The Realm of Passing Through the Final Barrier

Chan Master Huanglong had a verse that says: “春有百花秋有月，夏有凉风冬有雪，若无闲事挂心头，便是人间好时节。”

This describes the state of Chan masters who have passed through the heavy barrier (laoguan). One who has passed through the heavy barrier attains purity of mind; the mind no longer craves or clings to the world. Living in the world, not a single matter weighs on the mind, and not a single dharma is cherished or longed for. There is no longer any attachment to one's own five aggregates, nor any attachment to the true mind (tathatā) that one has realized. The mind is open and upright, utterly candid, retaining nothing. Although one still lives in the human world and experiences the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—there is not a single dharma in the mind that stands in opposition to it. Scenery is just scenery, forms are just forms, people are just people, things are just things; all dharmas each abide in their own dharma-position and have nothing to do with me. Living in the world, one still eats and drinks as usual, yet does not crave or cling to the world. The mind has already attained liberation, free of all constraint and attachment.