An Aikido group, that I really like, was setting up a sesshin at Mt. Baldy Zen Center. Though I had my own meditation practice from Master Yen since I was little, I'd never sat formerly at a Zen Center; I really wanted to go. I'd not been with Kosaka Sensei very long and I wasn't sure the protocol, but I wanted his permission to go. I caught him at the dojo just before everyone else arrived, told him about the event, and asked permission to go. He responded quite harshly, 'I can't believe you can ask such a question; a Japanese person would never ask such a thing.' I wasn't sure if that was a yes or a no, but I went.

We had a great time sitting with the monks that live there, doing aikido, and working around the center.

The week before the sesshin, Kosaka Sensei had told us a story of Joshu. 'In the monastery where Joshu was a monk, there were two buildings where all the monks lived; and, there was a cat. This cat was very clever and went to both buildings to be fed. One day, while Joshu was out, monks from one building saw the monks from the other building feeding the cat. An argument ensued, 'What are you doing feeding our cat!?...'Your cat!, this is not your cat, this is our cat!.' The ruckus became so loud that the Abbott came out of his quarters to see what all the fuss was about. 'They're feeding our cat said one set of monks'; 'it's our cat!' said the other set of monks. The Abbott scooped up the cat by the scruff of it's neck and pulled out a sword (where the Abbott got this sword, was not told, it just appeared or he brought it with him? Warrior Abbott? He brought his sword in case the monastery was under attack? Could be, I suppose; in any case, he took out this sword). 'If any one of you can tell me if this cat has Buddha Nature, I will spare the cat!' The monks all stood dumbfounded, not knowing what to say. The Abbott killed the cat (Not even attached to the 'do no harm' vow, I guess; or justified through Ho(u)ben, Skillful means?). Anyhow, he killed the cat.

Later, when Joshu returned, all the monks were crying and despondent. Joshu asked what was the matter, but none could speak coherently to answer his query. So Joshu went to see the Abbott. The Abbott told Joshu what happened.

At this point Kosaka Sensei looked at us and said, "The Abbott said, 'if any one of you can tell me if this cat has Buddha Nature, I will spare the cat.'; now, what do you say? We went around the room and most people said, 'Yes, the cat has Buddha nature, all sentient beings have Buddha Nature,' to which Kosaka Sensei politely nodded his head. When it came to my turn Kosaka Sensei said, 'Wait! you answer me next week'.

It turns out, at this sesshin on Mt. Baldy a Roshi told the same story and ended with. 'Joshu, still at the doorway, took off his sandals and put them on his head; to which the Abbott responded, 'Had you been here, I could have spared the cat.'

So at my next meeting with Kosaka Sensei as I walked in the door, he looked up at me and I gave him my answer; I took off my sandals and put them on my head. He rolled his eyes and said, 'Monkey see, monkey do' and walked away.