this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2023
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A Letter To A Dying Man (lemm.ee)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/buddhism
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A Letter To A Dying Man

Bassui wrote the following letter to one of his disciples who was about to die:

"The essence of your mind is not born, so it will never die. It is not an existence, which is perishable. It is not an emptiness, which is a mere void. It has neither color nor form. It enjoys no pleasures and suffers no pains.

"I know you are very ill. Like a good Zen student, you are facing that sickness squarely. You may not know exactly who is suffering, but question yourself: What is the essence of this mind? Think only of this. You will need no more. Covet nothing. Your end which is endless is as a snowflake dissolving in the pure air."

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

This koan was randomly selected (https://www.cincinato.org/koans/randomkoan_en.php). It is unfamiliar to me, although it is commonly referenced online based on a brief search - so many references that I'm unable to determine the origin. I would be interested if anyone knows where the original translation was published.

It's very beautiful and poetic. Moreso than many koans. Although it still has me deep in thought 30 minutes after reading it. It seems that understanding and making peace with our relationship to not-being (some future state of nothingness) is required to fully appreciate what it means to be in the instant we are now.