Zoketsu Norman Fischer discusses case 12 of the Book of Serenity, in which Dizang asks, "What do you call the world?" The koan invites us to examine our assumptions about what the world is, and to consider the crucial roles our minds--with their inherent biases and conditioning--play in shaping our experiences of the world. 

Dizang asked Xiushan, “Where do you come from?”

Xiushan said, “From the South.”

Dizang said, “How is Buddhism in the South these days?”

Xiushan said, “There is extensive discussion””

Dizang said, “How can that compare to me here planting the fields and making rice to eat?”

Xiushan said, “What can you do about the world?”

Dizang said, “What do you call the world?”

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