The Blue Cliff Record: Later, Yun Men said, "These words were all for the sake of compassion; thus they had a conversation in the weeds."

The Blue Cliff Record: Yang Shan Asks "Where Have You Come From?'' [34th Case]

CASE

Yang Shan asked a monk, "Where have you just come from?"¹

The monk said, "Mount Lu."²

Yang Shan said, "Did you visit Five Elders Peak?"³

The monk said, "I didn't get there."⁴

Yang Shan said, "You never visited the mountain at all."⁵

Later, Yun Men said, "These words were all for the sake of compassion; thus they had a conversation in the weeds."⁶

NOTES

1. Everyone in the world is the same. Still it is necessary to ask. The monk will inevitably construe it in the ordinary way.
2. A truthful man is hard to find.
3. He uses the wind to fan the fire. How could he have ever passed it by?
4. Take a step. A red face is not as good as honest speech. He seems to be at a loss.
5. Too much ado! He should be careful of his eyebrows. What is this old fellow's hurry?
6. The sword that kills people, the sword that gives people life. Two, three. If you want to know the mountain road, you must be the man who travels on it.

____________________________________________________________

Commentary and questions: What is the aim and goal of discussing and debating Zen? Does someone who speaks before attaining cause confusion, and who is it that they would they confuse? Does someone who speaks after attainment erase delusion?

It seems better to speak directly and with honesty, but the Way itself is beyond the written word... is the Way beyond the spoken word as well? What word isn't a word of the Dharma?

When Yang Shan asked the monk where he came from, it would seem that he spoke with the forked tongue of a dragon. Either the monk was entirely unaware of the predator in his midst, or he skillfully refrained from straying away from the path, distinctly within bounds of truth of the matter.

Submitted February 01, 2020 at 08:05PM by _WanderingRonin_ https://ift.tt/2RR8bB7