Neither Born Nor Perishing
Inherently neither arising nor ceasing, neither defiled nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing. This is the place where the scales of judgment are set down.
This verse shakes all our judgment at once with six "nots." Arising and ceasing, defilement and purity, increase and decrease.
Am I unable to rest my mind, endlessly weighing "this is good, that is bad"?
📝Reflection
This verse shakes all our judgment at once with six "nots." Arising and ceasing, defilement and purity, increase and decrease. We live forever weighing between these extremes — this is gain, that is loss; this is clean, that is dirty. That endless weighing never lets the mind rest an instant. This verse points to a deeper place: at the level of essence, those opposites are only lines we drew. A river rises and falls, but the water itself neither vanishes nor is newly born — only its form changes. This insight is not to ignore good and bad. It is to not hand the mind entirely over to the weighing. Set the scales down a moment, and the mind at last catches its breath.
🌱Apply It Today
When you rush to judge something "good/bad" today, pause once — "must I weigh this right now?" — and set the scales down.
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
