You’re right – coincidence does not exist. That’s why I often say things like “so-called coincidence” when describing an event that took place where most people would have seen it as a mere coincidence; however, we know better.

Thanks for bring this to my attention – I’ll definitely look into it.

Consider how Ma Zu helped another of his famous pupils, Bai Zhang, to be awakened. When Bai Zhang consulted his master on his development, Ma Zu stared at a feather duster. Bai Zhang said, “If we want to use it, we have to take it from its place.” The master retorted, “If we take your skin from its place, what would become of you?”

Apparently ignoring the master’s retort, Bai Zhang held up the feather duster. Ma Zu said, repeating Bai Zhang’s words, “If we want to use it, we have to take it from its place.” Bai Zhang then returned the feather duster to its original place. At this instant, Ma Zu gave a shout so loud that Bai Zhang was deaf for three days. Later, when classmates asked him about his temporary deafness, he said, “What deafness? After awakening, I just took a rest.”

Koans are not plays on words, or tricks or riddles. They invite one to recognize and explore paradoxes in one’s own thinking. One’s understanding of a given koan is proportional to self-awareness. Zen masters use such techniques to teach pupils. A master is not focused on what the students answer, but how they answer. If you ponder the answer, cogitate or over-complicate, the answer remains beyond you. Some human beings sense Zen is beyond thought, beyond words, beyond explanation. Its one approach or path that gets you back to core self.

I thought about that yesterday and it made me wonder what was going on. Hmmmm……