The great master Yunmen was once asked by a monk, “What was the Buddha teaching his entire lifetime?” Yunmen answered, “An appropriate response.”1 Throughout his life Shakyamuni was primarily concerned with what was appropriate for the edification and liberation of whomever he was facing at the moment. Buddhas and great bodhisattvas such as Yunmen have “no other purpose than to melt the glue and untie the bonds for you, to pull out the nails and wrench out the pegs,”2 in order to liberate all beings. They are able to be kind and helpful under all circumstances, in all realms of being. They
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