ZEN STORIES

Kyozan asked a monk, " Where have you come from?" The monk said, "From Rinzai." Kyozan said, "Do you have Rinzai's words?" The monk said, "When I left, he said farewell." Kyozan said, "How did he bid you farewell?" The monk said, "He said, 'On the first of the month, the cold wind arrives.'" Kyozan said, "What does that mean?" The monk said, "It means that when the time comes, it is naturally cool." Kyozan said, "I had thought I was the only one who understood, but here is a companion." The monk then asked, "What does 'the cold wind arrives' mean?" Kyozan replied, "When the cold wind comes, the whole body feels it." The monk asked, "What is the realm of 'the whole body feels it' like?" Kyozan said, "It is just like Mt. Sumeru."