Entangling Vines Page 7

  Xuefeng Yicun was serving as cook in the assembly under Deshan Xuanjian. One day lunch was late. When Deshan came down to the hall carrying his bowls, Xuefeng asked him, “The bell and drum [announcing mealtime] have not yet sounded. Where are you heading with your bowls, old fellow?”

  Deshan silently bowed and returned to his quarters.

  When Xuefeng told Yantou Quanhuo about this, Yantou commented, “Even Deshan, great as he is, doesn’t know the final word.”2

  Hearing of this, Deshan had his attendant summon Yantou. “You don’t approve of me?” he asked.

  Yantou secretly revealed his purpose to him. The next day Deshan’s lecture was not the same as usual. Yantou went to the front of the monks’ hall. Clapping and laughing, he said, “How wonderful that the old fellow has grasped the final word. After this no one in the world can do anything to him. Even so, he has only three years left to live.”

  Three years later Deshan died.

  1.Also Wumen guan 13, Main Case, and Blue Cliff Record 51, Commentary on the Main Case.

  2.“Final word” means, literally, “the word after the end,” the word beyond all words. For the significance of the “final word,” see Cases 72, 140, and 171.

  Case 22-2 Mian’s “True Meaning”

  A monk asked Mian Xianjie, “What is the meaning of ‘Deshan Carries His Bowls’?” The master answered, “No meaning.”

  “Then why,” asked the monk, “did Deshan carry his bowls down to the monks’ hall?”

  “If he wants to go, he goes; if he wants to sit, he sits,”1 Mian replied.

  1.A passage of similar meaning is found in the Record of Linji:

  Conforming with circumstances as they are, [a true follower of the Way] exhausts his past karma; accepting things as they are he puts on his clothes; when he wants to walk he walks, when he wants to sit he sits; he never has a single thought of seeking buddhahood. Why is this so? A man of old said: “If you seek buddha through karma-creating activities, buddha becomes the great portent of birth-and-death.” (Sasaki 2009, p. 171)

  Case 23 Mazu’s “West River”1

  Layman Pang Yun called upon Mazu Daoyi and asked, “Who is it that doesn’t keep company with the ten thousand things?”

  Mazu answered, “I’ll tell you when you swallow the water of the West River in a single gulp.”

  At that moment Pang was deeply enlightened. He composed a verse:

  All in the ten directions are of the same assembly,

  Each and every one learning nondoing.2

  This is the place where buddha is chosen.3

  Mind empty, exam passed, I’ve returned home.

  1.Also Blue Cliff Record 42, Commentary on the Main Case.

  2.Another possible translation is “From the ten directions we’ve equally gathered together, each of us learning that there’s nothing to do.”

  3.Another possible translation is “This is the place where buddhas are selected.” The original Chinese term, , is sometimes used in Zen as a synonym for “meditation hall.”

  Case 24 Not Entering Nirvana

  In the Mahāprajñā Sutra Preached by Mañjuśrī it says, “Virtuous practitioners do not enter nirvana; precept-breaking monks do not fall into hell.”1

  1.T 8:728b. The Japanese Zen master Hakuin once commented on this koan with the following verse: “Silent ants pull at a dragonfly’s wing; young swallows rest side by side on a willow branch. Silk-growers’ wives, pale in face, carry their baskets; village children with pilfered bamboo shoots crawl through a fence.” After hearing this verse, two monks who had completed their training under the great Zen master Kogetsu Zenzai (1667–1751) decided to train again under Hakuin.

  Case 25 Shishuang’s “Top of a Pole”1

  Shishuang asked, “How would you step forward from the top of a hundred-foot pole?”

  1.A fuller version of this koan appears in Wumen guan 46, Main Case. The speaker is believed to be Shishuang Chuyuan, although the koan is found in neither his records nor those of Shishuang Qingzhu. In Record of Equanimity 79 the speaker is Changsha Jingcen (see Biographical Notes), and a similar koan is found in the section on Changsha in the Song-dynasty biographical collection Compendium of the Five Lamps .

  Case 26 Xiangyan’s Sound of a Bamboo1

  One day Xiangyan Zhixian was cutting weeds when he knocked a piece of tile against a bamboo. Hearing the sound, Xiangyan was suddenly enlightened. He composed a verse:

  A single “tock”—all prior knowledge forgotten

  This is not the result of practice—

  Daily activities proclaim the Ancient Way.

  No more falling into passive stillness.2

  Wherever I go I leave no trace;

  In all situations my actions are free.3

  Everywhere masters of the Way

  Speak of this as the highest function.4

  1.For background material on this case, see Xiangyan Zhixian in the Biographical Notes.

  2.The original Chinese, , generally refers to a state of sadness but in Zen is interpreted to mean a quietistic state.

  3.Literally, “In [the realm of] sound and form I forget all I do,” with “the realm of sound and form” signifying the phenomenal world. can also indicate the worldly passions, though in Buddhism this is a minor usage. “All I do” is literally “proper conduct,” the monk’s dignified deportment in the four “postures” of walking, standing, sitting, and lying.

  4.“Highest function” translates , with referring to beings of the highest potential. In the Zen context the sentence can be seen to mean “to function perfectly in accordance with the Way.”

  Case 27 The Mind Turns with Its Surroundings

  Manora, the twenty-second Indian ancestor, said in his transmission verse:

  The mind turns with its surroundings,

  A turning that is truly profound.1

  Perceive mind’s nature within this flow,

  And there is neither joy nor sorrow.

  Zhenjing Kewen2 commented on this verse, saying, “It’s like this, yet it isn’t like this.”

  1.“Truly profound” translates , which can also mean “dark,” “silent,” or “mysterious.”

  2.The original text has Langye Huijue , but none of the source materials on this master contain this koan. It is, however, found in the “Discourses” section of the Record of Zhenjing .

  Case 28-1 Qiannu and Her Spirit1

  Wuzu Fayan asked a monk, “Qiannu and her spirit were separated.2 Which was the real Qiannu?”

  1.Also Wumen guan 35, Main Case.

  2.The tale of Qiannu was a popular Tang-dynasty story, found in such sources as the Extensive Record of the Era of Great Peace . Qiannu was in love with a young man named Wang Zhou , whom she had known since childhood and who fully returned her affection. However, when a promising young government official asked for the hand of the beautiful Qiannu in marriage, her father quickly agreed to the advantageous match. Zhou, deeply distressed, could not bear to live nearby with Qiannu married to another man, so he decided to travel upriver to start a new life. The night he departed, however, he heard someone behind him. When he looked to see who it was, he was overjoyed to find that Qiannu had followed him. The two decided to proceed onward to the region of Shu , where they settled, married, and had two children. Qiannu could not forget her parents, however, so after five years she and Zhou decided to return to their hometown to ask her father’s forgiveness for their rash act. Upon arriving, Zhou proceeded alone to Qiannu’s home to explain the situation. Greeted warmly by Qiannu’s father, Zhou said that he and Qiannu had run off together, but that they were now married and living comfortably with two children. The father, greatly astonished, replied that his daughter had been there in his house for the entire five years, though ill and incapable of speaking. Zhou, visiting the sick woman’s room, saw that it was indeed Qiannu. He thereupon led her father to the river, where the other Qiannu, his wife, was waiting with their two children. They returned to the house, and, as they app
roached, the sick Qiannu left her bed and came to meet them. Seeing the married Qiannu, she smiled and walked toward her, and suddenly the two women merged, becoming one person.

  Case 28-2 Xutang’s Verse

  Xutang Zhiyu composed a verse on “Qiannu and Her Spirit”:

  In front of the cortege, peach branches and reed brooms;

  Behind the hearse, paper money.

  We disciples of the Old Foreigner—

  Why would we enter the Realm of the Dead?1

  1.Mujaku: Brooms made of peach branches and reeds preceded funeral processions to symbolically sweep away misfortune. Special paper money was burnt or strewn after the hearse as an offering to the deities of death, in order to ensure a safe passage to a good afterlife for the deceased. “The Old Foreigner” is Śākyamuni. Mujaku comments that discussing the true and the false from the standpoint of Qiannu and her spirit as separate forms will lead one straight into the realm of death. If even secular people exorcize the evil and inauspicious at the time of death, why should buddha-disciples who have thoroughly seen through the realm of samsara ever have to enter the unhappy land of the dead?

  Case 29 Yunmen’s “Exposed”

  A monk asked Yunmen Wenyan, “If you kill your father and mother, you can repent in front of the buddhas. If you kill the buddhas and ancestors, where can you repent?”1

  Yunmen said, “Exposed!”2

  1.See also Record of Linji, Discourse 18: “Whatever you encounter, either within or without, slay it at once. On meeting a buddha slay the buddha, on meeting an ancestor slay the ancestor, on meeting an arhat slay the arhat, on meeting your parents slay your parents, on meeting your kinsman slay your kinsman, and you attain emancipation. By not cleaving to things, you freely pass through” (Sasaki 2009, pp. 22, 236).

  2.This is an example of Yunmen’s “one-word barriers.” “Exposed!” denotes something that, just as it is, is fully revealed in all of its truth and immediacy.

  Case 30 Mian’s “Brittle Bowl”

  One day Ying’an Tanhua asked Mian Xianjie of Tiantong, “What is the True Eye of the Dharma?”1

  Mian answered, “A brittle bowl.”2

  Ying’an accepted this reply.

  Shuangshan Yuan was a strict observer of the precepts who lived at Tianning temple in Xiushuixian. One day during an informal Dharma talk he mentioned this exchange between Ying’an and Mian, commenting, “Such stories are like a broken signpost, wind-bleached, sun-scorched, and long abandoned by a fork in a road. Tell me, what was written [on this signpost]?” [He recited a verse:]

  When the princes of Wuling were young

  They danced their horses and reveled in the spring breeze;

  With no thought of expense they made pellets of gold

  And shot at nightingales under flowering trees.

  Why didn’t Shuangshan lecture on Mian’s words, but simply recite an old poem?

  1.“The True Eye of the Dharma” refers to the eye of enlightenment that can discern the true nature of the Dharma.

  2.“A brittle bowl” translates , a type of bowl that was fired from clay containing sand and that was therefore easily cracked or broken. In the Record of Xuefeng the term is used to represent the human body.

  Case 31 The National Teacher Calls Three Times1

  The National Teacher Nanyang Huizhong called to his attendant three times. Three times his attendant answered.

  The National Teacher said, “I’ve always thought I let you down, but actually it’s you who have let me down.”2

  1.Also Wumen guan 17, Main Case.

  2.“Let you down” and “let me down” translate and , respectively. The word has many nuances—“betray,” “go against,” “oppose,” “transgress against,” etc.—and is rendered in different ways by different masters depending upon their sense of the koan.

  Case 32 Lan’an’s “Being and Nonbeing”1

  Changqing Lan’an of Fuzhou addressed the assembly, saying, “‘Being’ and ‘nonbeing’ are like vines clinging to a tree.”2

  Shushan Guangren, hearing of this, said, “I have a turning-phrase3 for that old man—I must call on him.” So at the end of the training period he went to the province of Min to visit Changqing Lan’an, who was also known as Guishan Lan’an because he came from Guishan [in Hunan] to become priest of Changqing Temple at the invitation of Layman Pei Xiu, who was governor of Min at the time.

  When Shushan arrived, Lan’an was plastering a wall. Shushan asked, “‘Being and nonbeing are like vines clinging to a tree.’ Did you say that?”

  “Yes,” Lan’an replied.

  “If suddenly the tree falls and the vines wither,” Shushan said, “where do ‘being’ and ‘nonbeing’ go?”

  Lan’an threw down his plaster tray and gave a loud laugh, then started for his quarters. Shushan said, “I’ve sold my possessions and traveled three thousand li here for the sake of this matter! Why won’t you give me an explanation?”

  Lan’an said to his attendant, “Bring some money and give it to this little monk.”4 Then he turned to Shushan and said, “There’s a one-eyed dragon who will set you right on this matter someday.”

  Later, Shushan went to Mingzhao Deqian [who was blind in one eye] and related the above story. Mingzhao said, “Lan’an’s the real thing from head to toe, only he’s never met a true friend.”

  Shushan asked, “If suddenly the tree falls and the vines wither, where do ‘being’ and ‘nonbeing’ go?”

  Mingzhao responded, “That would make Lan’an laugh again!”

  At that moment Shushan was awakened, and said, “There was a dagger in Lan’an’s laughter right from the very start.”

  Later, Dahui Zonggao, while still a student under Yuanwu Keqin, was placed in the attendants’ quarters and given the position of attendant-without-duties. Every day Yuanwu would have him come to his room for instruction, just like the officials who were Yuanwu’s lay students. All Yuanwu ever said was, “‘Being’ and ‘nonbeing’ are like vines clinging to a tree.” Whenever Dahui opened his mouth to respond Yuanwu would cut him off, saying, “That’s no good.”

  Nearly half a year went by in this way. One day while Yuanwu was having dinner with the official Zhao Biaozhi, Dahui, chopsticks in hand, forgot to eat his rice.

  Yuanwu looked over at Dahui, then turned to Zhao and said, “This fellow is practicing boxwood Zen.”5

  Dahui explained to Yuanwu that he felt like a dog eyeing a frypan of hot food.6 Yuanwu replied, “This is [hard to penetrate and hard to grasp,] like a vajra or a chestnut burr.”7

  Later Dahui went to Yuanwu and said, “I heard that you once asked Wuzu about ‘being’ and ‘nonbeing.’ Do you remember the master’s answer?” In reply Yuanwu only laughed.

  Dahui said, “Since you asked in front of the assembly, surely even now there is someone who remembers.”8

  Yuanwu replied, “When I asked about the statement, ‘Being and nonbeing are like vines clinging to a tree,’ Wuzu answered, ‘Try to describe it, and it cannot be described; try to portray it, and it cannot be portrayed.’ When I asked, ‘What if the tree suddenly falls and the vines wither?’ Wuzu said, ‘They come down together!’”9

  When Dahui heard this story he cried, “I’ve got it!”

  Yuanwu said, “I fear you haven’t thoroughly penetrated this koan.”

  Dahui said, “Please, Master, question me in any way you wish.” Yuanwu proceeded to question him, and Dahui replied without hesitation.

  Yuanwu said, “Today you see that I haven’t deceived you.” He then conferred upon Dahui the Record of the True School of Linji,10 designated him secretary, and had him lecture to the other monks.

  1.The first section of this koan appears as Record of Equanimity 87, Main Case.

  2.The words translated as “being” and “nonbeing” are and , respectively. The character generally means “word” or “phrase,” but here it has little meaning in itself, so that and refer simply to (“being,” form, the phenomenal aspect of reality) and
(“nonbeing,” emptiness, the noumenal aspect of reality).

  When Changqing says, “‘Being’ and ‘nonbeing’ are like vines clinging to a tree,” he means that being and nonbeing are mutually dependent. Shushan’s question, “If the tree suddenly falls and the vines wither, where would ‘being’ and ‘nonbeing’ go?” inquires about going beyond being and nonbeing, existence and nonexistence, phenomenon and noumenon.

  3.A “turning-phrase” is a word or phrase of deep significance that either reveals the depth of understanding of the speaker or precipitates understanding in the listener at a critical moment in that person’s practice. In the former sense, the word “turning” indicates the presentation of a different aspect of one’s understanding; in the latter sense, “turning” expresses the fundamental “turnabout” that occurs upon awakening.

  4.Shushan Guangren was apparently quite short in stature. See Shushan Guangren in the Biographical Notes.

  5.The boxwood tree is said to be extremely slow-growing, and even to shrink during leap years. “Boxwood Zen” often refers to the Zen of students who, though slow to awaken, are earnest and unswerving in their practice.

  6.The image is one of being unable either to partake of something or to let it go, just as a dog is unable to eat food that is too hot yet is unwilling to leave it behind.

  7.A vajra is a legendary Indian weapon used by the deities; circular in shape, it is said to be capable of destroying anything. A chestnut burr cannot be grasped because of its spines.

  8.That is, “Since you asked in public, there is no reason to refrain from telling me Wuzu’s answer.”