Posted inKoans, MC Podcasts

Teisho: Book of Equanimity Case 30, Daizui’s “Kalpa Fire” (Part 1 of 2)

July 7, 2016

“I don’t think you can trust the heart of Zen more directly than through the koans; that is to touch the heart of a human being…. is to touch the heart of all things.”

Case 30: Daisui’s “Kalpa Fire”

A monk asked Daizui, “When the great kalpa fire bursts out, the whole universe will be destroyed. I wonder if IT will also be destroyed or not.” Daizui said, “Destroyed.” The monk said, “If so, will it be gone with the other?” Daizui said, “Gone with the other.”

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Description: A monk asked Daizui, “When the great kalpa fire bursts out, the whole universe will be destroyed. I wonder if IT will also be destroyed or not.”  Henry explores the confusing and ambiguous response that Daizui gives to the questioning monk. We learn about singularity, the “other making mind”, emptiness and death. Henry tells us empathically that people do not die, but that doesn’t mean people live forever. Henry invites us, through zen training and practice, to find out for ourselves what this really means, to discover the heart of all things.

Post Image Credit: 20130701-FS-UNK-0018, La Madre Fire, US Department of AgricultureCC BY 2.0.
Featured Image Credit: “Singularity” – Bonna Point Reserve, Luke Peterson, CC BY 2.0.

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