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.

[–] wit 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I did not quite understand this letter (haven't had my coffee yet) so I asked an AI to explain it to me. Here is its explanation:

This is a touching letter written by the Zen teacher Bassui to one of his dying disciples. It aims to provide comfort and perspective to the disciple as he faces mortality. The key points are:

  • The essence of one's mind is eternal - it was never born so it can never die. It transcends the physical existence which is impermanent.

  • The mind is not an emptiness or void - it has its own essence and presence.

  • The mind is beyond form, color, pleasure and pain - it is pure awareness unaffected by bodily sensations.

  • As the disciple faces illness, he should question what the essence of his mind is. He should not be attached to his physical suffering.

  • By focusing just on the eternal, pure mind, he will find peace and need nothing more.

  • His end which is endless is like a dissolving snowflake - his physical end is just a transition, while his conscious essence continues.

So in summary, Bassui reminds the disciple to detach from physical suffering and reinforce that his essential nature is immortal. By realizing this on his deathbed, the disciple can face mortality with equanimity.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Thanks for the thoughts - an interesting idea for interpreting koans although I'd be a careful not to let the AI "explain" zen - having said that the answer seems quite good, considering (Presumably they have trained the AI on the standard zen texts). I do find the wording that "his conscious essence continues" a little troubling. I don't perceive immortality as the fundamental idea - more that we can seek the same peace in contemplating the time after our death (non-suffering) as we do with our existence (suffering) and that this transition is as natural and inevitable as the melting of a snowflake.