Dongshan’s Non-Buddha

Dongshan’s Non-Buddha

Dongshan Liangjie said, “You should understand Buddha going beyond Buddha.” A monastic said, “What is Buddha going beyond Buddha?” Dongshan said, “Non-Buddha.”

Student: “What is the difference between Buddha and Buddha going beyond Buddha?”
Master: “Buddha is a name, and what is left when the name is removed is Buddha going beyond Buddha.”

Commentary:
The word ‘fire’ is not the essence of fire because you can’t boil even a drop of water by saying ‘fire’ no matter how long you may repeat the word.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

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