Koans

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Fables

A Letter To A Dying Man

Basui wrote the following letter to one of his disciples who was about to die:

"The essence of your mind is not born, so it will never die. It is not an existence, which is perishable. It is not an emptiness, which is a mere void. It has neither color nor form. It enjoys no pleasures and suffers no pains.

"I know you are very ill. Like a good Zen student, you are facing that sickness squarely. You may not know exactly who is suffering, but question yourself: What is the essence of this mind? Think only of this. You will need no more. Covet nothing. Your end which is endless is as a snowflake dissolving in the pure air."




Just before his own death Basui turned to the crowd that had gathered around and said in a loud voice:

Look straight ahead.
What is there?
If you see it as it is
you will never err


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Midnight Excursion ~~~~~ A Drop of Water

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