Here is a favorite quotation of mine, which I first came across fifteen years ago:
“When one happens on a book of this kind,
he is well advised to throw it away.”
– Shu-an
What inspired these words? Over a period of years, I occasionally looked to see if I could find the source of the quotation, or who Shu-an was. All I found were references to the book I already had and rabbit hole-like trails with impenetrable histories of centuries-old Zen schools.
While thinking the other day about untraceable quotations, I looked again, this time finding the context for the quotation with no effort at all.
In Laughing Buddha: Zen and the Comic Spirit, I learn that Shu-an wrote these words in his preface to Wu-men’s 13th century compilation of Zen koans, Gateless Gate to Zen Experience. And I am reminded how resonant a simple question can be.