Keep Your Eyes Empty

By Yu Tijun

The four character phrase, orChengyu目空一切 , “putting nothing in one’s eyes” is generally used to describe an arrogant or condescending attitude. However,in the view of Taoism, this phrase can imply a different meaning in life.

If a person puts nothing in his eyes, his eyes will be empty,and thus is able to be filled with anything. Another old saying tells us, “Even a grain of sand could be a pain to your eyes.” However tiny the sand is, it will hinder you from seeing things clearly. With empty eyes you can better discover the beauty of the world.

We can find this truth in many other examples of daily life. Only when a glass is empty can it hold water. Only an empty house can be available for new residents.People are eager to eat when their stomachs are empty. In contrast,a self-content person is less likely to accept new knowledge, because his mind is already “full.”

According to Buddha,“Emptiness is not separate from form; form is not separate from emptiness. Form is emptiness;emptiness is form.” There is no difference between emptiness and form, and the acceptance of emptiness makes you see wonderful things.

(FromZen Meditation Wandering among Clouds and Waters, Shanghai People’s Publishing House. Translation:Wang Xiaoke)

以往，我们常把“目空一切”喻为狂妄自大。其实，若以“道眼”观，“目空一切”便有另一番人生意味。

眼里是空的，没有任何东西，就能包容一切，这也正如俗话所说，“眼里容不得沙子”。沙子尽管小，但钻到眼里，人就看不见任何东西了。

类似的道理，生活中有太多太多。杯子空才能盛水，房子空才能住人，肠胃空才能吃得下食物，虚心才能接受新知识、新事物……

“色不异空，空不异色，色即是空，空即是色”，空有一如，悟空生妙有。