‘The master of Lotus Flower Peak cottage held out his staff and said to his disciples, “When, in olden times, a person reached the state of enlightenment, why did they not remain there?”
No one could answer, and he replied for them, “Because it is of no use in the course of life.”
And again he asked, “After all, what will you do with it?”‘ (Case 25)
I was looking for this to post on my Instagram, and couldn’t find it in my archive here, so here it is, perhaps for the first time. I know I have used this in a dharma talk at Zen Center, and it continues to resonate for me. What would you do with it?
Shundo David Haye 