This has been in my head for a bit, so maybe you'd like it in your head for a bit. Or don't, the back button's right there.
Joshu served as the monk in charge of tending the furnace in Nansen's monastery. Once when all the monks were out gathering vegetables, Joshu shouted from the meditation hall, "Fire! Fire!" The monks hurried to the entrance of the meditation hall. At that Joshu slammed the door. The monks were speechless. But Nansen tossed the key through the window, and Joshu opened the door.
So Radical Zen's notes connects this to the Buddhist call for "deliverance." I'm sitting here wondering how they're not just making the direct connection to the Lotus Sutra, because they talk about the same thing in a different note:
[A parable in the Lotus Sutra describes a man whose house catches on fire while his children are inside, absorbed in their games. In order to lure his children out of the burning house, the father tells them there is a wonderful white cow outside.]
By the way, this really downplays how trashy and horrific the house in this parable is. It's got rats and cockroaches and ghosts and shit in it. And of course the kids can't see this because they're not enlightened.
Joshu plays the helpless child in a big production. Nansen shakes his head, muttering "listen here you little shit." Nansen produces enlightenment the way out. Joshu gives a bow to the audience.
I'll curtsey and withdraw.
Submitted January 02, 2020 at 02:56AM by courtezanry https://ift.tt/2thYbqG
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