One instant is eternity;
eternity is the now.
When you see through this one instant,
you see through the one who sees.
eternity is the now.
When you see through this one instant,
you see through the one who sees.
—Wumen Huikai (1183-1260), translated by Stephen Mitchell from The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, (Harper and Row, 1989)
Wumen Huikai was a Chinese Chan (Zen in Japanese) master most famous as the compiler of and commentator on the 48-koan collection The Gateless Gate.
