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Saturday, January 6, 2024

Polishing a Tile

When Baso was practicing zazen, Nangaku, who passed by, asked the disciple Baso, “What are you doing?” [Laughs.] 

“Of course, I am practicing zazen.”

And Nangaku asked, “Why do you practice zazen?”

And Baso said, “I want to attain buddhahood.”

And Nangaku did not say anything, but he picked up a tile and started to polish it. This time, Baso started to wonder and asked him, “What are you doing?”

“I am making a jewel.” [Laughs.]

Tile work by Niels Holm

cuke.com/ig for links to the source of the photo. Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture 68-10-12-B as found on shunryusuzuki.com, edited by PF. Go to instagram.com/cuke_archives for the Instagram version.