Old Joshu Lives On

Joshu was a Chan master back in Tang Dynasty China. Some of his dialogues became koans that are still widely used by contemporary Zen aspirants. Indian Buddhists originally employed the word ‘doubt’ in a way that developed new shades of meaning, both as Joshu played with the word, and as this term evolved further in the koan traditions of Sino-Japanese Buddhism. Joshu lived for 120 years. This extraordinary lifespan is far beyond that of today’s so-called ‘SuperAgers’. Recent research based on the brain imaging data and the telomere length from many long-term meditators suggests the possibility that some of old Joshu’s longevity reflected his one hundred years of prior meditative practice.