Kin No Tamushi ✧

Master: “And now?”

The answer, in the Buddhist-inflected logic of the tale, is: Neither is false, yet neither is the whole truth. The beetle’s nature is to appear differently based on the viewer’s angle, the light, the condition of the eye. So too with all phenomena. A beautiful person, a noble cause, a beloved object — all seem glorious from one angle and tarnished from another. To cling to any single appearance is to fall into illusion ( māyā ). But to deny the beauty entirely is also a form of blindness. Kin No Tamushi

Student: “Now it is dark once more.” Master: “And now

Student (tilting further): “Gold again. I am confused.” Master: “And now?” The answer

Master: “Turn it again.”