Rinzai 22
One asked, “When the lay brother was treading the mill stone in the grinding room, where was he when he forgot to move his feet?”
The master replied, “Drowned in a deep spring.”
Commentary:
‘The lay brother’ here means Master Sun-do, one of the ancient Chinese masters. When he taught his students, he once said, “When I as a layman was treading the mill stone in the grinding room, I forgot to move my feet.”
The monk asked master Rinzai what state Master Sun-do had been in when he had forgotten to move his feet. When Rinzai answered this question by saying, “Drowned in a deep spring”, he compared Emptiness to a deep spring where there is no mill stone, no grinding room, no feet, no movement, no layman and no master.
Student: “What is the deep spring like?”
Master: “Bottomless.”
Student: “How does it taste?”
Master: “Bitter.”
Student: “What happens to those who drink it?”
Master: “All die.”
Student: “Who can drink it?”
Master: “Thank you for bringing it.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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