Hsueh Feng's Grain of Rice - Blue Cliff Record Case 5

Ref to u/TFnarcon9's post 8 months ago: here.

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I think it's a case where the translation can make a big difference. For comparison here are a few:

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Cleary & Cleary's BCR (case 5):

Hsueh Feng, teaching his community, said, "Pick up the whole great earth in your fingers, and it's as big as a grain of rice. Throw it down before you: if, like a lacquer bucket, you don't understand, I'll beat the drum to call everyone to look."

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There's an article from the Treetop Zen Center (I don't know them) that gives a couple of other translations (and also notes the alternative spelling of Hsueh Feng which you might have seen elsewhere - Xuefeng):

There is a translation made by Sekida.

Seppo addressed the assembly and said, “All the great world, if I pick it up with my fingertips, is found to be like a grain of rice. I throw it in front of your face, but you do not see it. Beat the drum, telling the monks to come out to work, and search for it.”

There is another translation found online, translator unknown.

Seppô, teaching the assembly, said, “When you pick up the whole earth in your fingers, it’s the size of a grain of rice. I cast it down before you. Like in a black lacquer bucket, you don’t recognize it any more. Beat the drum, call everyone to look for it!”

Finally, there is the other translation of Cleary in his Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record.

Seppo said to a group, “Pick up the whole world in your fingers, and it’s as big as a grain of rice. Toss it in front of you; if you’re in the dark, not understanding, beat the drum to muster everyone to look.”

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One thing these other translations made clearer for me is that the people coming to look are looking for 'a grain of rice'. The other main difference is that it is often Xuefeng throwing it down, not the reader/hearer.

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Yuanwu tells the story of Xuefeng's enlightenment in the commentary:

Later, Hsueh Feng was snowed in on Tortoise Mountain (in Hunan). He told Yen T'ou, "When Te Shan [Deshan] hit me, it was like the bottom falling out of a bucket." Yen T'ou shouted and said, "Haven't you heard it said that what comes in through the gate isn't the family treasure? You must let it flow out from your own breast to cover heaven and earth, then you'll have some small portion of realization." Suddenly Hsueh Feng was greatly enlightened; he bowed and said to Yen T'ou, "Elder brother, today on Tortoise Mountain I have finally attained the Path."

It seems Xuefeng is no stranger to self-deception!

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Wumen's intro to the Gateless Gate talks about piercing all the cases with a common thread. This I think is analogous to the grain of rice. But don't you think it's unusual for someone who's not the full rice-bag to be mustering the monks?

Submitted May 31, 2019 at 07:56PM by sje397 http://bit.ly/2XfVEHj