mrhypnotic:Koans of the Liberation of Reality #26:“Two Monastics Write a Letter”Main Case Once in t
mrhypnotic:Koans of the Liberation of Reality #26:“Two Monastics Write a Letter”Main Case Once in the assembly, two monasticswere debating the merits of writing a letter to an official. Onesaid, “As the Bodhisattva says when the Heart Sutra isrecited, ‘each and every thing which binds you together is empty.’Therefore, I am finished debating. The letter will be written.”The senior monastic said, “There isindeed nothing to hold on to at all, so you are free to give yourattention to what is happening in the world. But this time, you arewrong, little brother.”The junior monastic said, “You arewrong, but cannot understand it so I will not explain it.”The senior monastic said, “Killingis not the way to prove the truth of oneness.”Hearing this, the junior monastic pausedfor a moment before leaving the assembly. Commentary Dharma encounter is a commonoccurrence among the monastics at this monastery. The junior monk hasdeemed murder to be the same as making love, and the letter only cutsin one direction. For the senior, he clearly sees that interpretingoneness purely in the phenomenal realm of possibilities will lead totragedy. Yet he also sees that tragedy is fully apparent, here andnow. The three poisons of self-centered motivation destroy ourconsciousness of the interrelationship of all beings and give rise tothose self-same poisons in the ten directions – all in the guise ofturning words. The junior had written the letter before the brushtouched the inkstone. Who is evading the issue and who is answeringthe question? Can you see what is to be done? Capping Verse Study carefully the empty field whichfills all of space. Pausing, considering, writing,sending, Guest and host are holding a singlebrush. Is it called one thing, or is itcalled many things? -- source link
#monks#zen