千qiān江jiāng有yǒu水shuǐ千qiān江jiāng月yuè,，萬wàn里lǐ無wú雲yún萬wàn里lǐ天tiān

What does 千江有水千江月，萬里無雲萬里天 (qiān jiāng yǒu shuǐ qiān jiāng yuè, wàn lǐ wú yún wàn lǐ tiān) mean?

千江有水千江月，萬里無雲萬里天 (qiān jiāng yǒu shuǐ qiān jiāng yuè, wàn lǐ wú yún wàn lǐ tiān) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "A thousand rivers with water hold a thousand moons; ten thousand miles without clouds show ten thousand miles of sky." In use it means: The one moon reflects in every body of water simultaneously, just as universal Buddha-nature manifests in every individual mind when obstructions are removed. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rabbit.

Literally: "A thousand rivers with water hold a thousand moons; ten thousand miles without clouds show ten thousand miles of sky."

The reading

One moon, a thousand reflections. The moon does not choose which river to appear in, and no river can claim ownership of the light. Chan Buddhism uses this image to describe how awakening works. Clarity is not a scarce resource rationed out to the deserving few. Wherever the water is still enough, the moon appears. The question is never whether the light exists but whether the surface of your mind has calmed enough to hold it.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeshīcí 詩詞
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element水 Water
• Zodiac tie兔 Year of the Rabbit

Source Jiatai Pudenglu (嘉泰普燈錄), Song Dynasty Chan anthology

Sits beside

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in The Way of Water, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.