Dropping Ashes on the Buddha

Seung Sahn (a renowned Korean Zen master) is fond of asking this question of his American students: “Somebody comes into the Zen center with a lighted cigarette, walks up to the Buddha statue, blows smoke in its face, and drops ashes on its lap. You are standing there. What can you do?” In Dropping Ashes on the Buddha, Seung Sahn presents a collection of spontaneous dialogues with his students as a helpful guide to Zen teaching methods.