No Form, Non Abiding 2 Flashcards
(7 cards)
What does No Form (無相, Wu Xiang) mean?
No Form means transcending appearances while still engaging with the sensory world. It does not mean ignoring or rejecting forms but seeing through them and not becoming attached.
How does our habitual tendency affect our perception?
Our habitual tendency is to label, categorize, and attach meaning to things, which leads to grasping and suffering. People tend to interact with their mental constructs of the world rather than reality itself.
For example, when we see a person, we often engage with our idea of them rather than who they truly are.
How can one practice No Form?
Practicing No Form means being fully present in interactions and experiences without clinging to labels or appearances. One can still use distinctions but without fixating on them as inherent realities.
Example: Seeing someone as “good” or “bad” based on past interactions is a form of attachment; No Form means seeing beyond these fixed notions.
What does Non-Abiding (無住, Wu Zhu) mean?
Non-Abiding means not clinging to anything—not past, present, or future, not even spiritual insights or awakening experiences. It is the fundamental nature of the mind, free from fixation.
How do most people live in relation to clinging?
Most people live by clinging—holding onto past experiences, expectations, and judgments. Even spiritual practitioners often seek to ‘attain’ awakening, which itself is a form of grasping.
True freedom comes from neither grasping nor rejecting anything.
How can one apply Non-Abiding in practice?
Engage with the world but do not get stuck on any thought, experience, or belief.
Example: A person who has an argument with a friend might replay the event repeatedly in their mind. Non-Abiding means acknowledging the experience but not dwelling on it.
What is the interconnection of No Form and Non-Abiding?
No Form addresses how we perceive and relate to the world—without fixation on appearances. Non-Abiding is the state of mind that does not get caught in anything, including the notion of No Form. Together, they create a fluid, free-flowing way of being—engaged with life but not trapped by it.
