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  2.That is, going beyond activity and essence to śūnyatā.

  3.Transcending even śūnyatā, so that not even the thought of enlightenment arises.

  Case 240 After Birth and Before Discrimination

  Xiangyan Zhixian said, “After birth and before the discriminatory faculties come into being, what is the everyday samadhi of the infant?”

  Case 241 Where Wisdom Cannot Reach

  An ancient worthy said,1 “Speak a word from the place where wisdom cannot reach.”

  1.The ancient worthy is Nanquan Puyuan.

  Case 242 An Ancient Worthy’s “Great Death”

  An ancient worthy asked,1 “What is it to die the Great Death?”

  1.It is unknown who the “ancient worthy” was.

  Case 243 Huijue’s “No Sin”

  A man asked Guangxiao Huijue, “Every day I slaughter cattle. Is this a sin?”

  “It is not a sin,” answered Huijue.

  “Why not?”

  “You kill one, you return one,” replied Huijue.

  Case 244 The Eight Phrases of Hongzhi

  The eight phrases of Hongzhi:

  A beam of wondrous light spans past and present,

  Shining through being and nonbeing, transcending all discrimination.1

  Grasp at it directly and you miss it completely;

  Step back and receive its light, and everything is fresh and new.

  In the vast Azure Palace a bird hatches an egg;2

  Among the waves of the Milky Way a rabbit pushes a cart.3

  Only the true adept can freely participate in this;

  Though divided into a billion, each and every piece is true.4

  1.The term , translated here as “discrimination,” can also mean the six senses and six sense-objects.

  2.The Azure Palace is symbol for the daytime sky; the bird hatching an egg symbolizes the rising sun.

  3.The Milky Way represents the night sky; the rabbit pushing the cart symbolizes the moon crossing the heavens.

  Although this and the previous line are expressed in poetic language, the descriptive terms refer to the ordinary, everyday world. The two lines might therefore be reexpressed as: “The sun rises in the east, and the moon crosses the nighttime sky.”

  4.That is, the true adept can function in any form and perceives all places as true. ZGJI: Though the dharmakāya be divided into a billion, each and every piece is perfect and complete.

  Case 245 To Be Stepped On without Anger

  1

  A monk asked Ciming Chuyuan, “What is the Way?”

  “Though stepped upon, it doesn’t anger,”2 replied Ciming.

  1.In the standard text of the Kattōshū, where the final four characters read , the character is a scribal error for . The text has been emended according to the Record of Ciming.

  2.This response plays on the word “Way” , the character for which indicates both “Tao” and “road.” Both “ways” are walked on yet never complain. Another nuance is provided by the fact that was an early Chinese translation for the Sanskrit “prajñā.”

  Case 246 A Piece of Rope on a Moonlit Night1

  An old monk asked Jingzhao Mihu, “On a moonlit night someone saw a piece of well-bucket rope and thought it was a snake.2 If you saw a buddha, Qishi,3 what would you think it was?”

  Mihu replied, “Anyone holding the concept ‘buddha’ is the same as a deluded being.”

  The old monk said, “This thousand-year peach pit!”4

  1.Also Blue Cliff Record 48, Commentary on the Main Case.

  2.The analogy of the rope and snake is used in the Yogācāra school to explain the three modes of perceiving existence . The first mode is that produced by the deluded imagination, which sees as real that which does not actually exist (e.g., the ātman); according to the analogy, this is the mode that mistakes the rope for a snake. The second mode is that which sees existence in terms of causes and conditions; this is the mode that realizes that the supposed snake is just a rope. The third mode is that which sees existence in terms of its true nature; this is the mode that sees the rope as constituted of hemp.

  3.Qishi is another name for Jingzhao Mihu.

  4.ZGJI: The expression “thousand-year peach pit” indicates a seed that won’t sprout even in a thousand years; thus, an abusive term for a monk who will never awaken.

  Case 247 Xianzong Asks about the Light

  Emperor Xianzong of the Tang dynasty received the Buddha’s relics, installed them in the palace, and made offerings to them. That night they emitted light, so early the next morning the emperor asked his ministers about this. All praised it as the result of the emperor’s holy virtue and influence. Only Han Yu said nothing.1

  The emperor said to Han, “All the other ministers have offered praise. Why do you alone offer no praise?”

  Han Yu answered, “According to what I have read in the Buddhist scriptures, the light of a buddha has no color such as blue, yellow, red, or white. It must have been the protective light of the dragon gods.”

  Thereupon the emperor asked, “Then what is the light of a buddha?” Han Yu had no response. For this he was punished by exile to Chaozhou.

  1.Han Yu is well known in Chinese history as a strong exponent of Confucian thought and opponent of Buddhism. His opposition to Emperor Xianzong’s enshrining of the Buddha’s finger is particularly well known. Giles writes:

  In 819 [Han Yu] presented a memorial protesting against certain extravagant honors with which the Emperor Hsien Tsung proposed to receive a bone of Buddha. The monarch was furious; and but for the intercession of his friends P’ie Tu and others, it would have fared badly with the bold writer. As it was, he was banished to Ch’ao-chou Fu in Kuangtung, where he set himself to civilise the rude inhabitants of those wild parts. (1939, 255)

  Case 248 The Great King Has Come1

  One day when Zhaozhou was sitting, his attendant announced, “The Great King has come.”

  Zhaozhou said, “Ten thousand blessings, Great King!”

  The attendant said, “He hasn’t arrived yet, Master.”

  Zhaozhou replied, “Again you say he has come!”2

  1.Also Blue Cliff Record 9, Commentary on the Main Case.

  2.Yamada interprets the line as, “Ah, the Great King again!” (1985, 2:41).

  Case 249 Responding to a Wayfarer on the Road1

  Wuzu Fayan said, “If you meet an accomplished wayfarer on the road, don’t respond with either speech or silence. So tell me, how do you respond?”

  1.Also Wumen guan 36, Main Case, and Blue Cliff Record 82, Commentary on the Verse.

  Case 250 Huangbo Bows to a Buddha Image1

  One day when Huangbo was bowing before a buddha image, Xuanzong2 saw him and asked, “If we should ‘seek nothing from the Buddha, seek nothing from the Dharma, and seek nothing from the Sangha,’3 then what do you seek with these prostrations?”

  Huangbo replied, “Seeking nothing from the Buddha, seeking nothing from the Dharma, seeking nothing from the Sangha—that’s how I always do prostrations.”

  Xuanzong said, “What’s the use of doing prostrations?”

  Immediately Huangbo slapped him.

  “How coarse!” Xuanzong said.

  “What sort of place is this to be talking of coarse or refined?” Huangbo replied, and slapped him again.

  1.Also Blue Cliff Record 11, Commentary on the Verse.

  2.Xuanzong was the younger brother of Emperor Muzong (795–824) and the future sixteenth emperor of the Tang dynasty. At the time of the incident related in this koan he was in hiding among the sangha to escape unfavorable political times. For further details see Xuanzong in the Biographical Notes.

  3.“Seek nothing from the Buddha, seek nothing from the Dharma, and seek nothing from the Sangha” is a statement found in several sutras, most notably the Vimalakīrti Sutra (T 14:546a).

  Case 251 Prince Nata Tears His Flesh

  Prince Nata tore off his flesh and returned it to his mother, broke his bones an
d returned them to his father. Then, revealing his original body, he employed his great supernatural powers to preach the Dharma to his parents.1

  1.For background on this case, see Nalakūvara in the Biographical Notes.

  Case 252 Yinfeng Pushes a Wheelbarrow

  One day as Deng Yinfeng was pushing a wheelbarrow he came across Mazu Daoyi, who was sitting with his legs stretched across the path.

  Yinfeng called out, “Master, please move your legs.”

  “What’s already extended can’t be pulled in,” answered Mazu.

  “What’s already moving forward can’t be drawn back,” responded Yinfeng. He continued pushing the wheelbarrow, which rolled over the master’s legs and hurt them.

  Later the master went to the Dharma Hall, hatchet in hand, and shouted, “The one that just hurt my legs, come out!”

  Yinfeng immediately went before the master and stretched out his neck. Mazu put down the hatchet.

  Case 253 Kanzan Scolds a Monk

  Kanzan Egen saw a monk coming and scolded him. The monk said, “I came all the way here to meet you concerning the Great Matter of birth-anddeath. Why do you scold me?”

  “There’s no birth-and-death at my place!” answered Kanzan, striking the monk and driving him away.

  Case 254 I Accept That the Old Barbarian Knows1

  I accept that the old barbarian knows, not that he understands.2

  1.Also Blue Cliff Record 1, Commentary on the Verse; Blue Cliff Record 51, Commentary on the Main Case, Capping Phrases on the Verse; Wumen guan 9, Commentary.

  2.Commentators (e.g., Yamada 1976, p. 79) note that in this case the character (translated as “knows,” and which usually indicates intellectual knowledge) signifies prajna wisdom, while (translated as “understands”) represents conceptual knowledge. The “old barbarian” is identified as being either Śākyamuni or Bodhidharma. Aitken translates the line as: “I approve the Old Barbarian’s realization, but I don’t approve his understanding” (1990, p. 64).

  Case 255 Ten Realizations, Same Reality

  Fenyang Shanzhao said to the assembly:

  Those who preach the Dharma must embody the ten realizations of the same reality.1 If you do not possess them, you can’t tell the false from the true, you can’t distinguish black from white, you can’t be the eyes of humans and gods to determine right and wrong. It’s like a bird with a broken wing trying to fly in the sky, or like an archer with a severed bowstring trying to shoot a target. Because the bowstring is severed the arrow can’t hit the target; because its wing is broken the bird can’t fly in the sky. When the bowstring is whole and the wing is sound, then the target and the sky are both within reach.

  What are these ten realizations? For the benefit of the assembly I will list them: (1) sameness of essence, (2) sameness of the Great Matter, (3) sameness of seeking, (4) sameness of wisdom, (5) sameness of universality, (6) sameness of endowment, (7) sameness of gain and loss, (8) sameness of giving of life and taking it away, (9) sameness of roaring, and (10) sameness of entering and attaining.2

  Again he said:

  Who is the same in attainment? Who has the same roar? Who is the same in giving life and taking it away? What is it to be the same in gain and loss? What is it to be the same in endowment? What is it to be the same in universality? Who is the same in true wisdom? Who is the same in seeking? What is it to be the same in the Great Matter? What is it to be the same in essence?

  Is there anyone who can demonstrate these matters? If you can, do not withhold your compassion. If you cannot, you do not possess the true eye of practice. You must be able to explain them clearly. You wish to know right and wrong? Your original face is right before you!

  You have been standing long.3 Take good care of yourselves!

  1.“Reality” translates , which the Chinese also used to render concepts like “truth,” “enlightenment,” “tathā (suchness),” etc.

  2.Dōmae comments on the ten “samenesses” as follows:

  1)Sameness of essence: master and disciple are equal in essence.

  2)Sameness of the Great Matter: all share the One Great Matter spoken of by the buddhas and the masters.

  3)Sameness of seeking: even Śākyamuni and Bodhidharma are still training.

  4)Sameness of wisdom: all share the wisdom of the masters.

  5)Sameness of universality: matter and mind are one, as seen from the aspect of matter (mountains, rivers, and the great earth, all are the fully revealed body of the Dharma King).

  6)Sameness of endowment: matter and mind are one, as seen from the aspect of mind (the infinite storehouse of the dharmadhatu).

  7)Sameness of gain and loss: gaining the inexhaustible dharmadhatu, losing the world of phenomena.

  8)Sameness of giving birth and killing: giving birth to the world of phenomena, killing the inexhaustible dharmadhatu.

  9)Sameness of roaring: master and disciple are equal in preaching the Dharma.

  10)Sameness of attainment: all will equally attain buddhahood.

  3.In ancient Chinese Zen monasteries the custom was to stand during the master’s lectures.

  Case 256 Tianhuang’s “Like This”

  Qinshan Wensui went with Yantou Quanhuo and Xuefeng Yicun to visit Deshan Xuanjian.

  Qinshan asked, “Tianhuang Daowu spoke of it this way, Longtan Chongxin, too, spoke of it this way.1 So how do you speak of it?”

  Deshan said to Qinshan, “Show me Tianhuang and Longtan’s meaning.” When Qinshan started to speak, Deshan hit him.

  On the way to the infirmary2 Qinshan said, “I know he was right, but he went too far in hitting me.”

  Yantou said, “If that’s how you feel, don’t ever claim to have met Deshan.”

  1.The implied topic is the Great Matter of Buddhism.

  2.The Transmission of the Lamp version of this episode makes it clear that Qinshan was going to the infirmary because Deshan had hit him hard enough to injure him (T 51:340a).

  Case 257 Jiashan’s “Dharmakāya”

  When Jiashan Shanhui first lived in the temple at Jingkou, a monk asked him, “What is the dharmakāya?”

  Jiashan answered, “The dharmakāya is without form.”

  The monk then asked, “What is the Dharma eye?”

  Jiashan said, “The Dharma eye is without blemish.”

  At that time Daowu Yuanzhi, who was sitting nearby, couldn’t help laughing. Later, after receiving Daowu’s advice, Jiashan gave his followers their leave and went to study with Chuanzi, under whom he attained enlightenment.1 He then returned and his followers assembled once again. Daowu sent a monk to ask him, “What is the dharmakāya?”

  Jiashan answered, “The dharmakāya is without form.”

  The monk asked again, “What is the Dharma eye?”

  Jiashan said, “The Dharma eye is without blemish.”

  The monk went back and reported this to Daowu. Daowu said, “This time the fellow thoroughly understands.”

  1.For background information on Jiashan’s awakening under Chuanzi, see Jiashan Shanhui in the Biographical Notes.

  Case 258 Chaling’s Enlightenment Verse

  Chaling Yu said in his enlightenment verse:1

  I have a bright pearl,

  Long buried in the dusts of delusion.

  This morning the dust cleared and light shone forth,

  Illuminating the myriad mountains and rivers.

  1.For “enlightenment verse,” see Case 98, note 1.

  Case 259 Baiyun’s “Still Lacking”

  Once Baiyun Shouduan said to Wuzu Fayan:

  Several Zen monks visited from Mount Lu. All had had understandings and, when asked to expound the Dharma, did so clearly. When given koans, they responded lucidly; when asked for capping-phrases, they produced them. But still they were lacking.

  Case 260 Taizong Holds a Bowl

  One day Emperor Taizong of the Song dynasty held up a bowl. He then asked his prime minister, Wang Sui, “On top of Dayu Peak this bowl could not be lifted.1 How i
s it that it now rests in the hand of this man of little merit?”2

  Wang Sui had no reply.

  1.The reference is to the inability of the senior monk Huiming to lift the robe and bowl set upon a rock by the Sixth Patriarch. See Case 2, above.

  2.The emperor’s way of referring to himself.

  Case 261 Stop All Thoughts1

  Zen master Wolun said in a verse:

  Wolun has the ability

  To effectively stop all thoughts.

  No circumstances stir his mind;

  Day by day enlightenment grows.2

  1.This verse is found the Ming edition of the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch (T 48:358a).

  2.Wolun’s approach to meditation, as expressed in this verse, was criticized in the “Encounters” chapter of the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. The Sixth Patriarch says, “This verse is not yet clear regarding the mind-ground. If one practices in accordance with it, one’s bondage will only increase.” Huineng then says:

  Huineng has no skill, he doesn’t cut off all thoughts.

  In the face of circumstances,

  Mind arises again and again;

  How can enlightenment grow?