Nanyang arrived at the front of the palace with Emperor Suzong. Nanyang pointed at a figure of a stone lion and said to the emperor, “Your Majesty, this lion is extraordinary. Please say a turning word.”
Emperor Suzong said, “I cannot say anything. Will you please say something?”
Nanyang said, “It is my fault.”
Student: “Why couldn’t Emperor Suzong say anything?”
Master: “Because you mistake the extraordinary lion for the stone lion.”
Student: “What is the extraordinary lion that Nanyang meant if he didn’t mean the stone lion?”
Master: “An extraordinary lion.”
Student: “What was Nanyang’s fault?”
Master: “That is the roaring of the extraordinary lion.”
Commentary:
Why don’t you hear the roaring of the extraordinary lion while being so sensitive to the buzzing sound of a tiny mosquito?
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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