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Alive or Dead? I Won't Say (BCR55)
KOAN:
Daowu and Jianyuan visited a house in mourning to offer their condolences.
Jianyuan struck the coffin with his hand and asked, “Alive or dead?”
Daowu said, “I’m not saying alive, I’m not saying dead.”
Jianyuan asked, “Why won’t you say?”
Daowu said, “I’m not saying! I’m not saying!”
On the way home, Jianyuan stopped in the middle of the road and demanded,
“Tell me right now, Teacher. If you don’t say, I’m going to hit you and leave.”
Daowu said, “You can hit me, but even if you do, I still won’t say.”
Jianyuan hit him.
After Daowu died, Jianyuan went to Shishuang and told him this story.
Shishuang said, “I’m not saying alive, I’m not saying dead.”
Jianyuan asked, “Why won’t you say?”
Shishuang said, “I’m not saying! I’m not saying!”
At these words, Jianyuan had an opening.
One day, Jianyuan took a spade and went into the teaching hall.
From the east he crossed to the west, and from the west he crossed to the east.
“What are you doing?” asked Shishuang.
Jianyuan said, “I’m searching for our old teacher’s sacred bones.”
Shishuang said, “Floods reach the horizon, whitecaps drown the sky.
What sort of teacher’s sacred bones are you looking for?”
(Xuedou comments, “Blue heavens! Blue heavens!”)
Jianyuan said, “This is truly good; it makes me strong.”
Later, Fu of Taiyuan said, “Our teacher’s sacred bones are still here.”
—Blue Cliff Record Case 55
(transl. by John Tarrant & Joan Sutherland,
titled: Daowu & Jianyuan Offer Condolences)
Ancestral Stories: Old Wrongs Can Disappear
After a relative dies, the ancestral wrongs and difficulty can disappear as we change towards a more expansive view. Dreams tell us not to ignore the great forces of life, even in our turbulent times. Our koan school relates to the shadowy dark materials—including instead of excluding, without being taken over by them. October 30, 2022
Ancestral Stories: How the Ancestors Show Up
We can accumulate things in life that become symbolic after we die. The real inheritance is in our hands and hearts, and is reliable no matter what the surface relationship may have been. When we are challenged, the ancestors show up. Meeting the Lord of Death is one of those challenges, and is part of meeting life. Excerpt from the Ancestral Stories Retreat on October 30, 2022.
Ancestral Stories: Opening to the Treasures of the Unconscious
Ancient and indigenous cultures have different models for healing and dreaming, with different points of view often galactic or mythic. Including and opening to vastness when facing any problem allows for a wider range of solutions, and access to the hidden treasures that we have no idea are there for us. Excerpt from the Ancestral Stories Retreat on October 30, 2022.
Ancestral Stories: Are These Leaves Falling or Are They My Father’s Hands?
John Tarrant reads his new autumn poem about meeting the vastness of autumn, and meeting his father, the Lord of Death. From the Ancestral Stories Retreat on October 30, 2022. 3 minutes.
Ancestral Stories: The Taste of Old Wrongs Can Disappear
After people die, our point of view about them can shift—it often becomes more vast. Problems with those who’ve gone before can dissolve. In our PZI School, this is why the shadowy dark material is important: when included, it helps it to dissipate so the taste of old wrongs can actually disappear. Excerpted from Ancestral Stories Retreat on October 30, 2022. 7 minutes.