08/23/2023, Anshi Zachary Smith, dharma talk at City Center. The most striking feature of the famous Koan recorded as Case 1 of the Blue Cliff Record and entitled, in Cleary’s translation, as “The Highest Meaning of the Holy Truths” is what a philosophical set piece it is. The Emperor and the Wandering Monk act flawlessly as the voices of two philosophical and experiential qualities that are at the foundation of Mahayana Buddhism. Hmmm… how did that happen? Is this mythology or history? In either case, it’s a great story.