The Letter

Anecdotes

oi-Staff

By Staff

Monday, July 13, 2009, 16:13

Once Bassui wrote a letter to one of his disciples who was dying. The letter read thus : 'The essence of your mind is not born, and hence will never die. It is not an existence which is perishable. It is not an emptiness which is just a void. It does not have colour or form. It neither enjoys pleasures nor suffers pains".

Bassui's letter further read, "I understand that you are very ill. Like an ideal Zen student you are confronting the sickness squarely. You may actually know not what exactly is suffering. Shoot a question to yourself thus: "What is the essence of your mind? Just think of this and you need not anything more. Do not covet anything. Your end which is actually endless is like a snowflake that dissolves in pure air."