Blyth's Commentary

Zen and Zen Classics Volume 3, R.H. Blyth

A monk asked Seike, "Where does a monk go when he dies and transmigrates?" Seike said, "The Choko flows on and on, never stopping; bubbles obey the vagaries of the wind.

The monk asked further, "Does he receive the ceremonial offers?" Seikie said "We can't say there are no ceremonial offerings."

"What exactly are these offerings?" asked the monk. Seikie said, "As the fisherman's song pushes the oar, his voice is heard in the valleys."

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ewk note:Seike was a grandson of Deshan I think. His teacher was Kyozan, who's teacher was Kyozan, who had one other student named... Koyan. I think the two students were nicknamed "East Tower" and "West Tower" to tell them apart.

Anyway, after this Case Blyth says, "When asked about death, the Zen Masters always engage in swindling". Blyth spent time doing Zen scholarship in a Japanese internment camp in Japan during WW2 because he was a foreigner. They let him have a pen, from which the whole Japanese nation benefits.

Submitted February 17, 2018 at 05:29AM by ewk http://ift.tt/2EzRHby