之性而已。所謂如日如鏡，顯非只指一身，必向無邊無際追尋，方成大我之性。小我之性容易蒙蔽，大我之性無邊無際。所謂如日，無處不照，無遠不光。所謂如鏡，鑒澈內外。

何謂大我？大我之性，不顧本身，祇求眾生。簡言之，非獨善一身而已，眾生有蔽，我亦蔽之，要立此心腸，方能如日之照也。

所謂休，不是罷休之休，乃是休世之休。既見本性，不應再染塵埃，應該休世。休世者，離去世間六塵之謂而已。

This translated text is a chapter from Collection of Rain Blossoms, a scripture written by JiGong Living Buddha in the 1900s through spirit writing. Here the link to the original Chinese source.

If you are interested in other chapters of this book, here is the link to the table of contents.