Dongshan told the assembly at the end of the summer training period, “When summer ends and autumn begins, go straight to a place where there is not an inch of grass for ten thousand miles.” No one in the assembly could respond. Later, a monastic told Shishuang about it. Shishuang said, “Why didn’t you say, ‘There is grass everywhere one step outside the gate’?”
Student: “What did Shishuang mean by ‘There is grass everywhere one step outside the gate’?”
Master: “There is still grass everywhere even if you don’t move one step outside the gate.”
Student: “What should we do?”
Master: “Doing a good thing is not as good as doing nothing.”
Commentary:
A place where there is not an inch of grass for ten thousand miles is grass.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
#zen #meditation #zenmeditation #enlightened #enlightenment #zenfools #photography
Zen Fools 