A monk asked Yunmen, “When not producing a single thought, is there any fault or not?”
Yunmen said, “Mount Sumeru.”
I was talking to someone yesterday who said they were really interested in the funny of Zen. I think that is a really awesome thing and while not funny myself, I can talk a little about why I think this case is adorably hilarious.
I read all of my books on Kindle, so today while making breakfast I grabbed my device to read the case for the day. Usually I read the intro and the case and no comments first, and think about those for a bit. As soon as I read this exchange I was in the kitchen laughing my ass off. You know that laugh when you lose some of your strength and you have to bend down and support yourself with a counter? Like that.
So what’s so funny about this case for me? It’s like the monk went to Yunmen, glove in hand, asking, “How is it like when I don’t need to catch things?” And Yunmen instantly turns berserk mode for just a frame while he throws him a fucking mountain in the face and says, “Catch this.”
So should we leave it at that? You know I won’t. Let’s complicate this a bit. Why did Yuanwu threw a mountain in that monk’s face? National Teacher Yuantong Shan said,
This case is debated everywhere: some say as soon as one questions in this way, already this is raising thought, a fault as big as Mount Sumeru; some say it is like Mount Sumeru, unmoved by the eight winds, remaining steadfast for a thousand ages; some say that because it is difficult for people to pass through, it is like Mount Sumeru. Such assessments have not yet comprehended Yunmen’s meaning; only if the bottom of the bucket has fallen out and the red thread is broken off will you realize it is not so at all.
What do you think?
Submitted June 14, 2022 at 07:45PM by astroemi https://ift.tt/wLvgCVk
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