2bitmonent's 8 koans from Dongshan. koan 107 "What's the use of a life lived in oblivion?"

-107-

The following incident was brought up. When Wu-hsieh 166 went to Shih-t'ou's, he said, "If in a word you can say something appropriate, I will stay. If you can't, I will leave."

Shih-t'ou took his seat, and Wu-hsieh left. Shih-t'ou immediately called, "Acarya, Acarya!"

Wu-hsieh turned his head back.

Shih-t'ou said, "From birth to death there is only this. What's the use of turning your head this way and that?"

Wu-hsieh was suddenly awakened and broke his walking stick.

The Master said, "Because Wu-hsieh was not a master at that time, it was too difficult for him to fully appreciate what had taken place. So although things happened as they did, Wu-hsieh still had farther to go.”

Commentary

166 Wu-hsieh was one of Tung-shan's early teachers (see TSL1). Although he is said here to have attained enlightenment under Shih-t'ou, he eventually entered Ma-tsu's lineage.

1. What does it mean to have a teaching adequate to the student? Is it the case that different teachings work for different people? Really? How do you listen to those around you and see the important things that they need to hear (in your estimation)?

2. I understood that it was “premature enlightenment” and thus not only was it unwelcome to receive this enlightenment at this time, but it made getting real enlightenment harder, and made it take longer. There is a matter of timing with teaching, with having a disciple-master relationship, reading their progress and their effort.

3. "From birth to death there is only this.” Whether you meditate, or stay here, or go to another teacher or another forum, or debate big points or small points. Whatever you do “there is only this”. There is no escape.

4. “What's the use of turning your head this way and that?" - “What is the use” of anything if your heart is not in it? Is not in anything? If you are searching outside of yourself for something sacred, beautiful, good? Be it enlightenment or nirvana or admiration from others or true friendship? I remember reading about how “dukha” is “an axle that doesn’t quite fit into the hub of a wheel”, “not centeredness”, unbalancedness. “Life is unbalancedness” What is the point of samsara, of perambulating through life, lost? What is the point of a life lived in oblivion, in ignorance, in vice, in stupidity? “What is the use of turning your head this way and that?” indeed.

Submitted May 13, 2020 at 08:57AM by 2bitmoment https://ift.tt/2AiBLZG