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Fiery Li |
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For more than a thousand years, confusion has reigned concerning the use of the I Ching hexagram li in The Jewel Mirror Samadhi verses transmitted to Tung-shan Liang-chieh by Ch'an Master Yun-yen T'an-sheng. Putting early Ch'an symbolism aside, Yun-yen's verses precede Tung-shan's doctrine of the Five Ranks, which is based on four interpolations and fiery li itself, thus the proposed influence of the Five Ranks on The Jewel Mirror Samadhi turns the time-line upside down. Indeed, Tung-shan developed his doctrine long years after receiving Yun-yen's unambiguous verses, and the unseasonable cultivation of li is fruitless. Freed of sediment, muddied waters become clear. |
| - A.T. Williams |
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