Venerable HuiMing, pursued HuiNeng, the sixth patriarch, to seize back the robe and begging bowl handed down by the fifth patriarch Hongren as a symbol of the Dharma Seal of Enlightenment. HuiMing caught up with HuiNeng at the Dayuling Mountains and found he was unable to lift the robe and the bowl from a rock. HuiMing then asked Huineng, "I came for the Dharma, not for the robe. Please expound the Dharma for me." HuiNeng said, "Before your parents were born, at that very moment, what was Venerable Ming's original face (your intrinsic nature)?" Right then HuiMing came to enlightenment.

It seems that succession disputes also occur in Buddhist societies in this world. If so, it shouldn’t be a surprise if disputes over inheritance and borders occur between siblings and neighboring countries respectively. And if the issue of the Yasukuni shrine is connected to the settlement of past wrongs, the territorial disputes over Takeshima Island and Senkaku Islands are related to the present and future economic interests too. Therefore the latter issue is much more difficult to resolve. However, if we ask the sixth patriarch for a turning word (Zen word that can turn people from ambivalence to enlightenment), he may answer, "Before the creation of the world, Japan, China and Korea were not born, at that very moment, what was the original face of the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans? And what was their patriotism?"

In the Diamond Sutra, Buddha preaches to Subhuti, "All with marks is empty and false. If you can see all marks as no marks then you see the Tathagata." He says, "Prajnaparamita (absolute wisdom) is not Prajnaparamita and therefore it is called Prajnaparamita." and goes on to say, "What Tathagata referred to as a world is not a world in itself, but is named as a 'world'." This is the so called ‘logic of sokuhi’. (logic of not: A is not a, therefore it is A)."

The things with certain forms in this world are changing rapidly and if we are caught by the shape of the thing before us, we miss the chance to see the true nature. But if we get rid of our fixed ideas, the nature of things comes out for itself.

We do not have to return to before the creation of the world. Because everything in this world will pass away sooner or later, there will be no exceptions for Japan, China and Korea. In fact people and the world around them are continually perishing and being reborn every second, if not in their entirety, at least partially.

Jesus also told us, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."(Mat24:35-36) "Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left."(Mat 24:40-41) Jesus appears to have encouraged us by saying, "No one knows when the end of the age is. It may happen today or tomorrow. But you do not need to worry if you have already found your original face (my word)."

When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Capernaum and began to preach in the district of Galilee. At that time Jesus was seized with a sense of crisis as he said “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence.” (Mat 11:12 King James Version) He appears to have thought,“Heaven (God's throne) and earth (his footstool) are just passing away now. Since John has been imprisoned, there should be someone else making straight paths for the Lord instead of John." However, Jesus seems to have not yet decided to be crucified at that point.

But when John sent his disciples from the prison and asked Jesus, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" Jesus might have realized that he would soon be crucified as the Messiah.

After Jesus heard that John had been executed, Jesus explained to his disciples that He should proceed to Jerusalem and had to be crucified. Peter rebuked him. "Never, Lord!” He said. “This shall never happen to you!" Jesus said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mat 16:21-24)

Jesus, who had decided to go the Messiah's way after witnessing John's death by violence, might have been convinced that if he was to be crucified, his disciples would also come along on the Messiah's way. Jesus also said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."(John 12:24)

We can see a parable in Lotus Sutra (chapter 16: The Life-span of The Tathagata). It says, "Constantly harboring feelings of grief, at last come to one's senses". The prodigal children came to their senses in the feelings of grief after hearing the news of their father's death during his trip. This is one of the Buddha's teaching methods. But Jesus was not crucified for the sole purpose of awakening his disciples and the people of Israel. Jesus must have believed that one's ultimate salvation is attained through sacrifice of oneself and practiced his own faith. He also said, “For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” (John 17:19)

According to the Gospel of Judas, which has been published on National Geographic News, Jesus entrusted Judas, one of The Twelve Apostles, with the role of betraying the Messiah based on the Old Testament's prophecies, saying "you will exceed all of them, for you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.”

When Jesus preached in the region of Judea, a young man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” “All these I have kept”, the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor. Then come, follow me.” The words, “follow me” means “taking up his cross to follow Jesus.” But the young man went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mat 19:16-22)

Paul in the letter to the people of Colossae said, "Practice is taking off your old self and putting on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." (Col 3:9-11) Jesus preached only for Israel and the people of Israel his whole life. Paul seems to have exceeded beyond Jesus' limitations. The ‘Logic of sokuhi’ can also be seen here.

When the people in Japan, China and Korea come to understand that ‘There is nothing from the Beginning’, they may resolve such territorial disputes as those over Takeshima Island and the Senkaku Islands. (Eko-an Hensho-koji 2006/04/30)

According to the dialectic of the Gospel of John,

【thesis】　"A man can possess eternal life through accepting testimony of the Son of man and being baptized by him." (John 5:24)

【anti-thesis】　But "The one who comes from the earth cannot accept the testimony by one from heaven."(John 3:32)

How then can a man possess eternal life?

【synthesis】　"If you want to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, you can just go back to the word which was with God in the beginning (John 1:1) and certify that God is truthful. (John 3:33)"

When he said, "You are Huichao," Zen Master Fayan thrusted vivid Self in Huichao in front of his eyes. (The Origin of Christianity P.171)

"Subhuti, what do you think, can the Tathagata be seen by his physical marks?"

"No, World Honored One, the Tathagata cannot be seen by his physical marks. And why? It is because the physical marks are spoken of by the Tathagata as no physical marks."

The Buddha said to Subhuti, "All with marks is empty and false. If you can see all marks as no marks then you see the Tathagata."

Then Subhuti said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, what should the Sutra be named? How should we respect and hold it?"

The Buddha told Subhuti, "The name of the Sutra is Vajra Prajna Paramita. You should respect and hold it by that name. And why? Subhuti, Prajna Paramita is spoken of by the Buddha as no Prajna Paramita, therefore it is called Prajna Paramita. Subhuti, what do you think? Is there any dharma spoken by the Tathagata?"

Subhuti said to the Buddha. "World Honored One, nothing has been spoken by the Tathagata."

"Subhuti, what do you think? Are all the motes of dust in three thousand great thousand world systems many?"

Subhuti said, "Very many, World Honored One."

“Subhuti, all motes of dust are spoken of by the Tathagata as no motes of dust, therefore they are called motes of dust. The world systems are spoken of by the Tathagata as no world systems, therefore they are called world systems. Subhuti, what do you think, can the Tathagata be seen by means of the thirty-two marks?"

"No, World Honored One, one cannot see the Tathagata by means of the thirty-two marks. And why? The thirty-two marks are spoken of by the Tathagata as no thirty-two marks, therefore they are called thirty two marks."

"Subhuti, a good man, or good woman, might give up his life as many times as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River; but if a person were to receive and hold even so few as four lines of verse of the Sutra and explain them for others, his blessing would be greater."

Thus he speaks these words to them, 'You surely know that I am now worn out with old age and the time of my death is already at hand. This fine medicine I now leave here. You may take it without fear that it will not make you better.' Having given them these instructions, he departs again for a place some distance off and sends back a messenger to inform them, 'Your father is dead.'

When those sons now hear that their father has died, their minds are sorely disturbed with grief and thus they reflect, 'If our father were alive, he would take pity on us and be able to save and protect us but now he has forsaken us and died in some distant place. We have now lost our father and are orphaned, without anyone to rely on.' Continually harboring feelings of grief they finally come to their senses and, recognizing that the color, aroma and flavor of the medicine is indeed fine, they forthwith take it and are cured of their poisonous illness. The father, hearing that his sons are fully recovered, endeavors to return home so that they may all see him. My good disciples, what do you think? Are there any of you who can bring yourself to say that this good physician has defiled the Precept against telling falsehoods?"

“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”