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  • 1
    Commentary
    Seven wise women in India found a dead body while playing in a forest. One woman among them pointed at it and said, “The body is here, but where has the persongone?”
    At this, the other women examined the body, and each achieved awakening. Moved by this, Indra, a guardian deity, scattered flowers as an offering and said, “Wise women, if you have anything you need, I will provide it for the rest of your days.”
    “We have clothes, food, bedding, medicine and seven treasures all within our houses. So, we need only three things. First, a parcel of land that does not embody yin and yang. Second, a tree without a root. Third, a mountain valley with no echo,” said one wise woman.
    “I have all other things but not those three,” said Indra.
    “When you don’t have these things, how can you deliver people from suffering?” said the wise woman.
    At this, Indra was at a loss for words.     What would people have done today? If wehad found an abandoned dead body while playing in a forest, most of us would, first of all, have let out a scream. Unlike us, the seven wise women were not appalled by the scene; instead, they merely asked a fascinating question: The body is here, but where is the person?This shrewd question moved Indra as it revealed their keen recognition that what was lying on the ground was the person’s “dead body” and not the person themselves.

    No matter how many times I think about it, I cannot imagine myself keeping my composure in front of a corpse. As if we were taught the dogma that living beings must inhabit “living scenes,” we cannot bear to watch living beings turned into objects that have perished. Thus, we classify perfectly fine food as “organic waste” and discard vegetables at the slightest sign of withering or fading, saying they have lost their “commercial value.” We live with the obsession that living beings must be seen in their “best light,” always exhibiting a neat, appealing and vibrant appearance. That is why we fail to perceive “the dying unfolding in living beings.”For us, witnessing the death of beings that were once alive is unbearable.

    We are incapable of genuinely acceptingthe truth that all living beings must die someday. Perhaps, we cannot perceive things as they are because we are unable to accept every step on life’s journey or on the path toward death. If we can wholeheartedly realize, not with our intellect but with our soul, that life’s path is a path toward death, we may find ourselves listening to the screams of dying beings with a warmer heart while appreciatingour inevitable mortality that overshadows eventhe brightest moments of our lives.

    A while ago, while walking on the street, I came across a dead bird. It hadn’t been tortured to death or anything. It appeared to have died naturally. Still, I couldn’t bear to look at it. My preconceived notion that “a dead bird is a scary thing” made me unable to look at it directly. If I had been more courageous, I would have buried the bird in a place with ample sunshine. If I had been wiser, I would have intoned a tune for it, wishing it well on its final journey to a better place. I would have comforted it, saying:
    Without any regrets or lingering attachments, you mustered up all your energy soaring against the sky and then fell to the ground for an eternal sleep. You are beautiful.I can feel the last breath you exhaled while you were quietly flying on your way as you had always done, without fear or hesitation.

    I had to shut my eyes tight. I realized I did not have the wisdom to distinguish between the flaccid dead body of the bird and its “soul.” You will never achieve awakening with a hasty mind, a reluctant mind, or a mind that seeks to reap only benefits while avoiding all losses.

    Awakening comes in one fell swoop. I am not sure about other things, but I think I know this. Since it comes in one blow, you cannot accept some aspects and discard others. When you have a discriminating mind that accepts only the sweet and not the bitter, you cannot even touch the surface of wisdom. (Jung Yeo-ul)
  • 2
    Commentary
    While practicing Chan teachings, Chan Master An (安) of Gwangxiao Temple (光孝寺)saw two monks having a conversation while leaning against the railing of the main Buddha hall. At first, deities guarded the monks but soon demons spat on them and brushed away their footprints because the topic of their conversation turned from the teachings of the Buddha to worldly affairs. Master Anhad not talkedof worldly affairs since then. Chan Master An resolved to enlighten the foolish monks whose conversation veered away from the teachings of the Buddha to trivial personal matters, even irritating the ears of demons. To stick to this resolution, the Chan master shunned talking about worldly affairs for the rest of his life. It is said that, even after his cremation, his tongue remained intact and flexible, reminiscent of a red lotus flower. This legendary anecdote is a testament to the truth that silence like his is more eloquent than the world’s most impassionate speech.

    A close reading of the New Testament reveals that Jesus of Nazareth, likewise, taught only through his actions and not his words. Nevertheless, or rather for this very reason, today, even two thousand years since his death, a great number of people still commit themselves to exemplifying his profound teachings. (SeoMyeong-won)
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