Zhenxie's "Clear Eyed"
A monk asked Master Zhenxie Qingliao, "
What is the meaning of Bodhidharma coming from the West?"
Zhenxie said,
"The clear-eyed still fall into the pit."
Reflection
Zhenxie's warning that 'the clear-eyed still fall into the pit' cautions against the danger of spiritual attainment itself. Even a clear understanding of Zen can become a trap if it is held as a possession. The pit is the ego's tendency to grasp even enlightenment. True freedom includes freedom from the identity of being enlightened.