One sentence so perfectly concisely and directly covers the thousand levels of understanding that arise in our meditation practice. As the Buddha says in the Suttas, there are those whose mind is perfectly clear and whose mind is pure, who have perfect love and charity, who are free from desire and distress and sorrow and grief and despair and don’t have the mind that lacks consciousness. These are great sages.
“If you know this, then how can you know that the Dhamma is beyond your comprehension?”
“Then, you say the un-alloyed non-existence of all conditioned things,” asked one of his student. “It is the blissful state of the Unmanifest. But, is there any such things as blissful non-existence?”
“No,” said the Buddha. “A man may have the bliss of non-existence, but there are also those who cannot have the bliss of existence.”
“Well, then,” student said. “By what name should we call it?”
“By the name given by nature.” Buddha replied.
“By the name given by nature?”
Buddha did not answer at all. Instead, he broke into laughter and said, “No, you see, I think the word should be, the blissful state of no-existence.”
“You say you don’t know what you are,” Buddha continued. “You say, Bodhisattva Kamaṇa, who knows neither the Samsara of Samsara, nor Nirvana. But you also ask, what is the Supreme Peace that I attained through Samsara? What are you asking?”
Buddha chuckled with delight.
“You’re foolish! I’m even more foolish! You are neither buddha nor maha-loka, no man, no god.
“A scholar makes a person think that he knows everything, so that he can pass by him. Therefore you must first understand yourself. Don’t say things to me that you cannot bear to hear. But I will leave the matter here.“
The meeting ended without conclusion, as the discussion was inconclusive.