Kongshi Daoren (est. 1050-1124) "Daoren" means "Person of the Way," and was a title given to lay people who devoted themselves to Buddhist practice.
When she was quite elderly, but before she became a nun, Kongshi Daoren opened a public bathhouse. On the door to the bath she posted these words:
Nothing exists, not even dirt, so why are you bathing?
Even a speck of dust - where would it come from?
Say something true and then you can enter the bath.
If the ancient spirits can only scrub your back, how could I, the founder, bring purity to your mind?
If you want to be free from dirt you should first make such an effort that your whole body sweats.
It is said that water can wash off dust, yet how can people realize that the water itself is also dust?
Even though you suddenly wipe away the distinction between water and dirt, you must still wash it all off when you come to this bathhouse.
Her father refused to allow her to become a nun, so she studied Huayen Buddhism at home. After her parents' death, her brother still refused to allow her to ordain. When he died, she studied with Sixin Wuxin, who certified her awakening. Later she opened a bathhouse outside a monastery, and wrote mondo* verses on the walls, inviting all her customers to debate. When she wrote a pamphlet called "The Record on Clarifying the Mind,"** it was circulated widely and approved by many masters, making her famous. She ordained as an old woman and became head of the Xizhu Convent in Jiangsu.
*Mondo - a question-and-answer teaching format between student and teacher.
** I was unable to locate any information on this text, and welcome any input from others.
wrrdgrrl: In the course of my top-secret zen memeing activites, I was reading up on that spitfire Miaozhong (famous for her Dharma Interview with senior monk Wanan) and followed a couple of links that brought me to the "Hidden Lamp" text that inspired this post.
This badass bathhouse nun is basically doing what she wants in a time when women didn't do that had to wait until all the males in her family died so she could follow her path, and further, employed verses written on the walls of her establishment to engage the patrons in verses. Her poetic challenge, posted on the front door, clearly sets the stage for what is expected within. Is anyone else reminded of Fridays here at r/zen?
"Even a speck of dust - where would it come from?" - hints of Huineng?
"Say something true and then you can enter the bath." - Nansen, dat you?
I invite responses in bath-time verse, recollections on the subject of bathing, or simply by leaving soapy footprints marking your exit. Keep it clean, guys!
Sources:
"Kongshi's Bathhouse", The Hidden Lamp: Stories From Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women, Ed. Florence Caplow & Susan Moon
"Women's Lineage Materials" - http://szba.org/wp-content/uploads/Womens_Lineage_Materials.pdf
"Brief Biographies of Women Zen Ancestors" - https://www.mountainrecord.org/essays/brief-biographies-of-women-zen-ancestors/
Submitted June 02, 2020 at 04:04AM by wrrdgrrl https://ift.tt/2ZYK5IM
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