Four Characteristics of Great Perfection

Yutang Lin

Non-real yet harmonizing with suchness,
Vast beyond measures and limits,
Oneness seems spontaneous,
Floating along as if non-sentient.
Tracing appearances would never comprehend.
Tracking the path to learn sweet and sour.
Beginning to practice is already out of the way;
Thorough realization is called "out of one’s mind."

Comment:

The four characteristics of Great Perfection are as follows: non-real, vast, oneness, and floating along. For details please consult Yogi Chen’s Chinese article, "Summary of Padmasambhava’s teachings on Great Perfection."

Dharma practice must be seriously taken up in order for one to comprehend its essence and gain its benefits. If one grasps to terminology or appearance of behaviors, then only arguments would ensue. Dedicated practitioners would often be deemed strange by worldlings, and some advanced practitioners would even be mistaken as lunatics.

Written in Chinese on January 26, 2001
Translated on January 27, 2001
El Cerrito, California

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