禅Yamamoto Gempo

proverb

Bow to the Condemned

Modern

Traditionally attributed

Text

When asked to certify the death-sentence document, I refused. I bow to a man who is about to die; I do not certify his end. The bow was the dharma; the certificate would have been the law.

tr. Zen Lineage editorial

license: cc_by

Attribution

Lineage: Rinzai

By Yamamoto Gempo

Sources

  • contentZen Buddhism: A History — Volume 2: Japan

    Heinrich Dumoulin

No per-field confidence has been recorded for this teaching yet. Treat individual claims with the caution appropriate to the source list below.

Attribution status: traditional — see editorial policy for what this means.

1 supporting citation on record (see Sources above).

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