One day one of Joshu’s students bade farewell to Joshu. Joshu said to him, “Where are you going?” The student answered, “I am going to search for the Buddha.” Joshu said, “Don’t stay where the Buddha is, and go quickly through the place where the Buddha is not. If you happen to meet a person one thousand miles away, don’t respond to him wrongly.”
Hearing this, the student said, “I will not leave then.” Joshu said, “Pick willow flowers. Pick willow flowers.”
Student: “Why shouldn’t we stay where the Buddha is?”
Master: “Because where you can stay is not where the Buddha is.”
Commentary:
If you stay in the Buddha land, it will collapse.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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