Mount Sumeru

Koan: Master Goso En told the monk, ”There is a man who can write the five words, ‘Why Bodhidharma came to China?’ on the paper of the universe using Mount Sumeru as a brush and the ocean as an inkwell. If you can do it, I will open my prayer mat and bow.”

The Snake

Dragon's Gate II

Koan: Master Ungo once was at Ryumon (Dragon’s gate) temple. One day a monk was bitten in his leg by a snake. Butsugen, one of the monks, asked, “This is the Ryumon, why was he bitten by a snake?” The master, in reply, suddenly manifested the figure of the great man. Later, MasterEngo heard about this. There is a priest at the Ryumon. Owing to him, the Buddha Dharma of Eastern Mountain (where the Ryumon is located) has not been reduced yet.

Dragon's Gate I

Koan: Master Ungo once was at Ryumon (Dragon’s gate) temple. One day a monk was bitten in his leg by a snake. Butsugen, one of the monks, asked, “This is the Ryumon, why was he bitten by a snake?” The master, in reply, suddenly manifested the figure of the great man. Later, MasterEngo heard about this. There is a priest at the Ryumon. Owing to him, the Buddha Dharma of Eastern Mountain (where the Ryumon is located) has not been reduced yet.

Isan and the Buffalo

I've heard photographers say that the real subject of a photograph is the photographer. One of the Lojong sayings is “Life is a dream.” Here I'm once again constructing a story to answer the proverbial Zen question, “What is it?” The answer, perhaps, is always the same.