‘One day in a marketplace he [Hui-neng] heard someone chanting a sutra. It was neither what he was waiting for nor what others had recommended to him. Having lost his father when quite young, he had been the sole support of his mother. He did not know that one bright pearl hidden in the robe could illuminate and break open the entire universe.
As soon as he attained clarity, he left his old mother and looked for a teacher. It is a rare case for people. No one takes the obligation and love toward parents lightly. But since he regarded dharma as weightier than his obligation and love, he left his mother. This is the meaning of the words [in the Lotus Sutra] “If you hear with wisdom, you trust and understand what you hear immediately.”
This kind of wisdom can neither be acquired from someone else nor be aroused by oneself. Wisdom is transmitted to wisdom; wisdom searches for wisdom.’ (Shobogenzo Immo)
On a recent browse through the Shobogenzo, I was struck by this section – and wondered if Suzuki Roshi was thinking of it when he used the phrase ‘wisdom seeks wisdom.’
Shundo David Haye 