I read this fascinating case in The Measuring Tap and it fleshed out a lot Zen traditions, like testing, guest and host, and case commentary... really cool little read, wanted to share.
Baoci asked a monk, “Where have you just come from?” (He wants to test him.) The monk said, “Reclining Dragon.” (A truthful person is hard to find.) Baoci said, “How long were you there?” (He should give a rejoinder.) The monk said, “Through winter and summer.” (A fine easygoing fellow.) Baoci said, “’There are no lodgers at the Dragon Gate’—why were you there so long?” (Another good test.) The monk said, “’There are no different animals in a lion’s den.’” (Two heads, three faces.) Baoci said, “Try to roar the lion’s roar.” (He picks up one and lets one go.) The monk said, “If I roared the lion’s roar, then you’d cease to exist.” (Even though he’s fallen into the weeds, he still has control.) Baoci said, “Considering that you’re a newcomer, for now I’ll forgive you a beating.” (Each of them is bogged down.) Xuedou said, “Extraordinary! Chan worthies, if ranged evenly, the two don’t hurt each other. (What’s the use of bogging each other down?) Based on the imperative, both are in danger. (They lose their lives at the same time.) Can you check?” (Striking, I say, Danger!)
Yuanwu said, This is a case of guest and host meeting each other like setting out great battle lines with swords and spears, then using just rocks. Ultimately, though, they don’t lose the bloodline. “There are no different animals in a lion’s den” is utterly irrelevant, but there’s life to it. “Considering that you’re a newcomer, for now I forgive you a beating”—he gains life in death. It’s all letting go from the start. Why? Not acting where there should be action, yet being lively in inaction. Xuedou brings up not hurting each other in an even array; “there are no lodgers at the Dragon Gate” is already an even array—tell me, where is the danger?
Submitted May 23, 2020 at 11:19AM by NorthStarIV https://ift.tt/3g9U5Vv
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