No Concept of Sentient Being

Yutang Lin

Tranquility and ease pervade, grasping has passed away.
Shapes and sounds rise and fall like floating bubbles.
As phenomena come up and go away no thoughts arise.
All things are vividly present in limitless oneness.

Comment:

Here is a brief exposition on "No Concept of Sentient Being" to shed light on the significance of the following phrase found in Sutras: No Self, no others, no sentient beings, and no living beings.

The concept of "sentient being" subsists through grasping, and following such grasping it yields differentiation of sentient beings and non-sentient beings. If this grasping perished, then all sensations rise and fall naturally, without concomitant differentiations, intentions or thoughts, not to mention having their influences. When absence of grasping naturally attained, tranquility and ease prevailed and pervaded everywhere, and, in the absence of thoughts, all sensations rose and fell by themselves, and as soon as they rose, they fell.

Written in Chinese and translated on September 11, 2006
El Cerrito, California

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