Master Joshu said to an assembly, “The true-Self is just like a bead in one’s hand. It reflects a bird when a bird comes to it and reflects a lion when a lion comes to it. I use a blade of grass as the Buddha and use the Buddha as a blade of grass. The Buddha is an illusion, and an illusion is the Buddha.”
Then, a monk asked, “I don’t know whose illusion the Buddha is.” Joshu said, “Everyone’s illusion.”
The monk said, “How can I avoid it?” Joshu said, “Why are you going to avoid it?”
Student: “How is it when the Buddha is an illusion?”
Master: “You don’t follow it.”
Student: “How is it when an illusion is the Buddha?”
Master: “You don’t avoid it.”
Commentary:
Neither following the Buddha nor avoiding illusions is the way of seeing the Buddha.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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