Paradoxes
Paradox-1 (False Contradictions):
Arise when separate definitions or assumptions are collapsed into one.
Maintained by self-referencing loops of belief (A → B → C → A).
Dissolve once the “stick” — the hidden belief propping them up — is removed.
Paradox-2 (True Gateless Gate):
Appears as an impossible threshold, such as awakening imagined as a “gate” to pass through.
Once “crossed,” revealed never to have existed in the first place.
The paradox resolves not by passage, but by recognition.
Additional Detail
Nature: Many paradoxes are illusions born of conflicting assumptions or the limitations of language. Others are conceptual constructs that appear contradictory until unpacked.
Mechanics: To resolve a paradox, identify the hidden assumption creating the contradiction. Without it, the paradox collapses.
The Gateless Gate: The ultimate paradox of awakening. From one side, it appears as an impossible barrier; from the other, it is seen as never having been there at all.
Metaphor: Like chasing your shadow — the pursuit makes it seem real, but stopping reveals there was nothing to catch.
Paradox: Gateless Gate
Apparent contradictions are sustained by hidden beliefs (“sticks” propping them up).
Dissolving the belief dissolves the paradox.
The ultimate paradox: awakening looks like passing through a gate, but once passed, you see no gate ever existed.