Bassui wrote the following letter to one of his disciples who was about
to die:
"The essence of your mind is not born, so it will never die. It is not
an existence, which is perishable. It is not an emptiness, which is a mere
void. It has neither color nor form. It enjoys no pleasures and suffers no
pains.
"I know you are very ill. Liek a good Zen student, you are facing that
sickness squarely. You may not know exactly who is suffering, but question
yourself: What is the essence of this mind? Think only of this. You will
need no more. Covet nothing. Your end which is endless is as a snowflake
dissolving in the pure air."
