Later, Issan asked Gyosan, “What was the meaning of Obaku’s entering the meditation hall?”
Gyosan said, “Two sides of a die.”
Commentary:
Gyosan’s comment ‘Two sides of a die’ signifies that the two answers made by Rinzai and the head monk are the same although they may seemingly sound different from each other, since both are from the true-Self which is referred to as a die here. To rephrase this, no matter how many ways the true-Self may be expressed in, the essence remains the same. In other words, the taste of water from a spring is the same, no matter what vessel it may be scooped up with.
Student: “What is the die like?”
Master: “Countless sides.”
Student: “What is the spring like?”
Master: “Bottomless.”
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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