Neither coming nor going

When I was in Manchuria, China, I had a fellow cultivator who was originally a bandit. Once, when he was robbing someone’s valuables, he was beaten and suffered an injury to his shoulder. Six months passed but still the wounded shoulder did not heal. At that time, he became repentant and realized his past wrongdoings. He decided to change his evil character and embrace goodness, and so he made a vow, “If my injury heals within a week, I will go to my parents’ graves and observe filial piety.” After a week, his injury was completed healed. He then fulfilled his vow by spending three years observing filial piety beside his parents’ graves. As he was able to turn over a new leaf, his master gave him the name, Filial Son Yo.

Before Filial Son Yo left for his parents’ graves, he bowed to Dharma Master Zongyi as his master. This Dharma Master had extremely virtuous conduct and gained the respect of many. He even possessed spiritual penetrations. When Filial Son Yo started learning meditation and applying effort, demonic obstacles transformed into a fire dragon that clasped tightly around his waist and burnt him until he was red and painful. In the midst of the demon’s attack, his master subdued the fire dragon. This dragon then took refuge under him and became Filial Son Yo’s Dharma-protector.

During the first two and a half years that Filial Son Yo sat by his parents’ graves, endless rainstorms flooded the fields and destroyed many crops. Because of that, Filial Son Yo made a vow, “If the sky clears in three days, I shall cut off a piece of my own flesh as an offering to the heavens.” Sure enough, the heavens accorded with his wish, and the skies cleared in less than three days. As he had promised, Filial Son Yo then cut off a piece of his own flesh as offering to the heavens. When the nearby residents and county officials heard about Filial Son Yo’s offering, they came in droves and praised him without end. About that time, a little bird flew near and sang, “Do more good deeds! Do more good deeds! Doing good deeds is so good!” That little bird stayed close to where Filial Son Yo was sitting for about three weeks before flying away.

It was truly an inconceivable occurance! When Filial Son Yo had completed observing three years of filial piety at his parents’ graves, he began giving talks at the local branch of the Path of Virtue Society and taught beings how to practice the Bodhisattva Path. Filial Son Yo was twenty-one years old when he vowed to uphold his filial duties. At that time, I was in my teens and was also observing filial piety at my mother’s grave. This was why we admired each other.

One day, we happened to meet. We observed each other in silence for a long time. Finally, Filial Son Yo asked, “Who are you?” I answered, “You should know who you are, but I do not know who I am.” Filial Son Yo asked again, “Where do you come from?” I replied, “I come from where I came from.” I then asked him, “Where are you going?” He only answered, “I have nowhere to go.” He had nothing else to reply. There is no place to come from and no place to go to, and so there is neither coming nor going. There is neither coming nor going, and yet there is coming and going. Coming is coming from the place that we came from, and going is going to the place where we are headed. One of the Buddha’s ten names is ‘Tathagata’ (Thus Come One). The Vajra Sutra says, “The Tathagata does not come from anywhere, nor does he go anywhere. Therefore, he is called the Tathagata.”