The Mumonkan: Another eminent teacher of old said, "You, who sit on the top of a hundred-foot pole, although you have entered the Way you are not yet genuine.

The Mumonkan: Proceed On from the Top of the Pole [46th Case]

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Sekisõ Oshõ asked, "How can you proceed on further from the top of a hundred-foot pole?"¹

Another eminent teacher of old said, "You, who sit on the top of a hundred-foot pole, although you have entered the Way you are not yet genuine.²

Proceed on from the top of the pole, and you will show your whole body in the ten directions."³

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Mumon's Comment

If you go on further and turn your body about, no place is left where you are not the master.⁴

But even so, tell me, how will you go on further from the top of a hundred-foot pole? Eh?"⁵

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Mumon's Verse

He darkens the third eye of insight

And clings to the first mark on the scale.⁶

Even though he may sacrifice his life,

He is only a blind man leading the blind.⁷

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Wandering Ronin commentary and questions:

1. What could this hundred-foot pole be other than reasoning and understanding?
2. A deep, deep cut. He washes away the accumulation of all curated worldly treasures at once.
3. To let go of the understanding and all conceptual reasoning is to discover Void.
4. The master of all he surveys; even the dark side of the moon is his alone.
5. Void is already Void; there was no hundred-foot pole to begin with.
6. Ahh, another skillful cut... Mumon has left nothing behind for any thieves.
7. Even still, even still. Compassion knows no bounds, and all sentient beings have been saved.

Submitted October 28, 2019 at 07:56PM by WanderingRoninXIII https://ift.tt/32TLHCt