January 18^th, 2026

The Way is arrived at by enlightenment.
The first priority is to establish resolve
It is no small matter to step
Directly from the bondage
Of the ordinary person
Into transcendent experience
Of the realm of sages.
It requires that your mind
Be firm as steel
To cut off the flow of
Birth and death,
Accept your original real nature,
Not see anything at all as existing
Inside or outside yourself,
So all actions and endeavors
Emerge from the fundamental.

Yuan wu (1063-1135)