2026-07-14 I Inquiry I Why did Bodhidharma come to the west? I Trudy Johnston

Case 37, A monk asked Jōshū, “What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming to China?” Jōshū replied, “The oak tree in the garden.” Case 5, titled “Kyōgen’s Man Up a Tree.” Kyōgen said: “It’s like a man up a tree, hanging from a branch by his mouth. His hands can’t grasp a bough, his feet can’t touch the trunk. Another man comes and asks from below, ‘What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?’ If he doesn’t answer, he evades his duty. If he answers, he falls and dies. What must he do?”