If I invite you to eat at my home to sate your hunger, I host as a host.
If I invite you to eat at my home to judge my cooking for the purposes of improvement, I host as a guest.
If you invite me to eat at your home because I'm hungry, and I attend, I guest as a guest.
If you invite me to eat at your home because you're hungry for better cooking, and I attend, I guest as a host.
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Guest-as-Guest
Ma-tsu lost no opportunity for encouraging in his disciple the spirit of violence and fearlessness. It happened once that his disciple Yin-feng of Wu-t’ai was pushing along a cart, while Matsu was sitting on the road with his feet stretched out. Yin-feng requested him to draw back his feet, but Ma-tsu said, “What is stretched is not to be drawn back again!” Yin-feng retorted, “Once advanced, there is no turning backward!” Disregarding the master, he kept pushing the cart until it ran over and injured his feet. Ma-tsu returned to the hall with an axe in his hand, saying, “Let the one who a few moments ago injured my feet with his cart come forward!” Yin-feng, not to be daunted, came forward stretching his neck in front of the master. The master put down his axe.
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Host-as-Host
Once the monks of the Western and Eastern Halls were arguing about a cat. Nansen, holding up the cat, said, “You monks! If you can say a word of Zen, I will spare the cat. Otherwise I will kill it.” No one could answer, so Nansen cut the cat in two. That evening, when Joshu returned, Nansen told him of the incident. Joshu thereupon took off his sandal, put it on his head, and walked off. Nansen said, “If you had been there, the cat would have been saved!”
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Guest-As-Host
One day Nansen shut the door of his room, scattered ashes around the threshold, and said to the monks, "If you can say it, I will open the door." The monks gave many an answer, but none pleased Nansen. Then Joshu said, "Alas! Alas!" Nansen immediately opened the door. --
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Host-As-Guest
[Bankei] was at the Korinji. When he ascended the lecture seat, a master of the martial arts approached him and said: "I have been practicing for quite some time. Once I'd grasped the knack of it, my hand responded perfectly to my mind, and ever since, when I confront an opponent, before even taking up my weapon, I've pierced through his very 'bones and marrow.' It's like your Reverence's having the Dharma Eye."The Master told him: "You've certainly done your utmost in the martial arts. Now, attack mel "The samurai was suddenly at a loss. The Master said: "I've delivered my blow."
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Once again, I deliver my blow.
Gentle, no?
Submitted September 14, 2020 at 11:27PM by PaladinBen https://ift.tt/2H3zl4N
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