Topic: If you love, love openly

[Endless~Knot]

If You Love, Love Openly

Twenty monks and one nun, who was named Eshun, were practicing meditation with a certain Zen master.

Eshun was very pretty even though her head was shaved and her dress plain. Several monks secretly fell in love with her. One of them wrote her a love letter, insisting upon a private meeting.

Eshun did not reply. The following day the master gave a lecture to the group, and when it was over, Eshun arose. Addressing the one who had written her, she said: "If you really love me so much, come and embrace me now."

[Endless~Knot]

One of the things I find very interesting about this zen story is it doesnt tell you if the monk went up and embraced her publically after this occured. You're left hanging in the story. But you can see how love and secrets can sometimes go hand in hand, and if a monk really 'did' love her, he would be willing to show it to all. Perhaps thats the wisdom, if he left it all in silence, and secret, perhaps it wasnt real love to begin with.

[Endless~Knot]

Eshun's Departure

When Eshun, the Zen nun, was past sixty and about to leave this world, she asked some monks to pile up wood in the yard.

Seating herself firmly in the center of the funeral pyre, she had it set fire around the edges.

"O nun!" shouted one monk, "is it hot in there?"

"Such a matter would concern only a stupid person like yourself," answered Eshun.

The flames arose, and she passed away.

[Nichi]

(This second story made me laugh...)