Hello Buddha,
Today's CASE is short, but the POINTER is long. The POINTER makes the point that there is some Wisdom "before sound" that even 1000 sages cannot say in words. If you have never experienced "it," you are worlds apart from "it," but actually, "it" is not an "it" apart from you to get. When there is no "Buddha" apart, nor "you" apart, you are this Buddha. Then everything is it, from the smallest atom to the greatest galaxy. The line at the end about "sweating horses of the past" may mean that folks only see a simple response, like in today's Koan, but don't really know all the years of practice and profound depth that went into such a subtly simple response (like seeing a champion athlete who "makes it look easy" because we don't know the hundreds of hours of training it took him to get to that level.)
In the CASE, the question is "What is Buddha?" The response is "You are you."
The COMMENTARY, as always, warns against mere intellectual interpretation. So, saying things like, "It is much like riding an ox searching for an ox" are wrong if only an intellectual notion, but right if truly felt. There are many sayings like this, such as "the fire boy searches for fire" that must be truly known (we must really get burned), not just intellectually as a concept.
The VERSE is also about folks who really get this ("become dragons") versus just intellectual understanding ("scooping pond water.")
QUESTION: What is Buddha? Please present "words before sound" that are not merely intellectual understanding.
.
Gassho, J
stlah
Today's CASE is short, but the POINTER is long. The POINTER makes the point that there is some Wisdom "before sound" that even 1000 sages cannot say in words. If you have never experienced "it," you are worlds apart from "it," but actually, "it" is not an "it" apart from you to get. When there is no "Buddha" apart, nor "you" apart, you are this Buddha. Then everything is it, from the smallest atom to the greatest galaxy. The line at the end about "sweating horses of the past" may mean that folks only see a simple response, like in today's Koan, but don't really know all the years of practice and profound depth that went into such a subtly simple response (like seeing a champion athlete who "makes it look easy" because we don't know the hundreds of hours of training it took him to get to that level.)
In the CASE, the question is "What is Buddha?" The response is "You are you."
The COMMENTARY, as always, warns against mere intellectual interpretation. So, saying things like, "It is much like riding an ox searching for an ox" are wrong if only an intellectual notion, but right if truly felt. There are many sayings like this, such as "the fire boy searches for fire" that must be truly known (we must really get burned), not just intellectually as a concept.
The VERSE is also about folks who really get this ("become dragons") versus just intellectual understanding ("scooping pond water.")
QUESTION: What is Buddha? Please present "words before sound" that are not merely intellectual understanding.
.
Gassho, J
stlah
)
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