Joshu asked [his master] Nansen, "The Way-what is it?"
Nansen said, "It is everyday mind."
Joshu said, "One should then aim at this, shouldn't one?"
Nansen said, "The moment you aim at anything, you have already missed it."
Joshu said, "If I do not aim at it, how can I know the Way?"
Nansen said, "The Way has nothing to do with 'knowing' or 'not
knowing.' Knowing is perceiving but blindly. Not knowing is just
blankness. If you have already reached the un-aimed-at Way, it is
like space: absolutely clear void. You can not force it one way or the other,"
At that instant Joshu was awakened to the profound meaning. His mind was like the bright full moon.
Author/Translator's Note -
Nansen suggests that the Way of Zen is not "a way." Where
there is "a way," there is bound to be "another way." If you aim
at something over consciously, you tend to exclude what seems to
you to be irrelevant to what you consider your "aim." Thus,
"knowledge," which is based upon distinction and differentiation,
is blind to the all-encompassing. What is the use of searching for a
goal that is not-grass, not-frog, not-stick, not anything that is a
thing?
Radical Zen ~The Sayings of Joshu~
Translation and commentary by Yoel Hoffman
Can it be described any better?
Submitted September 14, 2017 at 03:40AM by origin_unknown http://ift.tt/2x2eOpr
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