[무시선법]1. 분별 주착이 없는 각자의 성품

무시선법(無時禪法) 대범, 선(禪)이라 함은 원래에 분별 주착이 없는 각자의 성품을 오득하여 마음의 자유를 얻게 하는 공부인 바, 예로부터 큰 도에 뜻을 둔 사람으로서 선을 닦지 아니한 일이 없나니라. ‘분별 주착이 없는 각자의 성품’이란, 우리의 자성(自性)은 유무(有無), 시비(是非), 선악(善惡), 미추(美醜), 귀천(貴賤) 등, 그 어떤 분별도 없는 자리이며, 또한 모양 소리 냄새 맛 느낌 생각[色聲香味觸法] 등, 그 어떤 것도 여기에 머물거나 붙을 수 없는 자리라는 뜻이다. 자성은 텅 비어있기 때문에 아무런 성향(性向)도 없고, 그 어떤 것도 여기에 머물 수 없다. 가령, 저 허공은 아무런 모양이 없고, 그 어떤 소리나 냄새, 맛, 느낌, 생각도 거기에 들러붙을 수 없듯이, 우리의 성품도 또한 그러하여 일체가 머물지 못한다.  때문에, 이 자성의 허공을 깨달은 이는, 그로부터 이 자성을 온전히 쓸 수가 있어서, 마음 안팎의 경계로부터 스스로 자유를 얻을 수 있다. 이것은 조건적이고 상대적인 자유가 아니라, 우리 자성 본연의 절대적 자유로써, 흔히 일상에서 얻는 정신적인 자유와는 다르다.  성경말씀에 “진리를 알지니, 진리가 너희를 자유롭게 하리라. (You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.)”라는 구절이 있는데, 심즉시불(心卽是佛)이요 성즉시법(性卽是法)으로써, 우리의 자성이 곧 진리이니, 자기의 성품을 깨쳐서 알면 이 성품이 자신을 자유롭게 한다는 말씀이다.  나고 멸함도 없고, 좋고 나쁨도 없으며,있고 없음조차 떠난 본연(本然)의 자유여!분별 주착이 없는 성품의 허공에서 비롯되네.말과 글 속에서 마음의 안식을 구하는 이여!한 마음 사라지면 자유도 속박도 찾을 수 없네.  The Dharma of Musisun (Timeless Sŏn) As a rule, Sŏn is a practice that leads to the achievement of freedom of mind through gaining awakening to one’s own nature which is originally free from discrimination or attachment. Since time immemorial, those who have been determined to achieve the great Way have all practiced Sŏn. ‘One’s own nature which is free from discrimination or attachment’ means  (1) the self-nature bears no discrimination of anything, such as being or nonbeing, right or wrong, good or evil, beauty or ugliness, being noble or ignoble, etc. and that (2) it is where nothing can stay or attach, such as form, sound, smell, taste, touch or idea, etc. The self-nature is empty, so it has no inclination to anything, and nothing can stay in it. Like an empty space, which has no form and allows no sound, smell, taste, touch or idea to attach on it, not a thing can stay on our self-nature. So those who have awakened of the empty space of their own nature can intactly use it from then, and thus, they can obtain freedom from sensory objects in and out of their mind. This freedom is not a conditional or relative freedom generally obtained from daily life, but an absolute, unconditional and inherent freedom from our self-nature. In the Bible there is a phrase saying, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” As mind is buddha, and our own nature is dharma, i.e. the truth, it tells us, too, that when you truly know your own nature by awakening, that self-nature will set you free.  Neither arising nor ceasing, neither good nor bad,Even apart from being or nonbeing, this inherent freedom!It comes from empty space of self-nature free from discrimination or attachment.Those seeking for repose of mind in words and books!When the mind disappears, there are no traces of freedom or bondage.