Hyakujo's Nose

The Reading:

The next day Baso ascended the pulpit and the monks had barely assmedbeled when Hyakujo came forward and rolled up the praying-cloth.  Baso at once came down and went back to his own room.  He said to Hyakujo, What do you mean by rolling up the praying-cloth when I had gone into the Hall and not even begun to preach?"  Hyakujo said, "Yesterday you pulled my nose and it hurt."  Baso asked, "Where had you fixed your mind yesterday?"  Hyakujo replied, "My nose doesn't hurt today."

-Blyth, Zen and Zen Classics Volume 4, Mumonkan, p.40

Discussion:

Accept no substitutes.

Listen to my verse!

The Reading:

Empty set, full set,

both some something.

Oak tree, stone bridge,

Gate of No - not "Nothing".

Discussion:

Nihilism is something, isn't it?

Baso's "Neither Mind nor Buddha"

The Reading:

When Fa-chang (752-839 CE) of Mt. Ta-mei ("Great Plum") first visited the master, he inquired about the meaning of the word "Buddha."

"The Mind is Buddha," said Ma-tsu. Upon that Fa-chang was enlightened. Later Fa-chang retired once more to Ta-mei and taught others there. When the master heard of this, he dispatched a monk to inquire what it was that Fa-chang had so learned that allowed him to presume to head a mountain lineage. Fa-chang told the monk that it was the dictum, "The Mind is Buddha." The monk noted, "Recently the master sings a different tune. Now it is 'Neither Mind nor Buddha'."

Fa-chang reacted, "That rascal deludes people to no end! Let him teach you how there is neither mind nor Buddha. For my part, I will stick to 'The Mind is Buddha.'"

When the monk reported this to the master, Ma-tsu remarked, "Indeed, the plum is ripe."

(source)

Discussion:

Ma-tsu is Baso.  He deluded many who followed him.  They are called "Masters."

Pen-chi of Ts'ao-shan [Sozan Honjaku]

The Reading:


A monk asked: ``In admitting phenomenon, what is true?''
Pen-chi said: ``Phenomenon is truth and truth is phenomenon.''
The monk asked: ``How is that revealed?''
Pen-chi lifted the tea tray.

A monk asked: ``How can silence be expressed?''
Pen-chi said: ``I will not express it here.''
The monk said: ``Where will you express it?''
Pen-chi  said: ``Last night at midnight I lost three pennies by my bed.''

A monk asked: ``Who is the one who holds the sword in the state?''
Pen-chi said: ``Ts'ao-shan.''
The monk said: ``Whom do you intend to kill?''
Pen-chi said: ``I shall kill all.''
The monk said: ``Suppose you suddenly met your parents. What will you do?''
Pen-chi  said: ``Why discriminate?''
The monk said: ``But there is yourself!''
Pen-chi said: ``Who can do anything about me?''
The monk said: ``Why not kill yourself?''
Pen-chi  said: ``No place to start.''

Question: ``Whenever there is any question, one's mind is confused. What is the matter?''
Pen-chi said: ``Kill, kill!''

Discussion:

Pen-chi was a student of Tong-Shan, more of the same.

From here: http://vserver1.cscs.lsa.umich.edu/~crshalizi/Zen/Pen-chi/

Chi Feng Wen Ta

The Reading:

Behavioral tests are conducted by means of radical and unexpected actions, the verbal tests by the so-called "crucial-verbal-contest" (Chinese: chi feng wen ta). The latter is perhaps the most popular technique, widely applied by all Zen Buddhists. The Chinese word wen means "questioning," and ta is "answering," so that wen ta is "questioning-answering" or loosely "conversation". But the phrase chi feng is very difficult to translate because it has manifold and subtle meanings. Literally, chi is "crucial," "critical," or the "Key point," etc., and feng means literally "crucial-sharp tip (or point)." This proves that the Zen "question and answer" are sharp and pointed, like the tips of two keen weapons point to point. Chi feng, therefore, implies that the Zen question is like a sharp, needle-pointed rapier constantly threatening to pierce to the heart without mercy;

-The Practice of Zen, Chang, page 35

Discussion:

"Without mercy."

For this reason it is said to be a mystery

The Reading:

A monk asked Ikan, a student of Baso, "has the dog Buddha-nature or not?"  Ikan said, "Yes."  The monk asked, "Have you it or not?"  Ikan said, "I have not."  Monk: "All existent creatures have the Buddha-Natures; how is it that you have not?"  Ikan: "I don't belong to all existent creatures."  Monk: "You say you don't belong to all existent creatures.  This 'You', is it a Buddha or not?  Ikan: "It is not a Buddha."  Monk: "What sort of thing, in the last resort, is this 'You'?"  Ikan: "It is not a thing."  Monk: "Can it be perceived or thought of?"  Ikan: "Thought cannot attain to it; it can not be fathomed.  For this reason, it is said to be a mystery."

-Blyth's Mumonkan, Case 1

Discussion:

Ikan wasn't bothered by the question, "Who am I?"  Why is anybody bothered by it?

Not the middle

The Reading:

Huang Po:  The Way is not something specially existing; it is called the Mahayana Mind - Mind which is not to be found inside, outside, or in the middle.  Truly it is not located anywhere.  The first step is to refrain from knowledge based concepts.


Discussion:

Which Mahayana is Huang Po's Mahayana?  If you can say, how will you refrain from knowledge based concepts?

3rd Patriarch

The Reading:

From "Faith in Mind":

The path of words is cut off;

There is no past, no future, no present.

Discussion:

As P'ei Hsiu said, "The wheel of causation is motionless..."

The Real Emptiness

The Reading:

Ummon said, "The real Emptiness does not destroy things; the real Emptiness is not different from materiality.

A monk then asked, "What is the sound of the a bell?"

Ummon said, "Do you hear the sound of a bell?"

"That's the sound of a bell," said the monk.

"Even when you have reached the Year of the Donkey, will you still be dreaming?" asked Ummon.

Discussion:

Ah!  The Year of the Donkey!  It's like a birthday that never comes.