Emperor Guzai studied Zen under Gudu.
He asked:
— The true mind in Zen is the Buddha. Is this true?
Gudu replied:
“If I say yes, you will think that you understand without understanding.” If I say no, I will be contradicting a fact that many understand very well.
The next day the emperor asked Guda:
—Where does an enlightened person go after death?
Gudu replied:
- I don’t know.
- Why? - asked the emperor.
“Because I haven’t died yet,” Gudu answered.
The Emperor did not dare to ask Guda about things that his mind could not yet comprehend.
So Gudu broke through the wall with his hands to awaken his consciousness, and the emperor was enlightened!
After his enlightenment, the emperor began to respect Zen and old Gudu even more, and even allowed Gudu to keep his hat on in the palace in winter.
When Goode was in his 80s, he fell asleep one day during a lecture, and the Emperor quietly retired to another room so that his beloved teacher could enjoy the rest his body required.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru