The teisho discusses impossible situations that we may face in daily life, at any time without warning. How would we respond? In freeing ourselves from the dualistic mind we are better able to respond in an appropriate manner. Hsiang-yen’s ‘Up a tree’ is the key to this freedom.

This talk considers the following case:

The priest Hsiang-yen said, “It is as though you were up in a tree, hanging from a branch with your teeth. Your hands and feet can’t touch any branch. Someone appears beneath the tree and asks, ‘What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?’ If you do not answer, you evade your responsibility. If you do answer, you lose your life. What do you do?” (Robert Aitken The Gateless Barrier: Case 5, The Wu-men kuan (Mumonkan, page 53).

This teisho was given by Will Moon, roshi at Spring sesshin 2026 at Kodoji.