Father Stern and Mother Merciful

Yutang Lin

Wisdom teachings point directly to emptiness of substance.
Nothing allowed, resurrect one through putting to death first.
Ingenuity born of compassion urges one to practice tolerance.
Occasionally hint at with the question, "Why grasping this?"

Comments:

Wisdom teachings are like a stern father; all deluded ideas are swept away into nothingness.
Chan (Zen) instructions so sharp that nothing is agreed on; forcing one to the dead end to wait for one's turn around.
Compassionate waking calls are like a merciful mother; realizing how stubborn the child is, give advice to practice tolerance.
Only afraid that constant urging could cause the grasping tighter, occasionally put a question to wait for the child's return to home.

Written in Chinese and translated on March 29, 2007
El Cerrito, California

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