Mumonkan 35
The Girl Whose Soul Departed
Seijo's soul separated from her body. Her father had promised her to one man, but she loved another. She fled with her lover and lived with him for five years. Years later, she went home with her children, and the father said she had been lying ill in bed all that time. Which one was the real Seijo?
Wumen Huikai
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China
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Ancient Tale
Commentary by Mumon
If you truly see the one real person, you will know that moving from one body to another is like passing through a roadside inn. If you can't, he tells you not to rush and not to be caught off guard when the elements break apart.
Commentary by Traditional
This case shatters our ordinary ideas about a solid, singular identity. It forces you to look for the true nature that isn't divided by space, body, or time.
Verse by Mumon
Moon