Question
Yoka Daishi declared: "The true freedom of ku [emptiness, void] drives out the relationship of cause and effect; everything is then in complete confusion and disorder and brings about an abominable catastrophe. Those who reject cause and effect sever the good roots in the Buddha-Dharma. How, then, could these people be considered the grandchildren of the Buddhas and patriarchs?"
Yet I thought I understood ku to be the cosmic order—that is, eternal functioning, but without human karma. How could there be confusion and disorder in that case?
As for good karma, I have concluded that any action performed without a goal or a spirit of gain can neither be produced by karma nor produce karma. To my mind, that is the best a human can do. It is stepping aside to make room for the cosmic order, which is perfect in itself. So I do not see what good karma could look like.
All this completely contradicts what Yoka Daishi says. If you would kindly enlighten me on these two points, I would be very grateful.
Thank you.
Anonymous
Answer from Master Kosen
Yoka says that understanding ku (which is our fundamental structure) engenders such powerful inner freedom that it can go so far as to awaken us to the fact that our karma and past actions are pure illusion and have never existed. But in the ethics and deep teaching of the patriarchs, the monk must, despite "this feeling of freedom" engendered by awakening, continue to heed the law of cause and effect. If he attached to this awakening and to ku, he would fall into the trap. We must quickly transcend our own awakening and get back to work.
Kosen