Friday, 24 January 2020

The Gateless Gate - Case #8: Keichū the Wheelmaker

Full case

Gettan Oshō “Keichū, the first wheelmaker, made a cart whose wheels had a hundred spokes. Now, suppose you took a cart and removed both the wheels and the axle. What would you have?”

Mumon’s comment

If anyone can directly master this topic, his eye will be like a shooting star, his spirit like a flash of lightning.

Mumon’s verse

When the spiritual wheels turn,

Even the master fails to follow them.

They travel in all directions, above and below,

North, south, east, and west.

Comment

You cannot define yourself by your parts. You cannot say you are body, and you cannot say you are mind. You are both, and neither. Who are you, after all?

The greatest grace is knowing you are not separate from body, and you are not separate from mind. And you are not separate from yourself either. How would you function if it were any different? With no wheels, you don't move, with no axles, you have no wheels!! But you're still a cart.

Hold onto these thoughts, and understand them. Once you do, forget everything that was said here.

Verse

A lifeless wheel

A useless axle

Together, we are one

And we'll keep riding, and riding



Submitted January 25, 2020 at 01:16AM by felipeforte https://ift.tt/2NXHkAS

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