Our human hearts are all different
just as our faces are never exactly the same
when we judge people by a fixed standard
we create the alternations of right and wrong
when someone is similar to us
wrong become right
when different from us, right becomes wrong
good is seen from our own viewpoint
evil is judged by our own standards
thus right and wrong begin within ourselves
fixing 'the way' does not come from nature
like trying to reach the bottom of the ocean with a pole
we merely exhaust ourselves uselessly
losing our innate perception
we speak of falsehood as completely false
and truth as completely true
but outside of truth there is no falsehood
and outside of falsehood
no special truth
how can those who practice the way
diligently search for the truth
if we examine the depths of our own hearts
there is delusion and there is truth
extracted from The Art of ZEN by Stephen Addiss 1989
just as our faces are never exactly the same
when we judge people by a fixed standard
we create the alternations of right and wrong
when someone is similar to us
wrong become right
when different from us, right becomes wrong
good is seen from our own viewpoint
evil is judged by our own standards
thus right and wrong begin within ourselves
fixing 'the way' does not come from nature
like trying to reach the bottom of the ocean with a pole
we merely exhaust ourselves uselessly
losing our innate perception
we speak of falsehood as completely false
and truth as completely true
but outside of truth there is no falsehood
and outside of falsehood
no special truth
how can those who practice the way
diligently search for the truth
if we examine the depths of our own hearts
there is delusion and there is truth
extracted from The Art of ZEN by Stephen Addiss 1989