Alive or Dead in Sitting

Text

Jianyuan came to Shishuang and told him of his encounter with Daowu at the condolence visit, where Daowu had refused to say whether the corpse was alive or dead. Jianyuan asked, "Why did he refuse?" Shishuang said, "I won't say alive, I won't say dead." Jianyuan said, "Why won't you say?" Shishuang said, "I won't say, I won't say." At these words, Jianyuan suddenly understood and bowed. Shishuang said: "The one who understands alive-or-dead without choosing either—that one sits in the monastery of the ten directions without moving."

license: public_domain

Attribution

• Speaker
  Shishuang Qingzhu

Lineage: Qingyuan line

By Shishuang Qingzhu

• Cold Ashes, Dead Treesaying
• Cease and Desistsaying

From Blue Cliff Record

• Tianhuang's Bowl Washing
• The Rhinoceros Fan
• Don't Think
• The Condolence Visit
• The Seamless Tower
• All Sounds Are Buddha-Sound
• All Three Bodies of Buddha
• End-of-Summer Address
• Daguang's Laughing
• The Sound of Raindrops

Sources

• contentZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation

  Zen project editorial

  Blue Cliff Record, Case 55 commentary; Jingde Chuandenglu, Shishuang chapter

  Blue Cliff Record: Alive or Dead in Sitting