The Blue Cliff Record: Pai Chang's Sitting Alone on Ta Hsiung Mountain [26th Case]

The Blue Cliff Record: Pai Chang's Sitting Alone on Ta Hsiung Mountain [26th Case]

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CASE

A monk asked Pai Chang, "What's the extraordinary affair?"¹ Chang said, "Sitting alone on Ta Hsiung Mountain."² The monk bowed;³ Chang thereupon hit him.⁴

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NOTES

1. There's an echo in the words. He demonstrates his ability in a phrase. He flabbergasts people. Though this monk has eyes, he's never seen.
2. His awesome majestic air extends over the whole country. The one standing and the one sitting both are defeated.
3. A clever patchrobed monk! There still is such a man who wants to see such things.
4. Chang is a competent teacher of our school: why does he not speak much? The imperative is not carried out vainly.

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Wandering Ronin commentary and questions: To ask a question is to already have the answer leap forth at once from one's mouth. Echoes in the valley of the Dharma; our own voices please our ears, and our own minds reflect our true selves. Answers may be offered, but who in the world could hear them? A ghost alone in a hall of mirrors; when Chang hit the monk, who was really at fault?

Submitted June 16, 2019 at 05:26AM by WanderingRoninXIII http://bit.ly/2ILxtdZ