Mumon's Preface to The Gateless Gate
Buddhism makes mind its foundation and no-gate its gate.
Now, how do you pass through this no-gate?
It is said that things coming in through the gate can never be your own treasures. What is gained from external circumstances will perish in the end.
However, such a saying is already raising waves when there is no wind. It is cutting unblemished skin.
As for those who try to understand through other people's words, they are striking at the moon with a stick; scratching a shoe, whereas it is the foot that itches. What concern have they with the truth?
In the summer of the first year of Jõtei, Ekai was in Ryûshõ Temple and as head monk worked with the monks, using the cases of the ancient masters as brickbats to batter the gate and lead them on according to their respective capacities.
The text was written down not according to any scheme, but just to make a collection of forty-eight cases.
It is called Mumonkan, "The Gateless Gate."
A man of determination will unflinchingly push his way straight forward, regardless of all dangers.
Then even the eight-armed Nata cannot hinder him.
Even the four sevens of the West and the two threes of the East would beg for their lives.
If one has no determination, then it will be like catching a glimpse of a horse galloping past the window: in the twinkling of an eye it will be gone.
Verse
The Great Way is gateless,
Approached in a thousand ways.
Once past this checkpoint
You stride through the universe.
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Wandering Ronin commentary and questions: Delusion and enlightenment, enlightenment and delusion... what is your balance and measure between both? Can an accurate assessment be made from where you are in your own study and practice? Are you a fair and impartial judge, jury and executioner? Claiming early foundation-based understandings in Zen is the absolute height of delusion; if only there were a true master of Ch'an in this forum! More than likely, he would cover his own eyes in shame at the ridiculousness involved here, and shake out his sleeves before leaving.
Yet what can be done about it? Here in Mumon's preface to the Mumonkan, I've italicized the words of action in order to reveal the way of what effort may be involved in the path of Zen. Delusion takes great skill and dedicated introspection to identify and overcome, particularly when first starting out on the path. Are you fully aware of what you are up against when dealing with the ego? Zen is not an easy thing to claim to mastery of just by meditating or reading a few books; what Ch'an master from the histories would let you get away with claiming false and delusional 'enlightenment' right in front of him without cracking your head open with his staff?
Submitted June 03, 2019 at 08:07PM by WanderingRoninXIII http://bit.ly/2KmEVP7
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