Fifty-second case of the Blue Cliff Record: Chao Chou Lets Asses Cross, Lets Horses Cross

The Blue Cliff Record: Chao Chou Lets Asses Cross, Lets Horses Cross

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CASE

A monk asked Chao Chou, "For a long time I've heard of the stone bridge of Chao Chou, but now that I've come here I just see a simple log bridge."¹

Chou said, "You just see the log bridge; you don't see the stone bridge."²

The monk said, "What is the stone bridge?"³

Chou said, "It lets asses cross, it lets horses cross."⁴

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NOTES

1. Here's another man who comes to grab the tiger's whiskers. This is the proper business of patchrobed monks.
2. Chou is accustomed to getting the advantage. This old fellow is selling off his body.
3. He's climbed up onto Chou's hook, after all.
4. A single net cast over "asses" and "horses." In fact all the people in the world have no place to breathe; once dead they don't come back to life again.

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COMMENTARY [Excerpt only]

In the place of Chao Chou there's a stone bridge; ever since it was built in the Latter Han dynasty by Li Ying, it has been famous throughout the country. A simple log bridge is a bridge made of a single log.

Intentionally downgrading Chao Chou's grandeur, this monk questioned him saying, "For a long time I've heard of the stone bridge of Chao Chou, but now that I've come here I just see a simple log bridge."

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Wandering Ronin commentary and questions: This particular case in the Blue Cliff Record, one of my personal favorites, reminds me quite a bit of a famous saying from another field of interest: Chess is an ocean in which a gnat may drink and an elephant can bathe. The case, like many from Zen history, is paradoxically simple yet dramatically complex all at once. It indeed lets asses cross and horses cross.

Metaphorically speaking, the monk walks into the very lair of the dragon and challenges the master Joshu on the 'ordinary' and plain way of Zen, even Joshu himself. 'Is this is all there is?' the monk seems to question. Bear in mind that the monk's courage to stand forth and be cut down is the very essence of the path of Zen. As Foyan teaches, this is a matter for strong people.

Joshu perceives the understanding of the monk at once through his very words and presentation. Joshu is not known for being a gregarious or overly-dramatic Zen master. He doesn't tend to physically push monks around or beat them, but he uses words that kill and bring to life, which is all the more impressive. 'This is all there is' Joshu seems to be saying, 'but you're somehow still missing a great deal of it.'

Submitted May 18, 2019 at 09:48PM by WanderingRoninXIII http://bit.ly/2Qa8DI5