Two from Koko

Koko Tesshi Egaku:

When Koko went to see Hogen, he asked where he had been recently. "With Joshu," he answered. Hogen said "I have heard about Joshu and the cypress tree, isn't this so?" Koko said "It is not so!" Hogen said "But everyone says that when a monk asked about the meaning of Daruma's coming from the wesr, Joshu answered, 'the cypress tree in the front garden.' How can you say it was not so?" Koko said "My master said nothing of the kind! Please do not insult the late master." Hogen said, "Truly you are the lion's cub!"

please

A man said to him, "All my life I have killed cows, and have enjoyed it; is this sin or not?" "It is not," said Koko. "Why not," asked the man. "One killed, one given back," was Koko's answer.

I don't know. I wish I did but I don't. Was the man asking sincerely? What is killed? What is given back? How much context am I missing here? Is there a clear meaning? Is it possible to make sense of this? Why is he asking about sin anyways? Isn't this not about belief? So is Koko really saying no sin in cows? He can't let it continue can he? Did he kill the man's enjoyment? Ugh. Maybe it is ok to eat meat, aside from the direct problems.

Submitted January 30, 2018 at 06:06PM by seigando http://ift.tt/2Gv2Fwj