Nirvana is often taken as a condition of supreme joy. But it is also that of supreme sadness. The point anyway is not the joy or sadness, but the supremeness.
Seppo asked Tokusan, "Is it possible for me too to share, with the patriarchs, in the Supreme Teaching?" Tokusan struck him with his staff, saying, "What on earth are you talking about?" The next day, Seppo asked for an explanation. Tokusan said, "My religion has no words and sentences; it has nothing to give anybody." At this Seppo became enlightened.
Gensha sent a letter to Seppo by one of his monks. Seppo ascended the rostrum and opened the letter-case, which contained three sheets of blank paper. He showed these to the assembled monks, and said, "Do you understand?" After waiting a while, he added, "Don't you see what this gentleman is saying to me? We are a thousand leagues away, but the same breeze blows us!"
Zen and Zen Classics, Volume Two, Chapter Six
R.H. Blyth
Discussion:
Seppo was Ummon's teacher. Elsewhere, Blyth says "The Three Great Masters are Hyakujo, Joshu, and Nansen, though I think Ummon greater than these three." So, Ummon is in the wings, then.
No words and sentences. This is a good rule of thumb for those of you who might happen to meet each other. Use this rule to measure those who have something to say about Zen. It is also a good rule for measuring yourself, what you have to say about Zen. If you have nothing to say, you have missed the mark. Your words and sentences miss the mark, too.
Zen has nothing to give anybody. That is simply divine. No eternal life, no magical powers, no wisdom, no authority. Especially no authority. Zen has nothing to give. Then again, you aren't paying for this blog... so we're bucks up.
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