Entangling Vines Page 6

4.The Kattōshū has Yunmen Wenyan as the speaker here, but this exchange is found not in Yunmen’s records but in those of Wuzu Fayan.

  5.This may be a statement either of praise or censure.

  Case 9 Zhaozhou’s “Juniper Tree”1

  A monk once asked Zhaozhou Congshen, “What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?”2

  Zhaozhou answered, “The juniper tree in front of the garden.”3

  The monk replied, “Master, don’t teach me using external objects.”

  Zhaozhou said, “I’m not teaching you using external objects.”

  The monk asked, “What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?”

  Zhaozhou answered, “The juniper tree in front of the garden.”

  Afterward Fayan Wenyi asked Jue Tiezui, “I heard that your teacher, Zhaozhou, spoke of a juniper tree. Is this true?”

  Jue Tiezui replied, “My late teacher never said such a thing—don’t slander him!”

  Fayan commented, “A true lion’s cub gives a good lion’s roar!”

  1.Zhaozhou and the monk’s initial exchange forms Wumen guan 37, Main Case, and the Record of Equanimity 47, Main Case.

  2.“What was the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?” is a standard question in Zen, meaning, in effect, “What is the essence of Zen?” What was it, in other words, that Bodhidharma wished to transmit when he made the long, dangerous trip from India to China? (In China, India was regarded as “the West,” since travelers came from the west over the Silk Road.)

  3.The type of tree mentioned, the , is often translated as “oak,” but the Chinese character actually refers to a type of juniper tree. The reading of “oak,” kashiwa, for this character is a Japanese one. Harada Shōdō Rōshi has commented in conversation that the uselessness of the Chinese juniper tree for lumber or nearly any other purpose lends added meaning to Zhaozhou’s reply.

  Case 10 Huanglong’s Three Barriers1

  Huanglong Huinan asked Longqing Qingxian, “Everyone has their own native place. What is your native place?”

  Longqing answered, “Early this morning I had some rice gruel, and now I feel hungry again.”

  “How does my hand resemble a buddha’s hand?” Huanglong asked.

  “Playing a lute in the moonlight,”2 Longqing answered.

  “How does my leg resemble a donkey’s leg?” he asked.

  Longqing answered, “A snowy egret stands in the snow, but their colors are not the same.”3

  Huanglong always presented students with these three statements, but no one could come up with a satisfactory response. Monks everywhere called them the Three Barriers of Huanglong. Even with the few who gave answers, the master would neither agree nor disagree but only sit there in formal posture with eyes closed. No one could fathom his intent. When the layman Fan Yanzhi asked the reason for this, Huanglong replied, “Those who have passed through the gate shake their sleeves and go straight on their way. What do they care if there’s a gatekeeper? Those who seek the gatekeeper’s permission have yet to pass through.”

  1.Huanglong’s questions are also found in the postscript to the Wumen guan.

  2.An image for equality in the midst of distinction.

  3.An image for distinction in the midst of equality.

  Case 11 Ruiyan’s “Master”1

  Every day Ruiyan Shiyan would call to himself, “Master!”

  “Yes!” he would answer himself.

  “Be wide awake!” he would say.

  “Yes!”

  “Whatever the time, whatever the day, never be misled by others!” “Yes! Yes!”

  1.Also Wumen guan 12, Main Case.

  Case 12 Zhaozhou Sees Through an Old Woman1

  An old woman lived by the road to Mount Tai.2 A monk asked her, “What is the road to Mount Tai?”

  “Straight ahead,” the woman said.

  When the monk had walked a few steps the woman remarked, “Such a good monk, yet off he goes!”

  Later a monk mentioned this to Zhaozhou Congshen. Zhaozhou said, “I’ll go check this old woman for you.”

  The next day Zhaozhou went and asked the woman the same question, and she answered in the same way. Zhaozhou returned and said to the assembly, “I’ve seen through that old woman of Mount Tai.”

  1.Also Wumen guan 31, Main Case.

  2.Mount Tai , more properly referred to as Mount Wutai , is located in Shanxi, not far from the city of Zhaozhou, where Zhaozhou Congshen lived. Mount Tai has long been identified with the “Mount Clear-and-Cool” mentioned in the Avataṃsaka Sutra as the dwelling place of Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva of wisdom. It is regarded as the most sacred of the four Buddhist mountains in China, the others being Mount Putou , sacred to Avalokiteśvara; Mount Jiuhua , sacred to Kśitigarbha; and Mount Emei , sacred to Samantabhadra. Mount Tai, as the mountain sacred to Mañjuśrī, represents the realm of “straight ahead” absolute equality, while Mount Emei, as sacred to Samantabhadra, represents the more convoluted relative world of duality.

  Case 13 Langzhong’s “Hell”

  Cui Langzhong asked Zhaozhou Congshen, “Do enlightened teachers ever fall into hell?”1

  “I’ll be the first to go there,”2 replied Zhaozhou.

  “But you’re an enlightened teacher,” said Langzhong. “Why would you fall into hell?”

  “If I didn’t fall into hell, how could I help you?” Zhaozhou answered.

  1.The text of the Kattōshū has , “Have sages ever fallen into hell?,” but in the original sources for this koan the text reads (great enlightened teachers) or (reverend priest); e.g., X 68:82b; X 80:93c.

  “Enlightened teacher” is a translation of the Sanskrit kalyāṇamitra (lit., “good and wise friend” or “worthy friend”), a Buddhist term referring to someone who helps others on the path to enlightenment. It is used in various meanings depending upon the context, and thus has been rendered in several ways in the present translation.

  2.The standard Kattōshū text has , “[They] go there straightaway,” but the original sources all have , with , “the old monk,” indicating Zhaozhou himself. The of the standard Kattōshū text is a scribal error for the identically pronounced , which has the nuance of going somewhere before anyone else.

  Case 14 Changsheng’s “Chaos”

  Changsheng asked Lingyun Zhiqin, “What about the time of primordial chaos,1 before any differentiation?”

  Lingyun answered, “A pillar conceives.”2

  Changsheng said, “What about after differentiation?”

  Lingyun responded, “It is like a wisp of cloud marking the Great Pure Sky.”3

  Changsheng asked, “Does the Great Pure Sky accept this mark or not?”

  Lingyun didn’t say anything.

  Changsheng continued, “If that were so, living beings would not come forth.”

  Again Lingyun didn’t say anything.

  Changsheng continued, “How about when there’s only absolute purity and all stains are avoided?”

  Lingyun replied, “That would closely resemble the pure realm of enlightenment.”4

  “What is it to ‘closely resemble the pure realm of enlightenment’?”

  “It is like the infinite luminosity of a mirror,” said Lingyun.

  “Is there, then, a transcendence even of this?”5 asked Changsheng.

  “There is,” replied Lingyun.

  “What is this transcendence?” Changsheng asked.

  Lingyun said, “Smash the mirror, then you and I can meet.”6

  [Changsheng then asked, “At the time of primordial chaos, before any differentiation, from where do living beings come?”

  Lingyun answered, “A pillar conceives.”]7

  1.“The time of primordial chaos” is the time before the differentiation of yin and yang, the two fundamental forces that are said in Chinese philosophy to generate all phenomena into existence.

  2.“Pillar” (lit., “exposed pillar”) usually means a pillar not hidden in the architecture of a buil
ding; it may also indicate an independently standing pillar, column, or obelisk. The term is often used in Zen to signify no-mind or the unconscious.

  3.“Great Pure Sky” (lit., “the great purity”) refers to the vast emptiness of a clear sky. The term can also indicate the Way.

  4.The phrase “closely resemble the pure realm of enlightenment” translates , which, in Dōmae’s reading, refers to the ālaya-vijñāna, the eighth and deepest consciousness according to the Yogācāra school’s philosophy of the mind. It is known as the seed or storehouse consciousness since the karmic seeds of an individual’s existence are stored there. Upon purification the ālaya-vijñāna transforms into the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom, which perceives all things in their suchness.

  5.“Transcendence” indicates supreme realization—the transcendence even of enlightenment, the emptying even of śūnyatā.

  6.The Japanese Zen master Hakuin Ekaku often stressed the need to shatter the Great Perfect Mirror Wisdom of the storehouse consciousness in order to attain true enlightenment.

  7.The final two sentences, following “Smash the mirror, then you and I can meet,” are not found in the original texts (e.g., T 47:1007a).

  Case 15 One Peak Is Not White

  A monk asked Caoshan Benji, “Snow covers a thousand mountains. Why is one peak not white?”

  Caoshan said, “You should recognize ‘distinction within distinction.’”1

  The monk asked, “What is ‘distinction within distinction’?”

  Caoshan said, “Not falling into being the color of the other mountains.”

  1.Dōmae comments that ‘distinction within distinction’ is one of the series of four relationships between the world of equality and the world of discrimination. The others are distinction within equality , equality within distinction , and equality within equality . Distinction within distinction refers to true individuality, the absolute separation of self and other.

  Case 16 An Ox Goes through a Lattice Window1

  Wuzu Fayan said, “It’s as though a water buffalo is passing through a lattice window.2 Its head, horns, and legs have all gone through. Why can’t its tail go through?”

  1.Also Wumen guan 38, Main Case. This koan was identified by Hakuin Ekaku as one of the eight “difficult to penetrate” (J., nantō ) koans.

  2.The original Chinese can mean either “passing through” or “passing by.” Most Rinzai masters prefer the former, for the sake of emphasis.

  Case 17 Qianfeng’s “Three Types of Sickness”

  Yuezhou Qianfeng went to the hall and said, “The dharmakāya1 has three types of sickness and two types of light.2 Only after passing through these can one sit in peace.”

  Yunmen Wenyan stepped forward from the assembly and asked, “Why is the fellow in the hut unaware of what’s going on outside?”

  Qianfeng gave a hearty laugh.

  Yunmen said, “Your student is still dissatisfied.”

  Qianfeng asked, “What’s on your mind?”

  Yunmen said, “I’d like you to be completely clear on this.”

  “Yes, only when one is careful and thorough can one truly sit in peace,” Qianfeng replied.

  “Exactly!” Yunmen agreed.

  1.The dharmakāya is one of the “three bodies” of a buddha proposed by the Mahayana doctrine of the trikāya, which categorizes buddha’s absolute and relative aspects. The three bodies are:

  Dharmakāya: the absolute body of buddha; buddha as truth itself, as the essence of wisdom. The dharmakāya is typically represented by Vairocana Buddha.

  Saṃbhogakāya: the “reward” or “recompense” body, received as a reward for fulfilling the vows undertaken while the buddha was still a bodhisattva. The saṃbhogakāya is typically represented by Amitābha Buddha.

  Nirmāṇakāya: the body assumed by a buddha when appearing in the world to bring enlightenment to others. The nirmāṇakāya is typically represented by the historical buddha, Śākyamuni.

  2.The “three types of sickness and two types of light” are interpreted in various ways. One interpretation is that found in Record of Equanimity 11, in which the three types of sickness are:

  i.Missing the way prior to arrival : to be caught in the realm of the relative, unable to attain the state of enlightenment.

  ii.Attachment after arrival : to attain the state of enlightenment but then cling to this state as though it were something substantial.

  iii.Liberation free of all conditions : to attain the realm of liberation (not dwelling inwardly in śūnyatā, nor clinging outwardly to phenomena) but then to cling to this state of nondependence.

  The two types of light correspond to aspects of (i), above.

  The ZGDJ explains the three types of sickness in the same way as the Record of Equanimity. It defines the “two types of light” as:

  i.Subtle delusions that arise on the subjective level .

  ii.Subtle delusions that arise on the objective level . (977a)

  An alternate way of interpreting the three types of sickness is simply to see them as the three poisons: attachment, aversion, and ignorance.

  Similarly, the two types of light may be seen as: the light of samadhi , that is, the light of undifferentiated truth, associated with Mañjuśrī; and the light of wisdom , the light of differentiated functioning in the world, associated with Samantabhadra.

  Case 18 Shangu’s Sweet-Olive Blossoms

  One day the poet Shangu was visiting Huitang Zuxin. Huitang said, “You know the passage in which Confucius says, ‘My friends, do you think I’m hiding things from you? In fact, I am hiding nothing from you.’1 It’s just the same with the Great Matter of Zen. Do you understand this?”

  “I don’t understand,” Shangu replied.

  Later, Huitang and Shangu were walking in the mountains where the air was filled with the scent of the sweet-olive blossoms. Huitang asked, “Do you smell the fragrance of the blossoms?”

  Shangu said, “I do.”

  Huitang said, “You see, I’m hiding nothing from you.”

  At that moment Shangu was enlightened.

  Two months later he visited Sixin Wuxin. Sixin greeted him and said, “I’ll die and you’ll die and we’ll end up burnt into two heaps of ashes. At that time, where will we meet?”

  Shangu tried to respond but couldn’t come up with anything. Later, while on the road to Qiannan, he awoke from a nap and suddenly understood Sixin’s intent. Thereafter he attained the samadhi of perfect freedom.

  1.Analects 7:23.

  Case 19-1 Xiangyan’s “Up a Tree”1

  Xiangyan Zhixian said, “It’s as though a person were up a tree, hanging from a limb by his teeth and unable to grab a branch with his hands or touch the trunk with his feet. Someone under the tree asks, ‘What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?’ If the person doesn’t reply, he fails the questioner; if he does reply, he loses his life. In such a situation, how would you respond?”

  The senior monk Hutou said, “I don’t care about climbing the tree. Please say something, Master, about before the tree was climbed!”

  The master gave a hearty laugh.

  Regarding this, Xuedou Chongxian commented, “It’s easy to speak when up a tree, hard to speak beneath it. This old monk2 will climb a tree. Bring me a question!”

  1.The first paragraph appears as Wumen guan 5, Main Case.

  2.Referring to Xuedou himself.

  Case 19-2 Dahui’s “Up a Tree”

  Dahui Zonggao1 asked Dongshan Huikong, “What is the meaning of Xiangyan’s ‘Up a Tree’?”

  Dongshan replied, “Let’s sing ‘Partridge’ to the spring breeze!”2

  1.Although the Kattōshū identifies the questioner as Wan’an Daoyan, all other sources for this koan identify him as Dahui Zonggao.

  2.The partridge is a southern Chinese bird that symbolizes feelings of homesickness. Here “partridge” refers to the title of a song, about which a famous Tang poem says, “If guests from South of the River are present, do not sin
g ‘Partridge’ to the spring breeze” (Complete Tang Poems 675), since the song causes melancholy in people from that region. Dongshan’s reply is based on this line, though it expresses the same feeling in a paradoxical fashion.

  Some masters interpret this line to mean, “Dongshan replied, ‘Wonderful! [Xiangyan] sang “Partridge” to the spring breeze!’”

  Case 20 Yunmen’s “Dry Piece of Shit”1

  A monk asked Yunmen Wenyan, “What is buddha?”

  Yunmen answered, “A dry piece of shit.”2

  1.Also Wumen guan 21, Main Case.

  2.Certain scholars of Tang-dynasty slang interpret this term, , to mean a bamboo stick used in place of toilet paper; recent opinion tends toward the translation above. Needless to say, in either case the intention of the term is the same.

  Case 21 Yunmen’s “Sulu”

  Yunmen Wenyan addressed the assembly, saying, “The level plain is strewn with corpses; only those who pass through the thorn forest are true adepts.”1

  At that moment a monk stepped forth and said, “If that’s the case, then the head monk of the hall has true skill.”

  “Sulu, sulu!”2 said Yunmen.

  1.“The level plain” represents dead-sitting, do-nothing Zen. “The thorn forest” is a metaphor for the teaching devices of a true Zen master.

  2.Dōmae describes sulu, sulu as a mantra meaning “come forth, come forth,” intended to summon the aid of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Other sources see it as an incantation for driving off demons.

  Case 22-1 Deshan Carries His Bowls1