The Last Word

WuMenGuan Case 13

One day Tokusan came towards the refectory from the Meditation Hall, carrying his bowls. Seppo called out to him, “Where are you off to with your bowls, when the bell has not rung and the drum has not been struck.” Tokusan went back at once to his own room. Seppo told this occurrence to Ganto, who remarked, “Tokusan though he is, he has not penetrated into the deepest truth, the last word of Zen.” Hearing of this, Tokusan sent an acolyte to ask Ganto to come, and said to him, “Have you any criticism to make of me?” Ganto whispered his meaning to him. Saying nothing Tokusan took leave of him. The next day, ascending the rostrum, Tokusan was different from before. Ganto, going towards the front of the Hall, clapping his hands and laughing, said, “What a happy thing! The old man has got hold of the last word of Zen. From now onwards nobody will be able to take a rise out of him!”

 

BOS Case 55

When Xuefeng was at Deshan working as rice cook, one day the meal was late: Deshan came to the teaching hall holding his bowl. Xuefeng said, "Old man, the bell hasn't rung yet, the drum hasn't sounded--where are you going with your bowl?" Deshan immediately returned to his room. Xuefeng reported this to Yantou: Yantou said, "Even Deshan, so great, does not understand the last word." Deshan had his attendant summon Yantou, and asked him, "You don't agree with me?" Yantou then expressed what he meant. Deshan then stopped. The next day when Deshan went up into the hall to speak, it was not the same as usual: Yantou clapped and laughed and said, "Happily the old guy understands the last word. Hereafter no one in the world will be able to have any effect on him."

 

BCR Case 51

When Hsueh Feng was living in a hut, there were two monks who came to pay their respects. Seeing them coming, he pushed open the door of the hut with his hand, popped out, and said, "What is it?" A monk also said, "What is it?" Feng lowered his head and went back inside the hut.

Later the monk came to Yen T'ou. T'ou asked, "Where are you coming from?" The monk said, "I've come from Ling Nan." T'ou said, "Did you ever go to Hsueh Feng?" The monk said, "I went there." T'ou said, "What did he have to say?" The monk recounted the preceding story. T'ou said, "What did he say?" The monk said, "He said nothing; he lowered his head and went back inside the hut." T'ou said, "Alas! It's too bad I didn't tell him the last word before; if I had told him, no one on earth could cope with old Hsueh."

At the end of the summer the monk again brought up the preceding story to ask for instruction. T'ou said, "Why didn't you ask earlier?" The monk said, "I didn't dare to be casual." T'ou said, "Though Hsueh Feng is born of the same lineage as me, he doesn't die in the same lineage as me. If you want to know the last word, just this is it."

 

If you want to know the last word on Zen, go ask u/guruhunter; they told me.

Me, I'm going to work on my new huatou:

"I didn't dare to be casual."

Submitted September 23, 2020 at 08:48PM by surupamaerl https://ift.tt/3mO4x8v