February 05th, 2017

Look at how our heads and feet
Are capped and shod
Without a second thought.
It is like the man
Who had a long beard,
But did not anguish at its length
Until one day someone asked him
How he arranged it
When he went to bed.
First he put it inside,
Then outside the coverlet,
The whole night
He spent looking for the best position.
And tossed and turned
Until the dawn of day.
In the end he
Wanted only to chop it off!
Although this fable is light and humorous,
Still it contains a much deeper meaning.
When I asked the dharma master about this,
He gave a smile and nodded his assent.

Su Shih (1073)