A young Tokyo doctor named Kusuda met a classmate who was now studying Zen. He asked him what it was.
“I can’t tell you what it is,” the friend answered, “but I know one thing for sure.” If you understand Zen, you will not be afraid of death.
“Great,” said Kusuda, “I’ll try.” Where can I find a teacher?
“Go to Master Nan-In,” the friend advised.
And so Kusuda went to Nan-In. He carried a nine and a half inch dagger with him to test how much the teacher himself was not afraid of death.
Seeing Kusuda, Nan-In exclaimed:
- Hello, friend! How are you doing? We haven't seen you for so long!
The dumbfounded Kusuda replied:
- We've never met before.
“That’s right,” Nan-In noted, “I mistook you for another doctor who studied here.”
Having missed the opportunity to test the teacher because of this beginning, Kusuda reluctantly asked if he could receive instruction in Zen. Nan-In said:
— Zen is not difficult. If you are a doctor, treat the sick with mercy. This is Zen.
Kusuda came to Nan-In three times. Each time he told him the same thing:
“A doctor shouldn’t waste time here.” Go home and take care of your sick.
Kusuda still did not understand how such a teaching could eliminate the fear of death. Therefore, when he came for the fourth time, he complained: “A friend told me that whoever comprehends Zen loses the fear of death. Every time I come here, you tell me to take care of the sick. I know that much myself. And if this is the so-called Zen, then I don’t intend to come here anymore.”
Nan-In smiled and stroked the doctor:
- I was too strict with you. Let me ask you a koan.
And he assigned Kusuda to work on Joshu's problem "Mu", the first of the problems for enlightening the mind from the book "The Doorless Door".
Kusuda pondered the problem of "Mu" ("Non-Existent") for two years. Finally he decided that he had achieved sufficient stillness of mind. But the teacher said: “No, you are not there yet.”
Kusuda continued his concentration for another year and a half. His mind became serene. The problems have disappeared. The non-existent has become the truth. He treated his patients well and, without knowing it, freed himself from worries about life and death. When he came to Nan-In, the old teacher only smiled.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru