The Door Of The Law (part 2)

[Christopher Stewart]

("Huike Thinking" by Shi Ke)

"The Door Of The Law" is a suite in six parts inspired by "A Parable About A Parable" from RAWilson's "Quantum Psychology," itself inspired by Kafka's "Before The Law." (There is also a video version by jackhalfaprayer.)

The second section of the suite is entitled "Plight" and presents the situation in which Simon Moon, a young American man studying Zen, finds himself after reading "Before The Law," a mystifying parable which can be found near the end of the Czech author's masterpiece "The Trial."

Simon finds Kafka's fable so disturbing, that it ruins his meditations, scatters his wits, and distracts him from his study of the Sutras. The more Simon broods on this allegory, the more he feels that he will never understand Zen until he first understands this strange tale. Eventually, near breakdown from sheer mental fatigue, Simon goes to his roshi (his Zen teacher) and tells him Kafka's story of the man who waited at the door of the Law — the door that existed only for him but would not admit him, and was closed when death would no longer allow him to enter.

Here are the lyrics :

Please help me
Oh Roshi won't you help me to see

Pray tell me
What is the point of this story
To my progress necessary

Mercy me
This parable is a mystery

Haunting me
Distracting me of my study
In meditation it disturbs me