응무소주 이생기심(應無所主而生其心 Ungmoosojoo-Yisanggishim): This phrase literally translates as "one should give rise to the mind without dwelling on anything." This corresponds to the phrase "no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind" in the Heart Sutra, which refers to a mind that is formless, soundless, smellless, tasteless, and touchless. This means that the six senses and the six modes of perception should only produce awareness, not the mind. This means that one should not cling to anything that gives rise to the mind upon seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, or thinking of a pleasing or unpleasing subject. An interesting episode associated with this exact phrase is that Huineng, the sixth patriarch of Zen Buddhism, an illiterate daily firewood gatherer, decided to become a Buddhist monk after hearing this exact phrase in the Diamond Sutra on the street.
생사일여(生死一如 sang-sa-il-yeo) - A Buddhist view of life and death is not two different states of entities but one and the same. It is used interchangeably with the concept of "life and death are not different." It expresses the Buddhist perspective that life and death are not distinct but rather phenomena of change arising according to the principle of dependent origination. It is grounded in the theory of dependent origination, which is the core of Buddhist ontology, and posits that all phenomena in the world change through birth, aging, changing, death, and dissolution in accordance with this principle.
Original Light, 原光 원광 (Won-Gwang), refers to the luminous mind—the inherent, pure awareness present in all beings. It represents the true nature of consciousness, which is often clouded, covered, or dimmed by mental defilements but never destroyed.
Original brightness (원명 原明 Won-Myung) refers to the innate, pure, and luminous nature of the mind that is inherently present but obscured by temporary delusions, attachments, and defilements. Often synonymous with "Buddha-nature" or "Original Light."
本來面目, 본래면목 (bon-rae-myun-mok), Original Face—Original Face is defined as a Buddhist term referring to the perfect and true aspect inherent in all sentient beings from the beginning.
回光返照, 회광반조 (hwe-gwang-ban-jo), "Turning the light around," or "tracing back the radiance," is a key Zen Buddhist practice that shifts attention away from external phenomena and instead shifts inward toward one's own fundamental, luminous awareness. It means using the mind to witness its own true nature—often called Buddha-nature or the "luminous mind"—uncovering an inherent capacity for enlightenment rather than seeking it outwardly.
