A monk asked Dongshan, “Of the Three Bodies, which one doesn’t fall into numbers?” Dongshan replied, “I have always been earnest with it.”
Later, the monk asked Choshan, “What did Dongshan mean by saying ‘I have always been earnest with it’?” Choshan answered, “Cut off your head and bring it to me.” The monk asked Sulbong the same question he had asked Dongshan. Then, Sulbong hit the monk’s mouth with his staff and said, “I have been in Dongshan’s, too.”
Student: “What is the meaning of Choshan’s cruel words?”
Master: “Choshan grasped Dongshan’s meaning, and you don’t understand Chosan’s meaning.”
Commentary:
The best medicine, when ill-used, can be poison.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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