Here is my translation of Case 44 from the Blue Cliff Record. For your convenience, I have also added the answer to this confusing public case: THE ANSWER TO THIS KOAN.
THE BLUE CLIFF RECORD: CASE 44
The Case
Hé Shān offered up the saying:
To learn through study is to hear. (1)
To end study is to be closer. (2)
To surpass these two is to truly go beyond.
A monk stepped up and asked, “what is truly beyond?”
Shān said,
Knowing how to beat the drum. (3)
Again the monk asked, “What is the truth?”
Shān said,
Knowing how to beat the drum.
Again the monk asked,
“I do not ask of mind being Buddha, what is not mind and not Buddha?”
Shān said, Knowing how to beat the drum.
Again the monk asked, “when an advanced person comes, how are they received?”
Shān said, Knowing how to beat the drum.
Verse:
The first hauls rock.
The second moves earth.
To hit the crucial point, you must have a 20-ton crossbow.
The master from Elephant Bone rolled balls. (4)
How is this similar to Hé Shān’s knowing how to beat the drum?
You should know this:
Don’t be tangled in stupidity
Sweet is sweet, bitter is bitter
Notes:
(1) Yuánwù Kèqín’s epic comment on this line: “The world’s robbed monks can’t escape this. An iron hammerhead with no hole, an iron spike.”
(2)Yuánwù Kèqín tells us that Hé Shān’s opening words “To learn through study is to hear. To end study is to be closer. To surpass these two is to truly go beyond.” is taken from the Treasure Store Treatise (Jewel Treasure Treatise). In Robert Sharf’s Coming to Terms with Chinese Buddhism, Sharf translates these lines as “To cultivate study is called auditing, to break off from study is called approaching, and to go beyond these two is called truth”.
(3) Yuánwù Kèqín’s epic comment on this line: “Iron spikes, iron weeds. Solid, unyielding truth.”
(4) Yuánwù Kèqín tells us that the Master of Elephant Bone who rolled three wooden balls is Xuěfēng Yìcún of Elephant Bone Cliff.
Breakdown:
He Shan offered up the saying: jǔ Hé Shān chuí yǔyún
舉禾山垂語云 | 舉 to raise | 禾山 He Shan | 垂 dangled, bequeathed, to approach | 語云 yǔyún as the saying goes |
To learn through study is to hear. xí xué wèi zhī wén
習學謂之聞。 | 習 to practice / to study / habit | 學 to learn / to study / to imitate / science / -ology | 謂 to speak / to say / to name / to designate / meaning / sense | | 之 possessive particle / him / her / it | 聞 to hear / news / well-known / famous / reputation / fame / to | smell / to sniff at |
To end study is to be closer. jué xué wèi zhī lín 絕學謂之隣 | 絕 to cut short / extinct / to disappear / to vanish / absolutely / by no means | 學 to learn / to study / to imitate / science / -ology | 謂 to speak / to say / to name / to designate / meaning / sense | 之 possessive particle / him / her / it | 隣 neighbor; neighboring; adjacent |
Yuánwù's comment:
The world’s robbed monks can’t escape this tiānxià nà sēng tiào bù chū 天下衲僧跳不出 | 天下 tiānxià land under heaven / the whole world / the whole of China / realm / rule | 衲 nà cassock / to line | 僧 sēng monk / Sangha, the Buddhist monastic order | 跳 tiào to jump / to hop / to skip over / to bounce / to palpitate | 不 bù (negative prefix) / not / no | 出 chū to go out / to come out / to occur / to produce / to go beyond / to rise / to put forth / to happen / (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result) / classifier for dramas, plays, operas etc |
An iron hammerhead with no hole wú kǒng tiě chuí 無孔鐵鎚 | 無 wú not to have/no/none/not/to lack/un-/-less |孔 kǒng hole / CL: 個|个 / classifier for cave dwellings |鐵 tiě iron (metal) / arms / weapons / hard / strong / violent / unshakeable / determined / close / tight (slang) | 鎚 chuí variant of 錘|锤 (錘 chuí hammer / to hammer into shape / weight (e.g. of a steelyard or balance) |
An iron spike yī gè tiě jué zi
一箇 鐵橛子 | 一 yī one / 1 / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / “one” radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit | 箇 gè variant of 個 |个 | 鐵 tiě iron (metal) / arms / weapons / hard / strong / violent / unshakeable / determined / close / tight (slang) | 橛 jué a peg / low post | 子 zǐ son / child / seed / egg / small thing / 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.-1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the Rat / Viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility. | 子 zi (noun suffix) |
End of Yuánwù's comment:
To surpass these two is to truly go beyond. guò cǐ èrzhě shì wéi zhēn guò 過 此 二者是為真過 | 過 to cross / to go over / to pass (time) | 此 these | 二者 both of them | 是 is | 為 to be (wéi or wèi – there are two pronunciations, but it is probably the first tone pronunciation meaning “to be”) | 真 really truly | 過 to cross / to go over / to pass (time) |
A monk stepped up and asked, “what is truly beyond?” sēng chū wèn rúhé shì zhēn guò 僧出問如何是真過 | 僧 monk / Sangha, the Buddhist monastic order | 出 to go out / to come out / to occur / to produce / to go beyond / to rise / to put forth / to happen | 問 to ask | 如何 how / what way / what | 是 is | 真 really / truly / indeed / real / true / genuine | 過 to cross / to go over / to pass (time) |
Shān said, Shān yún 山云 | 山 surname Shan | 云 (classical) to say |
Knowing how to beat the drum jiě dǎgǔ 解打鼓 | 解 to divide / to break up / to split / to separate / to dissolve / to solve / to melt / to remove / to untie / to loosen / to open / to emancipate / to explain / to understand / to know / a solution / a dissection | 打鼓 to beat a drum / to play a drum |
Yuánwù's comment:
Iron spikes, iron weeds. Solid, unyielding truth. tiě jué tiě jí lí què què 鐵 橛 鐵 蒺 藜 確 確 | 鐵 iron (metal) / arms / weapons / hard / strong / violent / unshakeable / determined / close / tight (slang) | 橛 a peg / low post | 鐵 iron (metal) / arms / weapons / hard / strong / violent / unshakeable / determined / close / tight (slang) | 蒺 Tribulus terrestris | 藜 lí name of weed plant (fat hen, goosefoot, pigweed etc) / Chenopodium album | 確 authenticated / solid / firm / real / true )
End of Yuánwù's comment:
Again the monk asked. yòu wèn 又問 | 又 (once) again / also / both… and… / and yet / (used for emphasis) anyway | 問 to ask |
What is the truth? rúhé shì zhēndì |
如何是真諦 | 如何 how / what way / what | 是 is / are / am / yes / to be | 真諦 the real meaning / the true essence |
Shān said, Shān yún 山云 | 山 surname Shan | 云 (classical) to say |
Knowing how to beat the drum jiě dǎgǔ 解打鼓 | 解 to divide / to break up / to split / to separate / to dissolve / to solve / to melt / to remove / to untie / to loosen / to open / to emancipate / to explain / to understand / to know / a solution / a dissection | 打鼓 to beat a drum / to play a drum |
Again the monk asked, yòu wèn 又問 | 又 (once) again / also / both… and… / and yet / (used for emphasis) anyway | 問 to ask |
I do not ask of mind being Buddha jí xīn jí Fó jí bùwèn 即心即佛即不問 | 即 namely / that is / i.e. / prompt / at once / at present / even if / prompted (by the occasion) / to approach / to come into contact / to assume (office) / to draw near | 心 heart / mind / intention / center / core / | 即 namely / that is / i.e. / prompt / at once / at present / even if / prompted (by the occasion) / to approach / to come into contact / to assume (office) / to draw near | 佛 Buddha / Buddhism | 即 namely / that is / i.e. / prompt / at once / at present / even if / prompted (by the occasion) / to approach / to come into contact / to assume (office) / to draw near | 不問 to pay no attention to / to disregard / to ignore / to let go unpunished / to let off |
What is not mind and not Buddha? rúhé shì fēi xīn fēi Fó 如何是非心 非佛 | 如何 how / what way / what | 是 is / are / am / yes / to be | 非 to not be / not / wrong / incorrect / non- / un- / in- / to reproach or blame / (colloquial) to insist on / simply must | 心 heart / mind / intention / center / core / | 非 to not be / not / wrong / incorrect / non- / un- / in- / to reproach or blame / (colloquial) to insist on / simply must | 佛 Fó Buddha / Buddhism |
Shān said, Shān yún 山云 | 山 surname Shan | 云 (classical) to say |
Knowing how to beat the drum jiě dǎgǔ 解打鼓 | 解 to divide / to break up / to split / to separate / to dissolve / to solve / to melt / to remove / to untie / to loosen / to open / to emancipate / to explain / to understand / to know / a solution / a dissection | 打鼓 to beat a drum / to play a drum |
Again the monk asked, yòu wèn 又問 | 又 (once) again / also / both… and… / and yet / (used for emphasis) anyway | 問 to ask |
When an advanced person comes, how are they received? xiàngshàng rén lái shí rúhé jiē 向上人來時如何接 | 向上 upward / up / to advance / to try to improve oneself / to make progress | 人 man / person / people | 來 to come / to arrive / to come round / ever since / next | 時 o’clock / time / when / hour / season / period | 如何 how / what way / what | 接 to receive / to answer (the phone) / to meet or welcome sb / to connect / to catch / to join / to extend / to take one’s turn on duty / to take over for |
Shān said, Shān yún 山云 | 山 surname Shan | 云 (classical) to say |
Knowing how to beat the drum jiě dǎgǔ 解打鼓 | 解 to divide / to break up / to split / to separate / to dissolve / to solve / to melt / to remove / to untie / to loosen / to open / to emancipate / to explain / to understand / to know / a solution / a dissection | 打鼓 to beat a drum / to play a drum |
Verse:
One hauls rock yī yè shí 一拽石 | 一 one / 1 / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire / whole / all / throughout / “one” radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit | 拽 yè to drag / to haul | 石 shí rock / stone / stone inscription / one of the eight ancient musical instruments 八音 | 石 dàn dry measure for grain equal to ten dou 斗 / ten pecks / one hundred liters |
The second moves earth. èr bān tǔ 二般土 | 二 two | 般 this character usually means sort / kind / class / way / manner, but here is used as an alternative form of 搬, “to move” | 土 earth / dust / clay / local / indigenous / crude opium / unsophisticated |
To hit the crucial point, you must have a 20 ton crossbow. fā jī xū shì qiān jūn nǔ 發機須是千鈞弩 | 發 to send out / to show (one’s feeling) / to issue / to develop / to make a bundle of money / classifier for gunshots (rounds) | 機 machine / engine / opportunity / intention / aircraft / pivot / crucial point / flexible (quick-witted) / organic / CL: 臺| 台 | 須 xū must / to have to / to wait | 是 shì is / are / am / yes / to be | 千 qiān thousand | 鈞 jūn 30 catties / great / your (honorific) | 弩 nǔ crossbow |
The master from Elephant Bone rolled balls. xiàng gǔ lǎoshī céng gǔn qiú 象骨老師曾輥 毬 | 象 elephant / CL: 隻|只 / shape / form / appearance / to imitate | 骨 bone | 老師 teacher | 曾 once / already / ever (in the past) / former / previously / (past tense marker used before verb or clause) |輥 to revolve / stone roller | 毬 ball |
How is this similar to Hé Shān’s knowing how to beat the drum? zhēng sì hé Shān jiě dǎgǔ 爭似禾山解打鼓 | 爭 to strive for / to vie for / to argue or debate / deficient or lacking (dialect) / how or what (literary) | 似 to seem / to appear / to resemble / similar / -like / pseudo- / (more) than | 禾山 Hé Shān | 解 to divide / to break up / to split / to separate / to dissolve / to solve / to melt / to remove / to untie / to loosen / to open / to emancipate / to explain / to understand / to know / a solution / a dissection | 打鼓 to beat a drum / to play a drum |
You should know this: bào jūn zhī 報君知 | 報 to announce / to inform / report / newspaper / recompense / revenge / CL: 份, 張|张 | 君 monarch / lord / gentleman / ruler | 知 to know / to be aware |
Don’t be tangled in stupidity mò mǎng lǔ 莫莽鹵 | 莫 do not / there is none who | 莽 thick weeds / luxuriant growth / Illicium anisatum, a shrub with poisonous leaves / impertinent | 鹵 alkaline soil / salt / brine / halogen (chemistry) / crass / stupid |
Sweet is sweet, bitter is bitter tián zhě tián xī kǔ zhě kǔ 甜者甜 兮苦者苦 | 甜 sweet | 者 (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) … / (after a noun) person involved in … / -er / (old) (used at the end of a command) / (old) this | 甜 sweet | 兮 (particle in old Chinese similar to 啊) | 苦 bitter / hardship / pain / to suffer / to bring suffering to / painstakingly | 者 zhě (after a verb or adjective) one who (is) … / (after a noun) person involved in … / -er / (old) (used at the end of a command) / (old) this | 苦 bitter / hardship / pain / to suffer / to bring suffering to / painstakingly
Submitted February 18, 2018 at 12:48AM by Solstice_Ewell http://ift.tt/2o8xqzh
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