Host and Guest
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In the Surangama Sutra Arya Ajnatakaundinya puts the question: "What is the difference between the permanent and the changing?
He answers by giving an example of a traveler who stops at an Inn. The traveler eats, sleeps and then continues on his journey. He doesn't stay to settle in the Inn, but pays his bill and leaves.
But what with the Innkeeper? He doesn't leave. He keeps on staying at the Inn to receive and take leave of gusts, because that is where he lives.
" Therefore, I declare that the changing is guest and the permanent is host", says Arya Ajnatakaundinya.
In that way we identify all thoughts that comes and goes as changing, travelers that arrives and leaves and that doesn't need any further investigation.
Our Buddha-self is the host who lets the traveler - the thought - leave without hindrance. A good host doesn't keep up the traveler at his departure.
Another way to illustrate this is by imaging an empty space with a sun ray shining in. In this ray you'll see a lot of dust i the empty room. The dust is moving but the space is empty. That that is still and clear is called space, that that is moving is called dust, because that is the being of dust.
Guest and dust refers to illusory thought, while the host and space refers to the Buddha-nature.
This shows that the permanent Buddha-nature doesn't follow the illusory thoughts in their coming and going, rising and falling. So if one is unaffected by things, there won't be any hindrances even if one is surrounded by the ten thousand things.
Illusory thoughts comes and goes by themselves and don't make a hindrance for the True Nature of Suchness.
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