The Story of Sul – An excerpt from Dropping Ashes On the Buddha

The Story of Sul. The Teaching of Zen Master Seung Sahn by Stephen Mitchell

“The Great Way is not difficult if you do not make distinctions. Only throw away likes and dislikes, and everything will be perfectly clear.”― Stephen Mitchell.

This excerpt is a quoted passage from the classic Zen book, Dropping Ashes on the Buddha by Zen Master, Seung Sahn.

Please enjoy.

The Story of Sul

Sul was a devout Buddhist, who bowed and chanted sutras twice a day and paid frequent visits to the Zen Master, Ma-jo.

Wherever she was, she would chant all day long.

One day she was washing clothes in the river, beating the dirt out of them with a stick.

Suddenly the great bell from Ma-jo’s temple rang.

And the sound of the stick and the sound of the bell become one,—and her mind opened.

…

During the next few days, her parents noticed a great change in her. Whereas before, she had been a quiet, well-behaved little girl. Now she would burst into wild laughter for no reason; have long conversations with trees or clouds, and run down the road to the village at breakneck speed, like a boy.

Her father began to realize that, what had happened to his daughter was beyond his grasp.

And so, his anger turned to intense puzzlement.

With that, the father went and told Ma-jo the story of her daughter’s behavior over the past few days.

And Ma-jo said, “Your daughter isn’t crazy. You are crazy.”

“Well what should I do?” replied the father.

“Don’t worry,” Ma-jo said, and handed him a large rice paper calligraphy, with the following inscription: When you hear the wooden chicken crow in the evening, you will know the country where your mind was born. Outside my house, in the garden, the willow is green, and the flower is red.

The Story of Sul

…

Later on that day, Sul went to visit the Zen Master,  and the Zen Master said, “I am going to test your mind:

In the sutra, it says, ‘The great Mount Sumeru fits into a mustard seed; someone enters and breaks the rocks to smithereens.’ What does this mean?”

Sul picked up a cup closely and threw it against the wall, where it smashed.

Ma-jo laughed and clapped his hands. “Very good! Very good!

Now I will test your mind.

The Story of Sul

As Sul grew up, she always kept a clear mind.

Outside, her actions were ordinary actions.

Inside, her mind was the mind of a Bodhisattva.

Eventually, she married and raised a large, happy family, all of whom were devout Buddhists.

Many people came to her for help and teaching. And she became known as a great Zen Master.

“The Truth is realized in an instant; the Act is practiced step by step.”
― Zen Master Seung Sahn

The Story of Sul

Seungsahn Haengwon (August 1, 1927 – November 30, 2004), born Duk-In Lee, was a Korean Seon master of the Jogye Order and founder of the international Kwan Um School of Zen.

He was the seventy-eighth Patriarch in his lineage. As one of the early Korean Zen masters to settle in the United States.

He opened many temples and practice groups across the globe, was known for his charismatic style and direct presentation of Zen, which was well tailored for the Western audience, and his many correspondences with them through letters. He died in Seoul, South Korea, at age 77.

…

Zen Master Seung Sahn only taught one thing: don’t know. Sometimes ‘don’t know’ means ‘just do it’, sometimes it means ‘put it all down’, and sometimes great love, great compassion, the Great Bodhisattva Way. 

“Here is a poem for you: The candy peddler is ringing his bell, and the child cries to its mother. Money becomes candy and candy becomes money. Money goes into the peddler’s pocket, and candy goes into the child’s mouth and is sweet.”
― Stephen Mitchell, Dropping Ashes on the Buddha: The Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn

The Story of Sul is an excerpt from Dropping Ashes on the Buddha.

Stephen Mitchell has written many books, including a translation of the bestselling, The Tao Te Ching, The Gospel According to Jesus and Gilgamesh. You can read extensive excerpts from all of his books on his website, www.stephenmitchellbooks.com

Further related reads:

• In a Mustard Seed – A Zen Story by Sadhguru 
• Dropping Ashes on the Buddha summary & key takeaways