Featured Koan: The Land of Demons

A great minister asked, "I've been reading the sutras—what is meant by, 'A fierce wind has blown the ship off course, setting it drifting toward the land of the Rakshasas'?"
The teacher responded, "Why ask something like that?"
The great minister's face went pale with that response.
And the teacher repeated, "A fierce wind has blown the ship off course, setting it drifting toward the land of the Rakshasas!"
The minister understood.

—Entangling Vines Case 42

Passing Through the Land of Demons

Dongshan’s Jewel Mirror Samadhi (BCR13)

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KOAN:

The teaching of suchness, intimately given by the buddhas and ancestors—
now that it’s yours, keep it well.
A silver bowl filled with snow; a white heron hidden in the moonlight—
Apart, they seem similar; together, they’re different.
The clear-sighted person falls into a well.
What is the sword so sharp it cuts a hair blown against it?
Each branch of coral holds up the moon.

– Blue Cliff Record, Case 13