Blue Cliff Record (Case 6) Yun Men's Every Day is a Good Day

[Koriki]

Today your cat is sick, you lost your job, grandma is in the hospital, you can't pay your bills, your candidate lost the election and then your house burned down.

Tell me: Why is this day a good day?

My practical answer is- because I am breathing. It's an amazing thing to be alive, and really rare. I am thankful for it.
My more Zen oriented perspective sees those occurrences (lost job, sick cat, etc.) as neutral if I don't get caught up in comparing them with other experiences. If I can see the word "good" as having no inherent meaning, just another label that's trying to influence me, then I can call it a good day without it affecting my experience of it.

In the Grateful Dead song, "Black Peter," a dying man says, "See how everything led up to this day... And it's just like any other day that's ever been."

Never heard the song, but I love this line.

Gassho,
Koriki
s@lah

[Bion]

Today your cat is sick, you lost your job, grandma is in the hospital, you can't pay your bills, your candidate lost the election and then your house burned down.

Tell me: Why is this day a good day

Where does this day begin or end? How long does good last, when does it turn into bad and what is there when one is extinguished and the other has not yet begun? Only here, now, with this very step can I give voice to the Buddhadharma; not a footprint behind, nothing ahead. So, what can I do for you?

Gassho

[Matt Johnson]

The 15th day roughly equates to fusatsu done on the full moon. It is also ritualistically a very important time of the month for just about all Buddhist traditions.

"I don't ask you about what you did in your past. I just want to know how will you be in the future." Yunmen answered from the point of view of the absolute. "Every day is a good day"... for someone...

...and even moreso someone who is living in accordance with their intimate knowledge of the precepts.

_/\_
sat/ah
matt

[Jundo]

... (lost job, sick cat, etc.) as neutral ...

I might encourage you to know them as far from neutral, when one encounters each as the whole universe losing its job, the Buddha losing his job and sick ...

Gassho, J
stlah

[Myoku]

QUESTION:

Today your cat is sick, you lost your job, grandma is in the hospital, you can't pay your bills, your candidate lost the election and then your house burned down.

Tell me: Why is this day a good day?

What a f****** bad day, why should it not be good.

Gassho
Myoku
sat lah

[Anthony]

QUESTION:

Today your cat is sick, you lost your job, grandma is in the hospital, you can't pay your bills, your candidate lost the election and then your house burned down.

Tell me: Why is this day a good day?

Again, DO NOT give me "look on the bright side" "silver lining" "the sun will come out tomorrow" responses, or I will slam the door on your leg (you will understand about the leg when you read the commentary.)

There was never a cat, a job, a grandma, bills, an election, or a house to begin with. There is a me that feels sad, but there is also the me that is the same thing as the cat, the job, grandma, bills, the election, and the house.

Gassho, Anthony
satlah

[Jundo]

There was never a cat, a job, a grandma, bills, an election, or a house to begin with. There is a me that feels sad, but there is also the me that is the same thing as the cat, the job, grandma, bills, the election, and the house.

Gassho, Anthony
satlah

Yes, but tell that to poor grandma and the poor cat.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[Tairin]

Found in today’s Tricycle newsletter. This article uses Case 6 as a launching point for discussion

https://tricycle.org/magazine/sherry-chayat-roshi-bodhisattva/

Tairin
Sat today and lah