The Sayings of Layman P'ang: 15

^{Green Translation}

The Eye of the Heritage. Pg 41

One day Tan-hsia asked the Layman, "How is today like yesterday¹ when we met each other?"

The layman said, "Yesterday we had to quibble about the dharma in order to open the eye of our heritage."

Tan-hsia said, "How would Mr. P'ang know when the eye of our heritage has opened?"

The Layman said, "I see from inside your eye."

Tan-hsia said, "But my eye is so narrow. How can you sequester yourself in there?"

The Layman said, "How can you say that your eye is narrow, or that I can't sequester myself in there?"

Tan-hsia hesitated, so the Layman said, "Can you not say a word that would complete our conversation?"

Tan-hsia did not reply, and the Layman said, "No one can say it all in a word."

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1. This story is one of a handful that describe a series of interactions between Tan-hsia and Layman P'ang. The events of "yesterday" likely are referring to the literal interactions between them in the previous few days. Something or other about P'ang's daughter and some vegetables

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I suspect that most people who come to the forum approached the study of Zen for answers to one of two questions:

• What is the true, fundemental nature of reality?

or

• How does one escape the cycle of suffering?

The Layman says, "I see from inside your eye." What true reality is the Layman seeing in Tan-hsia's eye?

The Layman says that they had to quibble about the dharma in order to open the eye of our heritage. If "opening the eye of our heritage" is freedom from the chaotic world of suffering, how could a bunch of quibbling be needed in order to open it?

Submitted March 22, 2018 at 01:58AM by NegativeGPA http://ift.tt/2FXmM5r