A fisherman until he was thirty, Master Gensha entered Seppo’s monastery for two years and then decided to leave. As he was walking along the road, he stubbed his toe on a rock and injured it badly, and screamed out in pain. Then suddenly he thought, where does pain come from?
In a flash he had deep enlightenment. He returned to Seppo’s monastery, and Seppo challenged him: “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be gone.”
Gensha famously replied: “Bodhidharma never came to China: the Seoncond Ancestor never left India. Bodhidharma and all the ancestors are right here with me!”Seppo was overjoyed at his student’s achievement.
-----
I remember when I was little, when I'd stub my toe or fall down my parents would say, "Oh, that's going to scar. Now you can't be Miss America." So, pretty early on I eliminated that from my list of life goals.
No comments:
Post a Comment