Dragon Eyes and The Tiger's Roar: Levels of understanding in Zen and the purpose of following the Way.

Eighty-fifth case of the Blue Cliff Record: The Hermit of T'ung Feng Makes aTiger's Roar

​

POINTER

To hold the world fast without the slightest leak, so that all the people in the world lose their points and become tongue­ tied—this is the true imperative for patchrobed monks.¹

To release a light from one's forehead that shines through the four quarters—this is the adamantine eye of patchrobed monks.²

To touch iron and turn it into gold, to touch gold and turn it into iron,³ to suddenly capture and suddenly release—this is the staff of patchrobed monks.

To cut off the tongues of everyone in the world so that there's no place for them to breathe out, to make them fall back three thousand miles—this is the mettle of patchrobed monks.⁴

But tell me, when one is not this way at all, who is he? To test I cite this to see.

​

CASE⁵

A monk came to the place of the hermit of T'ung Feng and asked, "If you suddenly encountered a tiger here, what then?" The hermit made a tiger's roar. The monk then made a gesture of fright. The hermit laughed aloud. The monk said, "You old thief!" The hermit said, "What can you do about me?" The monk gave up.

Hsueh Tou said, "This is all right, but these two wicked thieves only knew how to cover their ears to steal the bell."

_____________________________________________________________________

Wandering Ronin commentary and questions:

1. To hold the world fast without the slightest leak connotes not letting the myriad things cause binding complications such as aversions or attachments. How is this imperative accomplished? Huanbgo Xiyun teaches the way by dropping all conceptual thinking at once.
2. This again points one into the direction of mind, where everything begins and ends. The concepts of 'meaning' among the myriad things is not inherent to them; we actualize what each and every single thing in the world will be as we go along by adding our concepts and thoughts to it.
3. This is an excellent pointer towards the absolute by using one's own potential value judgements on materials themselves. On one hand, everyone knows that gold has more 'value' than iron, but how many people can apply the absolute to realize that they are both the same material of One Mind? What in the world can hinder you if you can leap clear of your concepts of it?
4. This is a pointer towards the purpose of the path of Zen; the true practitioner isn't tossed about here and there by the myriad things. Those who follow the Way have a distinct advantage in the world over the understanding layman, who is completely bound to forms with no knowledge of the absolute. There is no gain or loss within One Mind, and no birth or death for the Unborn.
5. In this case, the monk has a dynamic and dramatic exchange with the hermit, but what is really going on here? Are these two fellows simply being ridiculous, entertaining themselves by acting in play, or is something much deeper going on here? I see it as a dance of the ordinary and the absolute. Also, could it truly be said that the monk's and hermit's understandings of the great matter are the same? If that were true, why would the monk give up?

Submitted May 19, 2019 at 08:02PM by WanderingRoninXIII http://bit.ly/2YCIgNL