This is a visual presentation of the famous Zen koan involving master Baizhang and an old man who had come to the monastery to question the great teacher. In a previous lifetime, the old man had answered a monk’s question on karma and rebirth “incorrectly,” and as a result had to live many lives as a fox. Given the turning phrase “the enlightened one does not ignore karma,” the old man was enlightened and freed from the cycle of birth and death. This koan has been meditated on by Zen students the world over for centuries. The mandala at the center represents birth (and the unborn) and the fox skulls symbolize death (and the undying).