"Among the students of the great Zen Master Ma-tsu, there was a devout layman named Chang, who bowed and chanted sutras twice a day and paid frequent visits to the Zen Master. He had a little daughter named Sul, who was even more devout, joining him in chanting and bowing every day. One day, Zen Master Ma-tsu gave a present to Sul. "My present is the words Kwanseum Bosal (Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva). You must repeat this Bodhisattva's name over and over, as much as you can. Then you will attain great happiness."
Several years passed, and Sul's friends had long since concluded that she was a little crazy. This didn't affect her at all; she continued to chant all day long, wherever she was. One day she was washing clothes in the river, beating the dirt out of them with a stick. Suddenly the great bell from Ma-tsu's temple rang. The sound of the stick and the sound of the bell became one, and her mind opened. She was overwhelmed with joy; she felt as if the whole universe were dancing along with Kwanseum Bosal, who was none other than herself. She herself was Kwanseum Bosal! And Kwanseum Bosal was the earth, the sky, the great bell from Ma-tsu's temple, the dirty clothes which lay in a heap on the riverbank. She ran back home' leaping for joy, and never chanted Kwanseum Bosal again.
During the next few days, her parents noticed a great change in her... Her father became so worried that he decided to peep in at her through the keyhole of her door to see what she was doing alone in her room. He looked in and first saw the picture of Kwanseum Bosal on the wall, and next to it her altar, where the holy Lotus Sutra should have been surrounded by incense and flowers. But today it wasn't there. Then he saw Sul, sitting in a corner, face to the wall, sitting on . . . the Lotus Sutra! He could hardly believe his eyes.
After a moment of shock, he burst into the room, shouting.
"What do you think you're doing! are you out of your mind! This is the holy scripture! Why are you sitting on it?''
Sul smiled and said, calmly, "Father, what is holy about it?"
After more hard training, she went to see Ma-tsu at his temple. Zen Master Ho Am happened to be visiting happened to be visiting at the time. The two Masters invited Sul to join them for tea. Ho Am said to Ma-tsu, I hear that this young lady has been practicing very hard." Ma-tsu said nothing. Ho Am turned to Sul and said, "I'm going to test your mind."
"Alright."
"In the sutra it says, 'The great Mount Sumeru fits into a mustard seed; someone enters and breaks the rocks to smithereens.' What does this mean?"
Sul picked up her cup of tea and threw it against the wall, where it smashed.
Ma-tsu laughed and clapped his hands. "Very good! Very good! Now I will test your mind."
"Alright."
"In Buddhism, the word 'karma' is used very often. You have good Buddhist karma. So I ask you: what is karma?"
Sul said, "Excuse me, but could you explain the question once more, please?"
"In all the three vehicles of Buddhism, the concept of karma is used in one sense or another. I am asking you what precisely karma means."
Sul bowed to Ma-tsu and said, "Thank you." and then was silent.
Ma-tsu smiled and said, "Very good trick. You understand."
Eventually, Sul married and raised a large, happy family, all of whom were devout Buddhists. Many people came to her for help and teaching. She became known as a great Zen Master.
One day, when she was an old woman, her granddaughter died. She cried bitterly at the funeral, and back at her home, as the visitors filed past to offer their condolences. Everyone was shocked. Soon they were whispering. Finally, one of them went up to her and said, "You have attained great enlightenment, you already understand there is neither death nor life. Why are you crying? Why is your granddaughter a hindrance to your mind?"
Sul immediately stopped crying and said, "Do you understand how important my tears are? They are greater than all the sutras, all the words of the Patriarchs, and all possible ceremonies. When my granddaughter hears me crying, she will enter nirvana." Then she shouted to all the visitors.
"Do you understand this?"
No one understood.
From Dropping Ashes on the Buddha, Zen Master Seung Sahn
Submitted February 27, 2018 at 09:11AM by essentialsalts http://ift.tt/2ownW15
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