Grasp Joshu mentioned to an meeting, “The true-Self is rather like a bead in a single’s hand. It displays a chicken when a chicken involves it and displays a lion when a lion involves it. I exploit a blade of grass because the Buddha and use the Buddha as a blade of grass. The Buddha is an phantasm, and an phantasm is the Buddha.”
Then, a monk requested, “I don’t know whose phantasm the Buddha is.” Joshu mentioned, “Everybody’s phantasm.”
The monk mentioned, “How can I keep away from it?” Joshu mentioned, “Why are you going to keep away from it?”
Pupil: “How is it when the Buddha is an phantasm?”
Grasp: “You don’t comply with it.”
Pupil: “How is it when an phantasm is the Buddha?”
Grasp: “You don’t keep away from it.”
Commentary:
Neither following the Buddha nor avoiding illusions is the way in which of seeing the Buddha.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All photographs ©Simon Hathaway
