As soon as upon a time, Nam-jeon requested a scholastic monk, “What sutra do you train?” And the monk replied, “I lecture on the Future Buddha Sutra.” Then, Nam-jeon requested once more, “When will the Future Buddha come?” The monk replied, “At current he’s in Heaven, however quickly he’ll come.” Then Nam-jeon mentioned, “There is no such thing as a Future Buddha in heaven, and there’s no Future Buddha underneath the earth.”
Scholar: “When will he come?”
Grasp: “He neither goes nor comes.”
Commentary:
The Buddha is the Future Buddha till you recognise the Buddha.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All photos ©Simon Hathaway
