Koan Riddles of Zen Masters, Terebess Asia Online (TAO)TerebessAsia Online (TAO).ZENBUDDHISMAN INTRODUCTIONTO ZENWITH STORIES & PARABLESAND KOAN RIDDLESTOLD BYTHE ZEN MASTERS & WITH CUTSFROM OLD CHINESE INK-PAINTINGSTHE PETER PAUPERPRESSMOUNT VERNON & NEW YORKCOPYRIGHT© 1959BY THE PETERPAUPER PRESS, INC.AN INTRODUCTIONTO ZENZEN, a varietyof Buddhism, now flourishes in Japan, and has infusedrichness into almost all of Japan's cultural life. Before it took root inJapan in the twelfth century, it had been for five hundred years one of thegreat philosophical-religious movements in China. It has only recently beendiscovered by the West, thanks to the books of Professor D.
Nirvana at his death - that is, permanent enlightenment in a state free from rebirth. A thousand years after Buddha, a monk from India came to China with a modified Buddhism that was destined to become widely practiced in China, and eventually in Japan, under the name Zen (from the Sanscrit Dhyana and the Chinese Ch'an). The Water Wheel is published by the Zen Center of Los Angeles, Great Dragon Mountain / Buddha Essence Temple, which was founded by the late Taizan Maezumi Roshi in 1967. Our mission is to know the Self, maintain the precepts, and serve others. We provide the teaching, training, and trans.
Suzuki and tothe fascination that Japan has exercised on so many American servicemen andtourists.Zen has beendescribed as a mystical pantheism, a system of metaphysicstaught with riddles and blows, a sort of existentialist cult, a blandlynot-to-be-explained higher way of daily life. Zen is something of all ofthese, but basically it is a variety of Buddhism.Buddhism originatedin India about 500 B.C. With the prince SiddharthaGautama, who gave up his family and his sheltered life which he discoveredcould not protect him from old age, illness, unhappiness and death - to seeka higher kind of life. After seeking wisdom from others and failing to findit, he had his own revelation of a higher life; this came as he meditatedunder the Bodhi-tree. Thereafter he taught the Truth that he had learned,and around him gathered a group of followers that grew into the monasticorder still powerful in much of the Orient.
He was known to his followers asthe Buddha, the Enlightened One.Buddha taughtthat there is an eternal, endless universe of Absolute Being,of which we are temporary incarnations. As such, we are subject to delusionsand temptations, pain and trouble, illness and death.
But by studying tofind wisdom, living to do good, and concentrating to achieve control overmind and body, we can escape from the dominance of the physical world, andwe can transmit a good inheritance of karma to our later incarnations. Karmahas been defined as 'that moral kernel of any being which survives deathandcontinues in transmigration.' Buddha taughtthat a succcssion of beings, each improving its commoninheritance of karma, can eventually rise to an existence entirely free ofthis world: the state of nirvana.
Buddha himself is said to have achievednirvana at his death - that is, permanent enlightenment in a state free fromrebirth.A thousand yearsafter Buddha, a monk from India came to China with amodified Buddhism that was destined to become widely practiced in China, andeventually in Japan, under the name Zen (from the Sanscrit Dhyana and theChinese Ch'an). This traveler was called Bodhidharma (Bodhi= enlightenment,Dharma = Truthful Way), and is believed to have come to China in 520 AD.Following Bodhidharma,Zen was transmitted through a body of monks and aseries of patriarchs - each patriarch leaving his robe and begging bowl tohis chosen successor as a badge of office. The sixth patriarch was a lowlymonk who was not a scholar: his selection confirmed the fact that by thistime Zen had become a way of life for the simple as well as for the studiousdevotee. This was about one hundred and fifty years after Bodhidharma.Zen is - withoutbeing worldly - a discipline more suited than classicBuddhism to worldly men seeking a higher spiritual experience.
It neglectskarma, reincarnation, and nirvana, but it still demands meditation,Concentration and physical discipline. Its unique teaching is that'enlightenment' may come to dedicated laymen, and that this enlightenmentmay occur suddenly and intuitively not necessarily requiring years of studyand concentration.The achievingof enlightenment in Zen is not at all a rational or methodicalprocess. It is completely non-rational, unexplainable, and intuitive.
TheZen training in concentration, in the characteristic cross-legged position,and the Zen teaching of koans (non.iogical riddles and stories) are designedto put the student in a state where he can abandon logic and make the leapupward into enlightenment. In Japanese this state of enlightenment is calledsatori.In satori weare able to look beyond our immediate world into the universeof original, eternal, Absolute Being often called the Great Emptiness -which was before our world was formed, and will be after it disappears. Inthis condition we lose our sense of Self, and know ourselves to be part ofthe great Oneness of all. Knowing ourselves to be part of Absolute Being,our ego and our problems of ego - sin, pain, poverty, fear -all dissolve.This is salvation in Zen terms.Having reachedthe state of satori, we become aware that everything in allthis world about us, all other living and non-living things, even our lowestanimal functions, are part of Absolute Being - and are thus essentiallyholy. Mountains and rocks, trees and grass-blades, elephants and microbes,all share equally in the Eternal.This awarenesspermits us to go about our daily life with a new freedom, anew sureness, a new sense of doing the work of Absolute Being even in thesmallest or dirtiest task of the present life.
It is this sense also thatmakes the tea ceremony in Japan a ritual of devotion; that makes aseventeen-syllable haiku poem a universal statement of faith; that makes aquick brush-drawing a gesture of piety in Eternity.Beyond thisawareness that all things are part of Absolute Being and shareits holiness comes a sense of the interpenetration of all things. Each of usis the apex of a cone of past ancestors, and the beliefs, acts, and eventswhich determined them.
Each of us also is a point from which a new cone ofindividuals and events will arise, each in some part a product of what weare. We are all a part of Absolute Being, and we are all a part of eachother.This concepthas been described in the allegory of Indra's Net: There is anendless net of threads throughout the universe. The horizontal threads arein space, the vertical threads are in time. At every crossini of threads isan individual, and every individual is a crystal bead. The great light ofAbsolute Being illuminates and penetrates every crystal bead; but also everycrystal bead reflects not only the light from every other crystal in the net- but also every reflection of every reflection throughout the universe.Thus we learnthat we live in all other beings, all other things - and thatthey live in us.
Our lives are richer - and more filled with obligations -than we ever knew before.The followingstories are from the annals of Zen - tales of past masters andpatriarchs, parables used in teaching, and koans used in freeing the mindfrom logic. They cannot by themselves make you a participant in the Zenexperience, but they can give you pleasure as allegories and anecdotes, andcan give some savor of the intensity, spirituality, and tenacity of Zenpractitioners over the past thousand years and more.The koan isa riddle without a logical answer. To the casual reader some ofthese riddles, and the conversations which contain them, will seem utternonsense. But they have been preserved and revered for centuries by seriousmen, so we must look decper. For the same reason we cannot dismiss as equalnonsense the beatings given by masters to pupils who make reasonableanswers; or the intentionally idiotic commentaries written by the masterMumon on famous koans.The purposeof the koans, of the beatings, of the commentaries, is to breakthe mind of logic. What the master wants of the pupil is not understandingin any usual sense. He wants to 'burst the bag,' and drive the pupilwithwhole-souled precipitation into the Great Emptiness, the Great Stillness -where all things stand without being touchable; where all sounds are,without being heard.-STORIES &PARABLESAND KOAN RIDDLESOF ZEN MASTERSA MASTER wholived as a hermit on a mountain was asked by a monk,'What is the Way?'
'Whata fine mountain this is,' the master said in reply.' I amnot asking you about the mountain, but about the Way.' 'So longas you cannot go beyond the mountain, my son, you cannotreach the Way,' replied the master.THE MASTERKosen drew the words 'The First Principle' which arecarved over the gate of the Oaku Temple in Kyoto.
He drew themwith his brush on a sheet of paper later they were carved in wood.A pupil ofthe master had mixed the ink for him, and stood by,watching the master's calligraphy. This pupil said, 'Not so good!' Kosen tried again. The pupil said: 'That's worse than the firstone!'
And Kosen tried again.After the sixty-fourthtry, the ink was running low, and the pupilwent out to mix some more. Left alone, undistracted by anycritical eye watching him, Kosen made one more quick drawing withthe last of the ink. When the pupil returned, he took a good lookat this latest effort.' A masterpiece!' He said.JOSHU askeda monk who appeared for the first time in the hall,'Have I ever seen you here before?'
The monk answered, 'No sir,you have not.' 'Thenhave a cup of tea,' said Joshu.He turned toanother monk. 'Have I ever seen you here before?' 'Yes sir, of course you have,' said the second monk.' Thenhave a cup of tea,' said Joshu.Later, themanaging monk of the monastery asked Joshu, 'How is itthat you make the same offer of tea whatever the reply to yourquestion?' At this Joshushouted, 'Manager, are you still here?' 'Of course,master!'
The manager answered. 'Then have a cup oftea,' said Joshu.THE STUDENTDoken was told to go on a long journey to anothermonastery.
He was much upset, because he felt that this trip wouldinterrupt his studies for many months. So he said to his friend,the advanced student Sogen:'Pleaseask permission to come with me on the trip.
There are somany things I do not know; but if you come along we can discussthem - in this way I can learn as we travel.' 'All right,'said Sogen. 'But let me ask you a question: If youare hungry, what satisfaction to you if I eat rice? If your feetare lame, what comfort to you if I go on merrily? If your bladderis full, what relief to you if I piss?'
.THE STUDENTTokusan used to come to the master Ryutan in theevenings to talk and to listen. One night it was very late beforehe was finished asking questions.' Why don'tyou go to bed?' Asked Ryutan.Tokusan bowed,and lifted the screen to go out.
'The hall is verydark,' he said.' Here,take this candle,' said Ryutan, lighting one for thestudent.Tokusan reachedout his hand, and took the candle.Ryutan leanedforward, and blew it out.SHUZAN heldup his staff and waved it before his monks.'
If youcall this a staff,' he said, 'you deny its eternal life.If you do not call this a staff, you deny its present fact. Tellme just what do you propose to call it?' .SEKISO said:'A man sits on top of a hundred-foot pole. How can hego farther up?' A master answered:'He should reach for enlightenment. Then he canstand up into all four corners of the sky at once.SEKKYO saidto one of his monks, 'Can you get hold of Emptiness?' 'I'lltry' said the monk, and he cupped his hands in the air.'
That'snot very good,' said Sekkyo. 'You haven't got anything inthere!' 'Well,master,' said the monk, 'please show me a better way.' Thereupon Sekkyoseized the monk's nose and gave it a great yank.' Yelled the monk. 'You hurt me!' 'That'sthe way to get hold of Emptiness!'
Said Sekkyo.BODHIDHARMAleft his robe and bowl to his chosen successor; andeach patriarch thereafter handed it down to the monk that, in hiswisdom, he had chosen as the next successor. Gunin was the fifthsuch Zen patriarch. One day he announced that his successor wouldbe he who wrote the best verse expressing the truth of their sect.The learned chief monk of Gunin's monastery thereupon took brushand ink, and wrote in elegant characters:The body isa Bodhi-treeThe soul a shining mirror:Polish it with studyOr dust will dull the image.No other monkdared compete with the chief monk.
But at twilightYeno, a lowly disciple who had been working in the kitchen, passedthrough the hall where the poem was hanging. Having read it, hepicked up a brush that was lying nearby, and below the other poemhe wrote in his crude hand:Bodhi is nota tree;There is no shining mirror.Since All begins with NothingWhere can dust collect?Later thatnight Gunin, the fifth patriarch, called Yeno to hisroom. 'I have read your poem,' said he, 'and have chosen youas mysuccessor. Here: take my robe and my bowl. But our chief monk andthe others will be jealous of you and may do you harm. Therefore Iwant you to leave the monastery tohight, while the others areasleep.' In the morningthe chief monk learned the news, and immediatelyrushed out, following the path Yeno had taken.
At midday heovertook him, and without a word tried to pull the robe and bowlout of Yeno's hands.Yeno put downthe robe and the bowl on a rock by the path. 'Theseare only things which are symbols,' he said to the monk. 'If youwant the things so much, please take them.' The monk eagerlyreached down and seized the objects. But he couldnot budge them. They had become heavy as a mountain.' Forgiveme,' he said at last, 'I really want the teaching, notthe things.
Will you teach me?' Yeno replied,'Stop thinking this is mine and stop thinking thisis not mine. Then tell me, where are you?
Tell me also: what didyour face look like, before your parents were born?' .Goso said:'Suppose you meet a Zen master on the road. You can'ttalk to him. You can't stand there silent. What can you do?' To this koan,one of Mumon's comments was: 'Whack him one!' .A FAMOUS soldiercame to the master Hakuin and asked: 'Master,tell me: is there really a heaven and a hell?'
'Who areyou?' Asked Hakuin.' I ama soldier of the great Emperor's personal guard.' 'What kind of emperor would have youaround him? To me you look like a beggar!' At this, the soldierstarted to rattle his big sword in anger.
'Soyou have a sword! I'll wager it's much too dull to cut my headoff!' At this thesoldier could not hold himself back. He drew his swordand threatened the master, who said: 'Now you know half theanswer!
You are opening the gates of hell!' The soldierdrew back, sheathed his sword, and bowed. 'Now youknow the other half,' said the master. 'You have opencd the gatesof heaven.' .THE STUDENTDoko came to a Zen master, and said: 'I am seeking thetruth.
In what state of mind should I train myself, so as to findit?' Said the master,'There is no mind, so you cannot put it in anystate. There is no truth, so you cannot train yourself for it.' 'If thereis no mind to train, and no truth to find, why do youhave these monks gather before you every day to study Zen andtrain themselves for this study?'
'But Ihaven't an inch of room here,' said the master, so howcould the monks gather? I have no tongue, so how could I call themtogether or teach them?' 'Oh, howcan you lie like this?' 'But if I have notongue to talk to others, how can I lie to you?' Asked the master.Then Doko saidsadly, 'I cannot follow you.
I cannot understandyou.' I cannotunderstand myself,' said the master.BASO said toa monk, 'If I see you have a staff, I will give it toyou. If I see you have no staff, I will take it away from you.THE TEACHERNansen found two groups of monks, from the East halland the West hall, squabbling over the ownership of a pet cat. Hepicked up the cat, waved it in the air over his head, and said tothe quarrelers:'Say agood word if you want to save the cat!'
No one said a word.Nansen went to the kitchen, brought back a big cleaver, andchopped the cat in half. He gave one-half to each group.That nightwhen Joshu returned to the monastery, Nansen told himthe story. Joshu said nothing; but he took off his sandals,balanced them on his head, and walked away.Nansen saidaloud, 'Joshu could have saved the cat.' .LITTLE Toyowas only twelve years old.
But since he was a pupil atthe Kennin temple, he wanted to be given a koan to ponder, justlike the more advanced students. So one evening, at the propertime, he went to the room of Mokurai, the master, struck the gongsoftly to announce his presence, bowed, and sat before the masterin respectful silence.Finally themaster said: 'Toyo, show me the sound of two handsclapping.'
Toyo clappedhis hands.' Good,'said the master.
'Now show me the sound of one handclapping.' Toyo was silent.Finally he bowed and left to consider thisproblem.The next nighthe returned, and struck the gong with one palm.' That is not right,' said the master. The next night Toyo returnedand played geisha music with one hand. 'That is not right,' saidthe master.
The next night Toyo returned, and imitated thedripping of water.' Thatis not right,' said the master.
The next night Toyoreturned, and imitated the cricket scraping his leg. 'That isstill not right,' said the master.For ten nightsToyo tried new sounds. At last he stopped coming tothe master. For a year he thought of every sound, and discardedthem all, until fnally he reached enlightenment.He returnedrespectfully to the master.
Without striking the gong,he sat down and bowed. 'I have heard sound without sound,' hesaid.A MONK cameto the master Nansen and asked, 'Tell me, is theresome teaching that no master has ever taught?' Nansen said,'There is.' The monk asked,'Can you tell me what it is?' Nansen said,'It is not Buddha.
It is not things. It is notthinking.' .BUTSUGEN saidto his disciples; 'Each of you has a pair of ears,but what have you ever heard with them? Each of you has a mouth,but what have you ever said with it? Each of you has eyes, butwhat have you ever seen with them?
You have never heard,never spoken, never seen, never smelled.' But insuch a case where do all these colors, shapes, sounds,smells, come from?' .WHO is theBuddha? What is the Buddha? Here are some of theanswers given by various masters to this question:Something ofclay, with gold-leaf.The one there in the hall.He isn't Buddha.The mountains are traveling over the sea.Look at that three-legged donkey.Dry shit.The mouth is the gateway of woe.The best artist doesn't know how to paint him.The bamboo grove out in back.THE MASTERGutei made a practice of raising his finger whenever heexplained a question about Zen. A very young disciple began toimitate him, and every time Gutei raised his finger when hepreached, this boy would raise his finger too. Everybody laughed.One day Guteicaught him at it.
He took the boy's hand, whippedout a knife, cut off the finger and threw it away. The boy walkedoff howling.' Shouted Gutei. The boy stopped, and looked at the masterthrough his tears. Gutei raised his finger.
The boy raised hisfinger. Then suddenly he realized it wasn't there. He hesitated amoment:Then he bowed.THE MASTERIkkyu showed his wisdom even as a child. Once he brokethe precious heirloom teacup of his teacher, and was greatlyupset. While he was wondering what to do, he heard his teachercoming. Quickly he hid the pieces of the cup under his robe.'
Master,'he said, 'why do things die?' 'It isperfectly natural for things to die and for the mattergathered in them to separate and disintegrate,' said the teacher.' When its time has come every person and every thing must go.'
Master,'said little Ikkyu, showing the pieces, 'it was time foryour cup to go.WAKUAN stoodin front of a picture of Bodhidharma. In the pictureBodhidharma was wearing a beard.'
Now whydoesn't that fellow wear a beard?' Asked Wakuan.IN TETSUGEN'Stime the holy Buddhist books in Chinese had neverbeen published in Japanese, and Tetsugen thought they should beprepared so for his own countrymen. He planned to have severalthousand copies printed from hand-engraved woodblocks, and wentfrom town to town to collect donations so this great work could goahead. After ten years he had the money needed, and started tohave the blocks cut.Just then theUji river flooded, and there was famine in the land.Tetsugen took the money he had collected, and bought rice for thestarving people. Then he started out to collect his funds again.Whether the donation was a little one or in coins of gold, he wasequally grateful. After some years, he had the money again.Then an epidemicpassed over the country.
Thousands of familieswere left without support. So Tetsugen spent all the money he hadcollected, helping the helpless. When it was all gone, he startedcollecting it again.Finally hisgreat project was accomplished, and he died content.Tetsugen's edition of the holy books in Japanese can still beseen. But those who know, say that the first two editions, whichhave never been seen, far surpass the third.THE MASTERNan-in had a visitor who came to inquire about Zen. Butinstead of listening, the visitor kept talking about his ownideas.After a while,Nan-in served tea.
He poured tea into his visitor'scup until it was full, then he kept on pouring.Finally thevisitor could not restrain himself. 'Don't you seeit's full?' 'You can't get any more in!'
'Justso,' replied Nan-in, stopping at last. 'And like this cup,you are filled with your own ideas.
How can you expect me to giveyou Zen unless you offer me an empty cup?' .A MASTER wasasked the question, 'What is the Way?' By a curiousmonk.' It isright before your eyes,' said the master.' Why doI not see it for myself?'
'Becauseyou are thinking of yourself.' 'Whatabout you: do you see it?' 'So longas you see double, saying I don't and you do, and so on,your eyes are clouded,' said the master.' Whenthere is neither 'I' nor 'You,' can one see it?' 'Whenthere is neither 'I' nor 'You,' who is the one that wants tosee it?'
.THE NUN Chiyonostudied for years but was unable to findenlightenment. One moonlight night she was carrying an old pail,filled with water. She was watching the full moon reflected inthis water, when the bamboo strip that held the pailstaves broke.The pail fell all apart; the water rushed out; the moon'sreflection disappeared. And Chiyono found enlightenment. She wrotethis verse:This way andthat wayI tried to keep the pail togetherHoping the weak bambooWould never break.Suddenly thebottom fell out:No more water:No more moon in the water:Emptiness in my hand!.A STUDENT camebefore the master Bankei and asked to be helped ingetting rid of his violent temper.' Showme this temper,' said Bankei. 'It sounds very fascinating.'
'I haven'tgot it right now, so I can't show it to you, said thestudent.' Wellthen,' said Bankei,'bring it to me when you have it.'
'But Ican't bring it just when I happen to have it,' protestedthe student. 'I'd surely lose it again before I got it to you.' In sucha case,' said Bankei, 'it seems to me that this temper isnot part of your true nature.
If it is not part of you, it mustcome into you from outside. I suggest that whenever it gets intoyou, you beat yourself with a stick until the temper can't standit, and runs away.' .A NEW monkcame up to the master Joshu. 'I have just entered thebrotherhood and I am anxious to learn the first principle of Zen,'he said. 'Will you please teach it to me?' Joshu said,'Have you eaten your supper?' The noviceanswered, 'I have eaten.'
Joshu said, 'Now wash yourbowl.' .BODHIDHARMAsat facing a wall for nine years of meditation.
At onetime a Confucian monk came to him for teaching. But Bodhidharmasat unmoving and unspeaking for seven days and nights, while themonk pleaded for his attention. Finally the monk could stand nomore, and to show his sincerity, he took a great sword, cut offhis arm, and carried it to Bodhidharma.He said: 'Hereis a token of my sincerity. I have been seekingpeace for my soul for many years, and I know that you can show mehow to find it.' Bodhidharmasaid, 'Do not bring me your arm. Bring me your soul,so I can give it peace as you request.'
But thatis the very trouble,' said the monk,'I cannotgrasp my soul or find it, much less bring it to you.' You see,'said Bodhidharma, 'I have given you peace of soul.'
.A GREAT officialcame to the master Takuan asking for help inpassing his days more eventfully. All day long, he explained, hesat receiving supplications and reports, and he found it all verydull. Takuan took brush and paper, and wrote eight Chinesecharacters. Translated, they said:No day comesback again:One inch of time is worthA foot of jade.KOKUSHI calledto his attendant: 'Oshin!' Oshin replied,'Yes.' Kokushi called'Oshin!' Oshin replied,'Yes.'
Kokushi calledagain, 'Oshin!' Oshin repliedagain, 'Yes.' Kokushi said,'I apologize for all this calling of your name. Butin truth you should apologize to me!'
.MATAJURA wantedto become a great swordsman, but his father saidhe wasn't quick enough and could never learn. So Matajura went tothe famous dueller Banzo, and asked to become his pupil. 'How longwill it take me to become a master?' 'Suppose I becameyour servant, to be with you every minute; how long?' 'Ten years,'said Banzo.'
My fatheris getting old. Before ten years have passed I willhave to return home to take care of him. Suppose I work twice ashard; how long will it take me?'
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'Thirtyyears,' said Banzo.' Asked Matajura. 'First you say ten years. Then whenI offer to work twice as hard, you say it will take three times aslong. Let me make myself clear: I will work unceasingly: nohardship will be too much.
How long will it take?' 'Seventyyears' said Banzo. 'A pupil in such a hurry learnsslowly.'
Matajura understood.Without asking for any promises in terms oftime, he became Banzo's servant. He cleaned, he cooked, he washed,he gardened. He was ordered never to speak of fencing or to toucha sword.
He was very sad at this; but he had given his promise tothe master, and resolved to keep his word. Three years passed forMatajura as a servant.One day whilehe was gardening, Banzo came up quietly behind himand gave him a terrible whack with a wooden sword. The next day inthe kitchen the same blow fell again. Thereafter, day in, day out,from every corner and at any moment, he was attacked by Banzo'swooden sword. He learned to live on the balls of his feet, readyto dodge at any movement. He became a body with no desires, nothoughts - only eternal readiness and quickness.Banzo smiled,and started lessons. Soon Matajura was the greatestswordsman in Japan.THE MASTERGetsuan said: 'Keichu, the first wheelmaker, made twowheels.
Each had fifty spokes. Suppose you cut out the hubs? Wouldthere still be a wheel?' .JOSHU askedthe teacher Nansen, 'What is the true Way?' Nansen answered,'Everyday way is the true Way.' Joshu asked,'Can I study it?' Nansen answered,'The more you study, the further from the Way.'
Joshu asked,'If I don't study it, how can I know it?' Nansen answered,'The Way does not belong to things seen: nor tothings unseen. It does not belong to things known: nor to thingsunknown. Do not seek it, study it, or name it. To find yourself onit, open yourself wide as the sky.'
.YAMAOKA, amaster of Zen and a great fencer, served as tutor tothe Emperor. But he always wore old ragged clothes, for he openedhis house to the poor, and gave them everything he had.The Emperorwas annoyed thatYamaoka came to him with old clothes,so he gave the master some gold coins saying, 'Go, my son, and buynew clothes.' The master thanked him; but the next day he returnedin the same old outfit.' And whereare the new clothes?' Asked the Emperor.' I boughtthem,' said the master, 'But I gave them to otherchildren of your Majesty who are not so rich as I.' .THE MASTERTozan was weighing some flax.
A monk came up to him inthe storeroom and said, 'Tell me, what is Buddha?' Tozan answered,'Here: five pounds of flax.' .THE MASTERFoso Hoyen said, 'They say that Buddha during hislifetime uttered five thousand and forty-eight separate truths.They include the truth of Emptiness and the truth of Being. Theyinclude the truth of sudden enlightenment and the truth of gradualenlightenment.
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Are not all these yea-sayings?' But onthe other hand, Yoka in the Song of Enlightenment saysthere are no beings and no Buddhas; sages are sea-bubbles; andgreat minds arc only the flickerings of lightning.
Are not allthese nay-sayings?' Oh mydisciples, if you say Yea, you deny Yoka; if you say Nay,you contradict Buddha.
If Buddha were here with you, how would hesolve this problem?' If weknew where we stand, we would question Buddha everymorning, and greet him every night. But as we don't know where westand, I will let you into a secret: When I say this is so,perhaps it is not a yea-saying. When I say this is not so, perhapsit is not a nay-saying. Turn to the East and see the holy WesternLand; face South to see the Northern Star.' .TWO MONKS,Tanzan and Ekido, were walking down a muddy street inthe city.
They came on a lovely young girl dressed in fine silks,who was afraid to cross because of all the mud.' Comeon, girl,' said Tanzan. And he picked her up in his arms,and carried her across.The two monksdid not speak again till nightfall. Then, when theyhad returned to the monastery, Ekido couldn't keep quiet anylonger.' Monksshouldn't go near girls,' he said ­p; 'certainly notbeautiful ones like that one!
Why did you do it?' 'My dearfellow,' said Tanzan. 'I put that girl down, way back inthe city. It's you who are still carrying her!' .JOSHU was amaster who started to study Zen when he was sixty.When he was eighty he found enlightenment. They say that he taughtfor forty years thereafter.Once a studentasked old Joshu: 'You teach that we must empty ourminds. I have nothing in my mind.
Now what shall I do?' 'Throwit out!' But Ihave nothing.
How can I throw it out?' 'If youcan't throw it out, carry it out! Drive it out! But don't stand there in front of me with nothing in yourmind!'
.OF THE Zensaying: 'Buddha preached for forty-nine years, but histongue never moved,' the master Gensha said:'Piousteachers say that Buddhism helps us in every possible way,but think: how can it help the blind, the deaf, or the dumb? Theblind cannot see the teacher's staff that is raised before them.The deaf cannot hear the teacher's words, no matter how wise. Thedumb cannot ask their questions or speak their understanding. Sosince we cannot help these people, how can we say Buddhism helpsin every possible way? What good is it?' Many yearslater a monk asked the master Ummon to explain thesewords of Gensha.
After making the questioner prostrate himself andthen rise, Ummon poked at him with his stick. The monk jumpedback.' Said Ummon, 'I see you are not blind!' Then he told themonk to come forward, which he did.' Said Ummon, 'I see you are not deaf!' Then he asked themonk if he understood what all this to-do was about. The monk saidhe did not.'
Said Ummon, 'I see you are not dumb!' .A WRESTLERnamed O-nami, Great Waves, was immensely strong and washighly skilled in the art of wrestling. In private he defeatedeven his very teacher, but in public his own young pupils couldthrow him.In his troublehe went to a Zen master who was stopping at anearby temple by the sea, and asked for counsel.' GreatWaves is your name,' said the master, 'so stay in thistemple tonight, and listen to the waves of the sea. Imagine youare those waves.
Forget that you are a wrestler, and become thosehuge waves sweeping everything before them.' And the teacher left.O-nami remained.He tried to think only of the waves, but hethought of many things. Then gradually he did think only of thewaves. They rolled larger and larger as the night wore on.
Theyswept away the flowers in the vases before the Buddha. They sweptaway the vases. Even the bronze Buddha was swept away. By dawn thetemple was only surging water, and O-nami sat there with a faintsmile on his face.That day heentered the public wrestling, and won every bout.
Fromthat day, no one in Japan could ever throw him.THE OFFICIALRiko once asked Nansen to explain to him the oldproblem of the goose in the bottle. 'If a man puts a gosling intothe bottle' he said, 'and feeds the gosling through thebottle-neck until it grows and grows and becomes a goose, and thenthere just is no more room inside the bottle, how can the man getit out without killing the goose, or breaking the bottle?' Shouted Nansen, and gave a great clap with his hands.'
Yes,master,' said the official with a start.' Said Nansen, 'the goose is out!' .MAMIYA wasa worldly man, but he thought he ought to study Zen. Sohe went to a great teacher, who told him to concentrate on thefamous koan: 'What is the sound of one hand?' Mamiya went away,and came back a week later, shaking his head. He could not get it.' Said the master.
'You are not trying hard enough. Youstill think of money and food and pleasure. It would be better ifyou died. Then you might learn the answer.' The next weekMamiya came back again. When the master asked him:'Well, what is the sound of one hand?'
He clutched at his heart,groaned, and fell down dead.' Well,you've taken my advice and died,' said the master. 'Butwhat about that sound?' Mamiya openedone eye. 'I haven't solved that yet,' he said.' Deadmen don't speak,' said the master.
'Get up, and get out!' .THERE weretwo Zen temples in the town of Kyoto, and each had abright young student who was sent on errands. The North templesent its boy every day to buy vegetables. On his way he was met bythe boy of the South temple.'
Whereare you going?' Asked the South temple boy.' Wherevermy feet will carry me,' replied the other.This answersilenced the South temple boy, and he went back andtold the story to his teacher.
Not to be outdone by the rivalpupil, the teacher suggested: 'When you meet that boy tomorrow,ask him the same question. He will give you the same answer, andthen you say: 'Suppose you had no feet then where would you begoing?'
That will fix him!' The next daythe two boys met. The boy from the South temple said:'Where are you going?' 'Whereverthe wind will blow me,' replied the other.This againsilenced the boy from the South temple, so he went backto consult his teacher. 'I tell you what,' said the teacher,'tomorrow you ask him: 'suppose there is no wind?' 'The next daythe two boys met again. The boy from the South templesaid: 'Where are you going?'
The other answered,'To buy vegetables.' .KYOGEN saidto his pupils: 'Zen is a man hanging from a tree overa cliff. He is holding on to a twig with his teeth. His hands holdno branch. His feet find no branch. Up on the cliff-edge a manshouts at him: 'Why did Bodhidharma come from Jndia into China?' 'If hefails to answer he is lost.
If he answers, he dies. Whatmust he do?' .THE STUDENTShichiri was reciting the sutras when a robber enteredhis room, put a knife to his back, and demanded his money. 'Overthere in the box,' said Shichiri, going on with his recitation.As the robberwas leaving, Shichiri said, 'Leave me some for mytaxes; they are coming around tomorrow to collect.' So the robberput back some of the money and started to leave.' Don'tyou thank someone who makes you a gift?' Asked Shichiri.
Sothe robber thanked him, and went off.A few dayslater the robber was caught; and among otherconfessions, he said he had robbed Shichiri. But Shichiri refusedto testify against him. 'I made him a gift of some money,' hesaid. 'And he thanked me for it. That was all.'
The robberserved a prison term. When he was freed, he wentdirectly to Shichiri. 'Will you be my teacher?'
He said.THE MONK Zuiganused to start every day by saying to himself outloud: 'Master, are you there?' And he wouldanswer himself, 'Yes sir, I am!' Then he wouldsay, 'Better sober up!' Again he wouldanswer, 'Yes sir! I'll do that!' Then he wouldsay, 'Look out now; don't let them fool you!' And he wouldanswer, 'Oh no, sir, I won't!.A RICH merchantasked the master Sengai for a good saying thatwould help preserve the prosperity and happiness of his family.The master took brush and ink, and wrote:GrandfatherdiesFather diesSon diesThe merchantwas angry.
'What kind of evil spell are you writingagainst my family?' He demanded of Sengai.' It isno evil spell,' said Sengai, 'but a hope for your greatestgood fortune. I wish that every man of your family shall live tobe a grandfather. And I wish that no son may die before hisfather. What truer happiness than life and death in this order canany family desire?'
.SUBHUTI, adisciple of Buddha, had reached the enlightenment ofGreat Emptiness, where the Eternal Real and the passing unreal areone. Sitting under a tree in this enlightenment, he found flowersdrifting down on him from the tree.
And he heard voices. 'We arepraising your eloquence on Emptiness,' said these voices likegods' voices.' But Ihave not spoken of Emptiness,' murmured Subhuti.' You havenot spoken of it. We have not heard it.
This is trueEmptiness,' said the voices, and the flowers fell like rain.THE MASTERRyokan lived in a poor little hut on a mountainside.One moonlight night he came home and found a burglar looking forsomething to steal. But Ryokan was a hermit who owned nothing.'
Poorfellow,' he said to the robber. 'You have come a long wayand have found nothing.
But I don't want you to leave meempty-handed. Please take my clothes.' And Ryokan stripped, andhanded the clothes to the robber.' Poorfellow,' said naked Ryokan, going outdoors again when theinconsiderate robber had left, 'How I wish I could have given himthis wonderful moon.' .A NEW monasterywas to be opened, and the master Hyakujo had todecide which of his monks should be put in charge. So he calledthe monks together, filled a vase with water, and said to them:'Whichone of you can say what this is without giving its name?' The chief monk,who expected to be given the new mastership, spokefirst.
'It stands upright, it is hollow inside, but it is not awooden shoe,' he said.Another monksaid, 'It is not a pond, because it can be carried.' Then the cook,lowest of the monks, arose. He kicked over the vasewith his foot, so the water ran out on to the floor. He had shownhow to achieve emptiness.Hyakujo gavehim the job.ONE WINDY daytwo monks were arguing about a flapping banner.The first said,'I say the banner is moving, not the wind.' The secondsaid, 'I say the wind is moving, not the banner.' A third monkpassed by and said, 'The wind is not moving. Thebanner is not moving.
Your minds are moving.' .HERE is a storythe Zen masters sometimes told: There was an oldwoman who was born in the same town as Buddha, but ever since shehad been a little girl she had been afraid to face him, althougheveryone assured her he was a very holy man. Every time shethought she might meet him, she ran away. One day she was on theroad which led to town, and she saw approaching a venerable man ina saffron robe.
It was the Buddha. She was terrified. She couldn'trun, but she refused to look. She covered her eyes with her twohands - but wonder of wonders! The tighter she covered her eyes,the clearer she saw the Buddha between each of her clenchedfingers. Tell me, who was the old lady?.THE MASTERTosotsu built three gates and made the monks passthrough them.
The first gatewas the study of Zen. By studying Zenyou can see your own true nature. But where is it?By going throughthe second gate, you can free yourself from birthand death. But when you are a corpse, how can you free yourself?Going throughthe third gate, your body separates into the fourelements.
But where are you?.WHILE Bankeiwas preaching quietly to his followers, his talk wasinterrupted by a Shinshu priest who believed in miracles, andthought salvation came from repeating holy words.Bankei wasunable to go on with his talk, and asked the priestwhat he wanted to say.' The founderof my religion,' boasted the priest, 'stood on oneshore of a river with a writing brush in his hand. His disciplestood on the other shore holding a sheet of paper. And the founderwrote the holy name of Amida onto the paper across the riverthrough the air. Can you do anything so miraculous?'
'No,'said Bankei, 'I can do only little miracles. Like: when I amhungry, I eat; when I am thirsty, I drink; when I am insulted, Iforgive.'
.A NUN, whosearched for enlightenment in many temples, alwayscarried with her a little Buddha she had carved for herself out ofwood, and which she had covered with gold leaf. It was verypretty.One day shecame to stay at a temple where there were manyBuddhas. Whenever she burned incense before her golden Buddha, shebegrudged the others any of the savor, and so she always used alittle funnel that carried the smoke of the incense straight toher Buddha's nose. Within a week her Buddha was laughable - hisface no longer was gold leaf, but black smut.A MONK askedthe master Joshu: 'Does a dog too possess a Buddhanature, or does he not?'
Joshu madehis famous koan: 'Un-thing!' .THE DISCIPLESeihei once asked the master Suibi if he would pleasetell him the basic principle of Buddhism. He did this by asking:'Why did Bodhidharma come out of India into China?'
'Wait,'said Suibi. 'Later, when there is no one around except ustwo, I will tell you.' During theday they were alone together several times, and severaltimes Seihei started to ask his question again, but each time themaster put his fingers to his lips. Finally, Seihei insisted on ananswer. Suibi took him outside.'
Thereis no one here. Said Seihei.Suibi whispered,'These bamboos here are tall. Those bamboos thereare short. That is why Bodhidharnia came to China!' .OBAKU saidto the master Hyakujo: 'They say that centuries ago amaster was reborn as a fox five hundred times, because he gaveanswers untrue to Zen.
But now suppose a master were askedquestion after question, and always gave a right and wise Zenanswer. What happens to him?'
'Comehere near me,' said master Hyakujo, 'and I will answer you.' The studentstepped up to Hyakujo, and slapped the master's face.He knew this was the answer the master had intended for him.The masterHyakujo laughed.
'I always knew Persians had redbeards,' he said, 'and now I know a Persian who has a red beard.' .AN OLD Zenmaster always told this fable to unserious students:Late one night a blind man was about to go home after visiting afriend. 'Please,' he said to his friend, 'May I take your lanternwith me?' 'Why carrya lantern?'
Asked his friend. 'You won't see any betterwith it.' 'No,'said the blind one, 'perhaps not. But others will see mebetter, and not bump into me. So his friend gave the blind man thelantern, which was made of paper on bamboo strips, with a candleinside.Off went theblind man with the lantern, and before he had gonemore than a few yards, Crack! -someone walked right into him. Theblind man was very angry.
'Why don't you look out?' Why don't you see this lantern?' 'Why don'tyou light the candle?'
Asked the other.WHEN Yamaokawas a brash young student, he visited the masterDokuon. Wanting to impress the master, he said:'Thereis no mind, there is no body, there is no Buddha. There isno better, there is no worse. There is no master and there is nostudent; there is no giving, there is no receiving. What we thinkwe see and feel is not real. All that is real is Emptiness. Noneof these seeming things really exists.'
Dokuon hadbeen sitting quietly smoking his pipe, and sayingnothing. Now he picked up his staff, and without warning gaveYamaoka a terrible whack. Yamaoka jumped up in anger.' Sincenone of these things really exists,' said Dokuon, 'and allis Emptiness, where does your anger come from? Think about it.'
.A PUZZLED monkonce said to Fuketsu: 'You say truth can beexpressed without speaking, and without keeping silent. How canthis be?' Fuketsu answered,'In Southern China in the Spring, when I wasonly a lad, ah! How birds sang among the blossoms.'
.BUDDHA toldthis parable: A traveler, fleeing a tiger who waschasing him, ran till he came to the edge of a cliff. There hecaught hold of a thick vine, and swung himself over the edge.Above him thetiger snarled. Below him he heard another snarl, andbehold, there was another tiger, peering up at him. The vinesuspended him midway between two tigers.Two mice, awhite mouse and a black mouse, began to gnaw at thevine.
He could see they were quickly eating it through. Then infront of him on the cliffside he saw a luscious bunch of grapes.Holding onto the vine with one hand, he reached and picked a grapewith the other.How delicious!
That which is never lost cannot be found, and to search for it is absurd. But the moment this absurdity is understood all seeking stops by itself and that which is never lost is found! That is why I say: Seek and you will not find, because the very seeking is the barrier. The search itself is the hindrance because it creates the seeker, the ego, the illusion that 'I am.' And I am not.
Do not seek and you will find it: the I-am-not-ness. This nothingness is the gate. The Gateless gate. Riko once asked Nansen to explain to him the old problem of the goose in the bottle. Read more.Rating:(not yet rated)Subjects.More like this. That which is never lost cannot be found, and to search for it is absurd. But the moment this absurdity is understood all seeking stops by itself and that which is never lost is found!
That is why I say: Seek and you will not find, because the very seeking is the barrier. The search itself is the hindrance because it creates the seeker, the ego, the illusion that 'I am.' And I am not. Do not seek and you will find it: the I-am-not-ness. This nothingness is the gate.
The Gateless gate. Riko once asked Nansen to explain to him the old problem of the goose in the bottle.