Practice Meetings
Tuesday Sept 17, 8:30am
Friday Sept 20, 7:00pm
This Week’s Koan
Book of Serenity #72
Zhongyi’s “Monkey”
Yangshan asked Zhongyi, “What is the meaning of Buddha nature?” Zhongyi said, I’ll tell you a simile: it’s like putting a monkey in a room with six windows—when someone outside calls it, ‘Simian! Simian!’ the monkey then responds. In this way, when called through all six windows it responds.”
Yangshan said, “What about when the monkey is asleep?” Zhongyi got right down from his seat, grabbed and held Yangshan and said, “Simian, Simian, you and I see each other.”
Verse
Freezing sleep in a snowy room, the year about ended; The recondite ivy gate does not open at night. Groves and forests withered in the cold—look at the changing conditions: The spring wind’s blowing stirs the ashes in the pipe.