A devotee asked Ch'an Master Chao-chou, "Does the Buddha have worries?"

Chao-chou exclaimed, "Yes!"

The devotee queried, "Buddha is already enlightened, so why does he still have worries?"

Chao-chou answered, "That is because you are still not liberated from suffering."

The devotee inquired, "If I cultivate myself and become liberated from suffering, will the Buddha still have worries?"

Chao-chou again exclaimed, "Yes!"

The the devotee questioned again, "If I am already liberated, why does the Buddha still have worries?"

Chao-chou declared, "Because many beings still exist!"

The devotee asked, "But it is not possible to liberate every being from suffering. Does this mean that the Buddha will always have worries and can never transcend them?"

Chao-chou answered, "The Buddha has already transcended and detached himself from worries."

The devotee questioned, "If all beings have not been freed yet, how can the Buddha no longer have any worries?"

Chao-chou replied, "Because within the self-nature of the Buddha all beings have already been freed."

At this point, the devotee seemed to have attained a further understanding.

 



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