Like Two Arrows That Meet In Mid-Air

LIKE TWO ARROWS THAT MEET IN MID-AIR

Ozmo Piedmont, PhD

In the scripture “The Most Excellent Mirror – Samadhi” one reads the following:

A master archer hits a target at a hundred yards because he skill possesses:

But, to make to meet two arrows in mid-air, head on,

Goes far beyond the skill of ordinary man. 

In this superior activity of no-mind,

See! The wooden figure sings – and the stone maiden dances;

This is far beyond all common consciousness,

Beyond all thinking.

            There is a story in the folklore about a master archer.  This master had a very jealous student.  In an effort to show himself superior to the master, the student tried to kill him by shooting an arrow directly at him.  However, the master was very clever, and anticipating the student´s move, he too shot an arrow at the same time.  The two arrows met in mid-air, and then fell to the ground without hurting anyone.  The student regretted what he had done, and bowed his head in reverence to the teacher.

            This story has two meanings.  The first is how the master should treat the student.  It is the master’s responsibility to guide the student to a direct meeting with the Infinite.  Having accomplished this task, the master must move to one side, so that the student can continue becoming one with the Cosmic Buddha.  It is an extraordinary man that has sufficient humility for this to happen, without getting in the way of the student because of pride or egotism.  On the other hand, there is an enormous joy in seeing the student become one with the Cosmic Buddha, a joy that is not based on a personal possession of the master. 

            The second meaning of the story has to do with the one that is actually bringing about this transformation.  In his efforts to help the student, the master shoots his arrows into the darkness.  The master cannot know everything.  The success of his efforts depends ultimately upon the activity of no-mind, that which is the expression of the Infinite.  The master, just like the master in all of us, shoots his arrow without knowing exactly where is will end up.  We have to completely trust in the unborn, allowing it to guide our arrows right to the target where they should be.  In the same way, the student is prepared to do what is necessary in his spiritual practice, searching with sincerity and trust for the ultimate target of oneness with the Infinite.  The result is an extraordinary event, like two arrows that meet in mid-air. The two, the master and the student, use all their forces, including intelligence, reason, and wisdom.  Nevertheless, they realize that it requires the Infinite so that the two arrows of our aspirations hit the bull’s-eye of realization and oneness with the Cosmic Buddha.  One comes to see the Buddha Nature present in everything, and with that, everything shares in this joy, including the wooden man and the stone maiden. Everything is conscious, alive, and vital, and at the same time, everything is just as it is in its individuality.  The two, oneness and multiplicity, are two aspects of the totality.  When one sees and experiences this Buddha Nature in everything, one appreciates how Life is one continuous miracle manifesting itself in every moment.   

Bibliography

Morgan, Daishin.  Buddha Recognizes Buddha. Throssel Hole Press: Northumberland, United Kingdom, 2010.

Shasta Abbey.  Zen Training.  A Special Issue of The Journal of Shasta Abbey. Vol. XIII, May-August 1982.  Mt. Shasta, CA., 1983.