A monk requested Joshu, “What’s going to you do if the true-Self comes like this?” Joshu answered, “I meet it like this.” The monk mentioned, “What’s going to you do if it doesn’t come like this?” Joshu mentioned, “I meet it like this.” The monk mentioned, “Assembly it like this when it comes like this is sensible, however what do you imply by assembly it like this when it doesn’t come?” Joshu mentioned, “That’s sufficient. We’d like not discuss. My Dharma is so refined and profound that it’s past considering.”
Scholar: “Why did Joshu say that he met the true-Self like that when it didn’t come.”
Grasp: “As a result of it got here.”
Scholar: “When did it come?”
Grasp: “Not solely when the monk mentioned, ‘If the true-Self comes’ but in addition when he mentioned, ‘If it doesn’t come’.”
Commentary:
Asking and answering is the perform of the true-Self.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All photographs ©Simon Hathaway
