Knowing the One

The reading:

Seppo was saying good-bye to Tozan, who asked him, "Where are you off to?"

Seppo answered, "I'm going back to Reichu."

"At that time, what road did you take to come by?"

"By Hienrei."

"And by what road are you going back now?"

"The same road," Seppo said.

"Do you happen to know the One who never leaves Hienrei?"

"I don't know that one," replied Seppo.

"Why not?"

"Because the One has no personality,"

Tozan said, "You say that you don't know the One, -if so, how do you know that the one has no personality?"

Zen and Zen Classics, Volume Two, Chapter Six

R. H. Blyth

Discussion:

This wonderful exchange is a warning to those of us who talk about Zen. Seppo pretends to know by giving an answer that is right on it's face, but wrong in his mouth. Tozan catches him up with some follow up questions. Beware the follow up questions.

This reminds me of a fragment of Confucius that is one of my favorites. "If you know then you know, if you don't know then you don't know."

This also reminds me of something Blyth mentions elsewhere, a quote from Joshu.

When a sincere man expounds a mistaken doctrine, the doctrine becomes true. When an insincere man expounds a true doctrine it becomes error."

There is a temptation, with Tozan, Confucius, and again with Joshu, not to take Zen seriously because it may seem silly, contradictory, and intentionally backwards. Whether or not Zen is these things misses the point. Exactly so.   Zen is pointing.  When you look at the finger you miss the direction, when you look at the sign post you miss the turn.

Think of how many sincere men who were mistaken and so  ignored, and how many insincere men who have corrupted truth! What a relief that there are only ten thousand things!