How is everybody doing? What are we all reading?

Hello everyone!

I just got home from working a long shift and am drinking tea before I meditate. I've got a copy of Recorded Sayings of Zen Master Joshu recently I've been flipping through, so heres a random page and passage, one I havent seen before.

288

A layperson came to present a robe to the master and asked, "To wear such a robe is wronging the people of the past, isnt it?"

The master threw down his whisk and said, "Is this past or present?"

End quote

That's really all I got. No input.

Why is wearing such a robe wronging the people of the past?

Why did Joshu throw his whisk down?

Is Joshu, by words and actions, saying that you cannot wrong the people of the past? It seems hes poking fun at the layman for comparing the past to something else.

By throwing down the whisk he raises the question to break the layman's logistic thinking of past/present/future.

After typing as I go I realized I did have some input.

What's in your wallet?

Submitted January 31, 2020 at 07:50AM by Jaethrandir https://ift.tt/2uNkYLL