Later on, when Ryuge was the head of a temple, a monk came into his room and asked for instruction, saying, “While you went on pilgrimage, you went to consult those two masters. Do you agree with them?”
Ryuge said, “Although I agree with them deeply, there is still no meaning of the patriarch’s coming from the West.”
Commentary:
When the monk asked Ryuge if he agreed with the masters who had hit Ryuge with a cushion, he answered that he did. However, the monastic didn’t ask, and Ryuge didn’t say what he agreed upon with them. Can you guess what he agreed upon with them? All enlightened people agree with each other on the true-Self. Ryuge was compassionate enough to show the monastic what he agreed upon with them. This is why he added, “There is still no meaning of the patriarch’s coming from the West” after answering that he agreed with them. In other words, he revealed the true-Self by saying, “There is still no meaning of the patriarch’s coming from the West.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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