So here we go again! There's a few I wanted to do but I settled on this piece of dung. Yunmen would've laughed at that. I hope.
looks around uncomfortably to the sound of crickets
If you didn't catch the last one, I'm just comparing different translations and highlighting some of the key differences. I'm not here to teach so I don't have a lot of commentary. But if you have a question, just ask. Let me know if anyone is still interested in more of these and I'll do another one in the future.
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Case 21: Yunmen's Piece of Shit
Cleary Trans.
When a monk asked Yunmen, "What is the buddha?" Yunmen said, "A dry piece of shit."
Wumen said,
What can be said about Yunmen? When the family is poor, even a simple meal is hard to manage. When things are busy, there is no time for even a hastily written letter. When he moves, he takes the piece of shit and props open the door with it, so that the rise and fall of the Buddhist Teaching can be seen.
Verse
Like a flash of lightning,
Or sparks struck from stone,
In the blink of an eye,
It's already gone.
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Case 21: Unmon's Kanshiketsu
Yamada Trans.
A monk asked Unmon in all earnestness, "What is buddha?" Unmon said, "Kanshiketsu!" (A dried shit-stick)
Mumons Commentary
It should be said of Unmon that he was too poor to prepare even the plainest food and too busy to write a draft. Suddenly he took up the shit-stick to support the door (of buddhism). You can see how the dharma has decayed.
The Verse
Lightning flashing,
Sparks shooting from flint,
A moment blinking,
It's already missed.
::::
Case 21: Dried Dung
Senzaki Trans.
monk asked Ummon: “What is Buddha?”
Ummon answered him: “Dried dung.”
MUMON’S COMMENT:
It seems to me Ummon is so poor he cannot distinguish the taste of one food from another, or else he is too busy to write readable letters. Well, he tried to hold his school with dried dung. And his teaching was just as useless.
Verse
Lightning flashes,
Sparks shower,
In one blink of your eyes,
You have missed seeing.
::::
Case 21: Unmon's Shit Stick
Blyth Trans.
A monk asked Ummon, “What is the Buddha?” “It is a shit-wiping stick,” replied Ummon.
The Commentary
We must say that Ummon can’t appreciate plain food. He’s so busy he can’t even scribble properly. He is disposed to support the sect with a shitstick. Look at the outcome!
The Verse
Sudden flashes of lightning!
Sparks from iron striking flint!
A blink of the mind’s eye,
And the legs are already walking in different directions.
::::
Case 21: Yunmen's Shit Scraper
Wonderwheel Trans.
Yunmen: Because a monk asked, "So what is Buddha?"
Men said, “A dry shit scraper.”
Wumen said,
Yunmen may name it, but a poor family has difficulty preparing simple food, and a hurried business is inadequate grass writing. He moved to relieve himself by using a “shit scraper” next to prop up the gate and hang the doors. One can see the Buddha Dharma waxes and wanes.
Verse
Flashing - lightning - shines;
Striking - stone - transforms;
To criticize - obtain the eye;
To stop mistakes - pass through.
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Case 21: Yunmen's Shitty Answer
Remix by HT
A monk asked Yunmen, "What is the buddha?" Yunmen said, "A used shit-stick."
Commentary
The poorest of the poor don't even have simple food or time to write letters. Yunmen took a used shit-stick to prop open the door. You can see in, but it still smells like shit.
Verse
A lightning flash,
A stone spark,
A blink of the eye,
And it's gone.
Submitted October 15, 2020 at 07:31PM by Hansa_Teutonica https://ift.tt/34WbGLI
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