Dharma Combat Loser Gets the Boot

Xinghua questioned duty distributor Kepin, "Before long you will be a teacher proclaiming the Way."

Kepin said, "I don't enter this company."

Xinghua said, "Do you not enter having understood, or do you not enter without understanding?"

Kepin said, "No connection."

Xinghua then hit him and said, "Duty distributor Kepin has failed to prevail in Dharma combat - he's fined five strings of cash, to be used to provide a meal."

The next day, at the time of the midday meal, Xinghua himself struck the signal board and announced, "Duty distributor Kepin has failed to prevail in Dharma combat - he can't partake of the meal," then he expelled him from the monastery.

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A couple questions:

1. How is the Zen Way proclaimed?

2. When someone bungles at Dharma combat...what does enforcing Xinghua's edict of not feeding, and then expelling losers look like in our e-Sangha?

People who pretend to be enlightened, worship sitting Xinghua, consult secret cultleader answer keys, or or want to send love-letters to Xinghua instead of meeting him face-to-face obv. won't prevail...but even if you meet Xinghua face to face, how will you enter?

(Btw, Yuanwu says this Kepin fellow later came back, and got enlightened under Xinghua. Totes Lulz.)

Submitted April 15, 2021 at 08:54PM by ThatKir https://ift.tt/3ad6TsN