Authenticity in Zen understanding: Whenever Gutei Oshõ was asked about Zen, he simply raised his finger. Once a visitor asked Gutei's boy attendant, "What does your master teach?" The boy too raised his finger.

The Gateless Gate: Gutei Raises a Finger [3rd Case]

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Whenever Gutei Oshõ was asked about Zen, he simply raised his finger.

Once a visitor asked Gutei's boy attendant, "What does your master teach?"

The boy too raised his finger.

Hearing of this, Gutei cut off the boy's finger with a knife.

The boy, screaming with pain, began to run away.

Gutei called to him, and when he turned around, Gutei raised his finger.

The boy suddenly became enlightened.

When Gutei was about to pass away, he said to his assembled monks, "I obtained one-finger Zen from Tenryû and used it all my life but still did not exhaust it."

When he had finished saying this, he entered into eternal Nirvana.

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Mumon's Comment

The enlightenment of Gutei and of the boy does not depend on the finger.

If you understand this, Tenryû, Gutei, the boy, and you yourself are all run through with one skewer.

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Mumon's Verse

Gutei made a fool of old Tenryû,

Emancipating the boy with a single slice,

Just as Kyorei cleaved Mount Kasan

To let the Yellow River run through.

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Commentary and questions: If we are to hold discussions and debates of any merit or consequence in the Zen forum, then we must concern ourselves with authenticity in Zen understanding, which applies both to ourselves and to others. This famous case from The Gateless Gate expounds on the matter directly: the boy's understanding was not equal to Gutei's understanding, as one was the master and one was merely mimicking an action of the master. Gutei's 'One finger Zen' points to something crucial: to know the actions or words of the masters and even to be able to use them skillfully is not the same as true understanding.

Why is temporal differentiation in Zen understanding crucial to discussion and debate? Due to the paradoxical and esoteric nature of Zen, there can be wildly varying approaches to it and egregious misunderstandings of the teachings. Due to the all-encompassing nature of mind to begin with, people can have a strong tendency to extend their afflictions universally through discussion and debate. As it has long been said, misery loves company. Varying degrees of delusion are also at play: the egocentric preferences of the mind can lead to quickly-assumed and false intellectual understandings of Zen, of which the person doesn't realize isn't true understanding.

So what exactly is true understanding in Zen? Foyan Qingyuan has this masterful teaching to share on the matter: Whatever you are doing... there is something that transcends the Buddhas and Zen Masters; but as soon as you want to understand it, it's not there. It's not really there; as soon as you try to gather your attention on it, you have already turned away from it... Does this mean that you will realize it if you do not aim the mind and do not develop intellectual understanding? Far from it – you will fail even more seriously to realize it. Even understanding does not get it, much less not understanding!

Submitted November 12, 2019 at 08:23PM by WanderingRoninXIII https://ift.tt/34TpftK