Chan Master Sengmi of Shenshan received Dharma transmission from Chan Master Yunyan Tancheng. He was a renowned Chan master during the Tang Dynasty in Tanzhou (present-day Changsha region, Hunan Province).
A disciple once asked Chan Master Sengmi of Shenshan:
“Master, please explain the matter of life and death.”
Master Sengmi countered:
“When have you ever died?”
The disciple replied:
“I have never died, nor do I know how. I beg for your wisdom.”
The master declared:
“Since you have never died and cannot die, only by dying for yourself will you comprehend what death truly is.”
Philosophical Notes
The Futility of Conceptual Knowledge:
The master exposes the disciple’s intellectualization of death — an existential reality that cannot be grasped through words or theories.
Direct Experience as Enlightenment:
Chan/Zen emphasizes embodied realization:
“No one can drink water for you; no one can die for you.”
Death here symbolizes ultimate truth — accessible only through personal awakening.
Paradox as a Spiritual Catalyst:
The master’s absurd demand (“die to understand death”) shatters the disciple’s:
Attachment to intellectual security;
Fear of the unknown.
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