Roshi 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 colour 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 pure air."
In 1387 (at the age of 61), as Bassui was sitting in zazen meditation among his followers, he turned to them and shouted twice:
"Look straight ahead. What's there?
If you see it as it is
You will never err."
He then died.
Sent from my iPhone and
http://www.dharmamaster.com
With love
