Source(s): The Blue Cliff Record Translated by Thomas Cleary and J.C. Cleary, Shambhala, 2005, and Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record: Zen Comments by Hakuin and Tenkei Translated by Thomas Cleary
Pa Ling's Snow in a Silver Bowl
POINTER
Clouds are frozen over the great plains, but the whole world is not hidden. When snow covers the white flowers, it's hard to distinguish the outlines. Its coldness is as cold as snow and ice; it fineness is as fine as rice powder. Its depths are hard for even a Buddha's eye to peer into; its secrets are impossible for demons and outsiders to fathom. Leaving aside "understanding three when one is raised" for the moment, still he cuts off the tongues of everyone on earth. Tell me, whose business is this? To test, I cite this: look!
CASE
A monk asked Pa Ling, "What is the school of Kanadeva?"
Pa Ling said, "Piling up snow in a silver bowl."
COMMENTARY (Cleary, excerpts)
People often misunderstand and say this is a heretical school. What does this have to do with it? The fifteenth Patriarch, the honorable Kanadeva, was indeed (at one time) numbered among the outsiders; but when he met the fourteenth Patriarch, the honorable Nagarjuna (who presented a bowl of water to him), he put a needle into the bowl: Nagarjuna esteemed his capacity, transmitted the Buddha Mind School to him, and invested him as the fifteenth Patriarch.
[...]
In the community (of Yun Men) PaLing was called Mouthy Chien. When he was travelling around he always sewed sitting mats." He had attained deeply into the great matter upon which Yun Men tread: thus he was outstanding. Later he appeared in the world as a Dharma successor to Yun Men. Formerly he dwelt at Pa Ling in Yueh Chou (in Hunan). He didn't compose any document of succession to the teaching, but just took three turning words to offer up to Yun Men: "What is the Path? A clear eyed man falls into a well." "What is the sword (so sharp it cuts) a hair blown (against it)? Each branch of coral upholds the moon." "What is the school of Kanadeva? Piling up snow in a silver bowl." Yun Men said, "Later on, on the anniversary of my death, just recite these three turning words, and you will have repaid my kindness in full." Thereafter, as it turned out, he did not hold ceremonial feasts on the anniversaries of his death, but followed Yun Men's will and just brought up these turning words.
[...]
HAKUIN
This first question is the marrow of the Ummon school; the answer is in the question. This is a spontaneous question self-answered. What is the Deva school? An iron hammerhead without a hole is thrown right at your face. Each time it is brought up it is new.
TENKEI
This is uniform transcendence, wherein the world is nonetheless not hidden. You cannot discern this unless you have the eye to distinguish differences. Ultimately the whole universe should be seen as the school of the enlightened mind.
wrrdgrrl's ponderings:
1. How did Kanadeva demonstrate his "capacity" when he placed a needle into the bowl of water? I'm thinking it was a pine needle (floats) and not a sewing needle (sinks). How can we understand/relate to this teaching? Plain talk.
2. The three "turning words" I have seen elsewhere as three turning "phrases" - I feel like I need more context - are there three words to a phrase, or was each phrase expressed by one symbol (word), and the translation is misleading? I feel like a grrl down a well.
3. In reading the commentary by Hakuin and Tenkei I find only glimpses of illumination to the case. I included these excerpts for the impact of the hammerhead metaphor - this is how One Mind smashes into the deluded self-image - and for them pointing me to better grasp a difficult case/phrasing - "piling snow in a silver bowl". It's something about discernment - how can you distinguish the outlines of white flowers covered in snow?
I invite anyone to join me in pulling apart the many, many (yet all the same?) threads in this case and extensive commentary. u/kphoover did a series on the cases of the BCR last year. Here is their post on this case, as well as all the juicy discussion in the comments, including my own deluded babbling.
Submitted June 01, 2019 at 08:21PM by wrrdgrrl http://bit.ly/2HP8U0j
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