Quotes

Which Person In Which River? 何河何人?

water falls in the middle of the forest
Photo by Diego Madrigal on Pexels.com

从来无有人,
再踏入同河。
因河非同河,
而人非同人。

— 赫拉克利特

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.

— Heraclitus

人空即我空,
五蕴皆是空。
河空即法空,
四大皆是空。

The person being empty is the same as self’s emptiness,* as the five aggregates** are all empty. The river being empty is the same as dharmas’*** emptiness, as the four great elements**** are all empty.

* which is being empty of a permanent and substantial entity
** which are form, feeling, perception, mental formation and consciousness
*** which are phenomena of mind and matter
**** which are the material in terms of earth, water, fire and wind

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