Q273. Student: “Do a guest and a thief come together or separately?”

A. Master: “Together all the time.”

Student: “How can I tell them apart?”

Master: “Speak to them. One who speaks to you is a thief, and the other who doesn’t is a guest.”

Commentary:

Don’t mistake a guest as being dumb. If you ask him about the true-self, he never fails to give you a correct answer.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway