Impossible Situations: A Buffalo Passes Through the Window

Recorded April 18, 2026.Today’s teisho is on "Gateless Barrier" Case 38 — “A Buffalo Passes Through the Window.”Wu-tsu said, “It is like a buffalo that passes through a window. Its head, horns, and four legs all pass through. Why can’t its tail pass through as well?”Hakuin comments:"Hard for even the most clear-sighted Zen monks to crack,A Buffalo Passing Through theWindow trips them all up. "In this life we'll all face situations, places, events, times that seem . . . beyond us, even impossible. What shall we make of Wu-tsu’s impossible buffalo? The scenario is ridiculous! Impossible. And yet we’re called upon by the koan to personally reveal and present its deep, living meaning.Is logic the be-all and end-all? Can even the most technically precise and clear scientific description of, let’s say, vision, give us our vividly personal experience of red flowers, blue skies, green grass, the joy we find upon seeing a child’s smile? Can a description give us the actual taste of a cup of first flush Darjeeling tea? By what wisdom do I know it personally, intimately? Let’s see if we can find out. Give a listen to this lively — and rather humorous — teisho!Referenced:"The Gateless Barrier: Th Wu-men Kuan (Mumonkan)" Robert AitkenPainting by Zen Master Hakuin -- Buffalo looking at a window.Books by Roshi Rafe MartinTalks on YouTubeMore information at endlesspathzen.org