Pass me that water jug

From the Book of Serenity, Case 42: Nanyo and the Water Jug:

A monk asked National Teacher Chu of Nanyo, "What is the essential body of Vairocana Buddha?"

National Teacher said, "Pass me that water jug."

The monk passed him the water jug. National Teacher said, "Put it back where it was."

The monk asked again, "What is the essential body of Vairocana Buddha?"

National Teacher said, "The old Buddha is long gone."

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Note:

We don't need another note going on and on about Vairocana being the embodiment of cosmic space emptiness, sunyata, wu, Nothing, the space element, the radiant void, etc. Here's something new.

In the Chandogya-Upanishad, Vairocana and Indra together try to find their Self, they visit Prajapati who taught them, "That which is seen reflected in the eye, that is the Self." They then ask him "Is that which is reflected in water the Self?" Prajapati tells them, "Look at your reflection in the water, and if there is anything you do not understand, tell me about it." Vairocana looked at himself in the water and believed he now knew and recognized Self. Indra had doubts, and stayed questioning Prajapati until he was certain about Self and was thus enlightened.

"What is the essential body of Vairocana Buddha?"

"Pass me that water jug."

Look at your reflection in the water.

The monk passed him the water jug.

Mistook the reflection for the thing itself.

The monk asked again, "What is the essential body of Vairocana Buddha?"

"The old Buddha is long gone."

Submitted December 26, 2018 at 07:50AM by Dillon123 http://bit.ly/2SkG7DL