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Zen Buddhism (Chan)master


Shitou Xiqian (Sekito Kisen)

Tradition: Zen Buddhism (Chan) | Era: 8th Century (Tang Dynasty) | Lineage: Chan (Zen) - Qingyuan Xingxi lineage, ancestor of Caodong (Soto) and Yunmen schools
Episodes analyzed: 2 | Average depth: 5.4/10

Compiled Truth

Reality is the seamless dynamic interplay between the absolute unity of the source and the distinct diversity of phenomena, where neither side can exist or be understood without the other.

The importance of living simply and being present in the moment, letting go of attachments to worldly desires and intellectual concepts.

Key Teachings

1. Reality is the seamless dynamic interplay between the absolute unity of the source and the distinct diversity of phenomena, where neither side can exist or be understood without the other.
2. The importance of living simply and being present in the moment, letting go of attachments to worldly desires and intellectual concepts.

Key Concepts

  • Mutual Penetration of Li and Shi _Li-Shih Wu-Ai_ -- The principle that the absolute truth (Li) and relative phenomena (Shi) interpenetrate without obstruction; the universal is fully present in every particular instance.

  • Interdependence of Opposites _Relative Truth_ -- Light and dark, high and low, soft and harsh define each other; one cannot be understood or exist in isolation from its counterpart.

  • Non-duality -- The idea that all distinctions, including the distinction between self and other, are illusory.

  • Suchness -- The reality of the present moment, unfiltered by conceptual thinking.

    • Paradoxes

  • Within light there is darkness, but you cannot explain it by one-sided darkness alone; within darkness there is light, but you cannot understand it only by one-sided light.

  • Things are distinct and separate in their uniqueness, yet they enter together into mutual relations and share one source.

  • The hut is both valuable and worthless

  • The heart is both small and vast

    • Practice Instructions

  • [contemplation] Observe the arising of sense objects without clinging to ideals or rejecting experiences, recognizing that both the observer and the observed return to the same source.

  • [inquiry] Meditate on the meeting of 'two arrows in mid-air' to realize the precise moment where the ideal and actual converge.

    • Cross-References

    Gene Keys


  • Gene Key 30: Desire -> Lightness -> Rapture

  • Gene Key 63: Doubt -> Inquiry -> Truth


    • Timeline

  • [2026-04-11] 2 episodes imported from Wisdom of Masters analysis