Master Joshu asked a monastic, “Have you ever read the Lotus Sutra?” The monastic said, “Yes, I have.” The master said, “How do you comprehend the words ‘A Buddhist garment is a borrowed name, and a meditation room deceives people’?” When the monastic was on the point of offering a bow, the master asked the monastic, “Are you wearing a Buddhist garment?” The monastic answered, “Yes, I am.” The master said, “Don’t deceive me.” The monastic said, “How can I avoid deceiving you?” The master said, “Don’t accept my words.”
Student: “Why did Joshu say, ‘Don’t deceive me’ when the monastic said that he was wearing a Buddhist garment since he was really wearing one?”
Master: “Joshu meant a seamless garment whilst the monastic meant a seamed one.”
Commentary:
A garment made of the Sutra is seamless.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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