Times of Great Difficulty
KOAN:
Someone asked, “When times of great difficulty visit us, how should we meet them?”
The teacher said, “Welcome.”
—Zhaozhou
A student asked Jiashan, “What is Jiashan’s state of mind?”
Jiashan answered, “Monkeys, clasping their young to their breasts, return beyond the green peaks: a bird with a flower in its beak alights before the blue cliff.”
—Entangling Vines, Case 99
KOAN:
Someone asked, “When times of great difficulty visit us, how should we meet them?”
The teacher said, “Welcome.”
—Zhaozhou