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By: Nissim Amon
The term "Dharma" in the Buddhist world is used in two different contexts:
In the first instance, Dharma pertains to The Buddha’s teachings, which were mainly taught in monasteries. Secondly, Dharma refers to the deeper meaning of Truth itself, which includes all that exists in all ten directions. The first is just a tool with which we can get to the second, which is nameless, ageless and a great mystery.
One day a monk asked Zen master Hyong-Bong:
"Master, will you please teach me the Dharma?"
"I am sorry", said the master, "but my Dharma is very expensive."
"How much does it cost?"
"How much can you pay?"
The student pulled out a few coins from his pocket.
"This is all I have. Will you take it?"
Hyong-Bong answered: "Even if you offer me a mountain of diamonds and gold, still my Dharma will be too expensive."
The monk went back to the meditation hall and thought: The master is right. He means that the Dharma cannot be bought with money. If it was not like that, rich people would have purchased it easily. Obviously it is not a matter of money but of something else, something that worth more than money. What can I offer which is worth more than a mountain of gold? The monk meditated and thought about it a lot, and after a few months he came up with a new offer:
"Master, I know what to pay with; I will give you my life. I will do anything you ask me.
I will be your servant."
Hyong-Bong smiled and said: "Even if you offer me ten thousand lifetimes, still my Dharma will be too expensive."
The student returned to the meditation hall and thought about it for a few more months. He understood that being a servant is not enough to win the Dharma, and even if he were to sacrifice his life, it would still remain unreachable. He wondered what else he could offer which worth more than ten thousand lifetimes. He thought a lot until a new answer appeared; in order to surrender totally, just giving up money or time is not enough. I must give up something much deeper; my mind.
"I will give you my mind," he proudly announced to Hyong-Bong.
"Your mind is a stinking pile of garbage, and I have no interest in it at all. Even if you give me all that is inside your head times one thousand, still my Dharma will be too expensive."
This time the monk returned defeated to the meditation hall. The Master would not accept anything that he had to offer, and he had nothing else to pay with. What else is there beyond possessions, life and thoughts? He vowed not to return to the Master until he was enlightened, and he prepared himself for a long period of practice.
One day, he looked out of the window and had a great insight: the truth was just in front of him; the sky, the trees, the clouds; everything was so real, the world was already perfect, regardless of him.
He was stunned. He understood that he could put aside all his sophisticated opinions and his esoteric quest. I must put "myself" aside; it has nothing to do with reality.
He rushed to the Master’s room:
"Master, I know the cost of the Dharma."
"Do you? How much does it cost?"
"The sky is blue, the trees are green."
"No, no," said Hyong-Bong smilingly. "It is not bad, but my Dharma is even more expensive than that."
Three weeks more he sat in the meditation hall, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. After all, he gave up all that he had and opened up to the world: the sky was blue, the trees were green, sugar was sweet and salt salty. It is hot in the summer and it snows in winter. So is the world and so is the truth. He remembered the great feeling he had when he entered into the Master’s room the last time. It was an unfamiliar joy. Truth was there without any "self" to understand it. Yet, his answer was rejected and the Master insisted that his Dharma was even more expensive than that. Unlike before, this time his confidence was so strong that he was not willing to accept defeat any more.
He went back to the Master’s room.
"I do not need your dharma," he roared, "I have found what I was looking for.
You may take your Dharma and shove it up your ass!"
The Master burst out laughing, and the disciple felt even more offended. He got up quickly, took a few big steps towards the door and opened it with a mighty pull. When his body was almost completely out, the Master called him:
"Wait one moment!"
The disciple turned around.
"Do not lose my Dharma." said Hyong-Bong with shiny eyes.
Upon hearing this, the monk attained enlightenment.
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