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characters change, leaves fall from the trees, new leaves start growing, the old ones disappear, the new ones arrive -- it is a constant change. But in essence nothing changes -- only on the periphery, only on the circumference, but never in the center. And the center is Zen.
I am happy to begin this series of talks with an anecdote about Baso. He is one of my beloved ones.
THE SCHOLAR, RYO OF SEIZAN, ONCE HAD A MEETING WITH BASO, WHO ASKED HIM, "WHAT SUTRA ARE YOU LECTURING ON?"
The poor scholar was not aware that he has entered into the den of a lion. Entering into it is easy, but getting out of it is impossible. Getting into the hands of Baso, you have already committed suicide. Baso was such a swordlike, sharp master. He killed people this way and that, and brought hundreds of people to enlightenment.
This poor scholar does not know that to meet Baso once is to meet your death. That's how the ancients have defined the function of a master. It is not to teach you, but to kill you: it is not to impart knowledge to you, but simply to take away all knowledge from you. Even the very sense of `I' has to disappear.
The scholar was not aware that meeting Baso once is enough, twice will be too much. He asked him, "WHAT SUTRA ARE YOU LECTURING ON?"
THE MIND SUTRA."
Baso replied, "BY WHAT DO YOU LECTURE?"
RYO ANSWERED, "WITH MIND."
BASO SAID, "THE MIND IS LIKE AN ACTOR, THE MEANING LIKE A JESTER, THE SIX SENSES LIKE AN ACQUAINTANCE; HOW CAN THE MIND LECTURE ON A SUTRA?"
Mind cannot speak, it can not even with a single finger indicate the ultimate. All that mind is doing is a controlled, relevant gibberish -- on the surface looking very silent, inside a madhouse. This madhouse cannot say a single word about the truth; it knows nothing, although it plays the game as if it knows.
RYO RETORTED, "IF MIND CANNOT LECTURE, CAN'T NO-MIND?"
Just a logical, intellectual question, not authentic, not coming from his own experience... Because Baso says mind cannot speak on the truth, logically it can be asked, "Do you think then no-mind can speak?"
BASO REPLIED, "YES, NO-MIND CAN LECTURE ALL RIGHT."
RYO
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