Our Tendency

As you know, I've not dedicated attention to this blog for quite some time. That may (or may not) change in the near future, but for now I'd like to share this wonderful story and commentary from Robert Aitken Roshi's blog. Thank you, Roshi, for your sustained dedication on our behalf.

Case

Xuefeng Yicun called Xuansha Shibei a true ascetic. One day he cornered him and said, "You're a reborn sage. Why don't you go about on pilgrimage to meet enlightened masters?"

Xuan said, "Bodhidharma didn't come to China. The Second Ancestor didn't go to India."

Aitken Roshi's Commentary

Xuansha is our true teacher. We tend to go over there: to Zen and its many stories, to Vipassana, to all sorts of Hindu faiths, to Meister Eckhart and the various saints. Whatever happened to breath-counting? One...Two...Three...and so on up to Ten. That is our pilgrimage. Xuansha is smiling. Even Bodhidharma cracks his face.

If you visit Roshi's site, please also note Ted Biringer's fine comment on Roshi's post.

Comments

[Uku]

Marvellous!