no dust

Lyrics

The Bodhi tree is standing tall
A monument of bone and vine
The mirror-stand, a gilded hall
To trap the light and call it mine
We scrub the glass with bleeding hands
To keep the dust from settling deep
But who is he who understands
The secrets that the shadows keep?

Wipe the surface!
Purify the soul!
Chasing the phantom!
Losing control!
The mirror is a lie!
The tree is a grave!
Who is the master?
Who is the slave?

THERE IS NO TREE!
THERE IS NO GLASS!
The shadows fade
The eons pass!
ORIGINALLY...
NOT A SINGLE THING!
(本来无一物!)
Where can the dust alight
When there is no wing?

Shenxiu polishes the silver plate
Fearing the grime of a mortal fate
He builds a fence around the mind
To keep the "holy" and "pure" aligned
But the Southern wind begins to howl
Tearing the mask from the monk’s cowl
If the void is all that truly breathes
Then why do you crawl among the leaves?

(Spoken Word - Cold)
“Bodhi originally has no tree,
The mirror-stand is not a stand.
Since originally there is not a single thing,
Where can the dust alight?”

NOT.
A.
SINGLE.
THING.
(Growl)
NO ATTACHMENT!
NO FOUNDATION!
NO LIMIT!
NO CREATION!
Burn the temple to the ground!
In the silence, the Truth is found!

Ben lai wu yi wu...
Ben lai wu yi wu...

There is no dust.
There is no "I."
Only the vacuum.
Only the sky.