Wakuan said, “Why has the Western Barbarian no beard?”
Mumon's comment
Study should be real study, enlightenment should be real enlightenment. You should once meet this barbarian directly to be really intimate with him. But saying you are really intimate with him already divides you into two.
Mumon’s verse
Don’t discuss your dream
Before a fool.
Barbarian with no beard
Obscures the clarity.
Comment
In this case, the "Western Barbarian" is referring to Bodhidharma, who is usually depicted as a bearded monk. A clearer question to understand the "issue" with this koan is phrasing it like "Why has the bearded Bodhidharma no beard?"
Most koans deal with the paradigm of nonduality. I had a lot of trouble understanding this one, but Mumon gives us a pretty clear hint in his comment, that's why I added his comment to this case (and edited the past cases I've covered to add his comment too).
But saying you are really intimate with him already divides you into two.
What is being told here is that we should discard the concept of duality. To discard the idea there is a separation between the self and other. So Bodhidharma and you are not separate, and he has no beard because you have no beard. Unless you do. In that case, you will not understand this koan unless you shave.
Submitted January 21, 2020 at 03:34AM by felipeforte https://ift.tt/38lyOmM
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