When Joshu was about to pass away, he made one of his students take his stick to King Jo and say to the king, “I have used this all my life but I still have not used it up.”
Student: “Why did Joshu send his stick to the king?”
Master: “In order to help him to enjoy eternal life.”
Student: “What does the stick have to do with eternal life?”
Master: “What is valuable is hidden in the stick.”
Commentary:
One who can see what is not broken when a stick is broken can enjoy eternal life.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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