Zonggao's "Bird's Path"
A monk asked Zonggao, "
When the hundred grasses wither in the twelfth month, where does the bodhisattva of compassion place herself?" Zonggao replied,
"Where the yellow flowers bloom, filling the ground with brocade." The monk asked,
"When the cold comes, where does she go?" Zonggao said,
"She treads the bird's path, leaving no trace in the sky."
Reflection
Zonggao's dialogue about the bodhisattva's place in winter uses poetic language to point beyond dualities. The 'bird's path leaving no trace in the sky' suggests that true compassion operates without leaving a footprint of self-consciousness. Awakened activity continues effortlessly even in difficult times. The yellow flowers blooming in cold represent the inexhaustible creativity of the enlightened mind.