Two Ch'an followers came from the assembly of Master Shih-shuang to the monastery of Master Kuei-shan, where they complained that no one there understood Ch'an.
Later on everyone in the temple was ordered to bring firewood. Yang-shan encountered the two visitors as they were resting.
He picked up a piece of firewood and asked, "Can you make a correct statement about this?"
Neither made an answer.
Yang-shan said, "Then you had better not say that no one here understands Ch'an."
I think the 'no complaining about dummies' part of this case is the one that really gets under people' skin...even if they can't say why.
First off, there isn't a correct statement that gets you winning points in dharma combat aka. dharma interviewing someone aka. giving Zen instruction. So...whining how the newbies are a bunch of...newbies...excludes you from the tradition of meeting people and giving them direct instruction.
Secondly, that very tradition demand as a matter of life and death that you answer those questions, not that you meditate on them for countless number of years, lifetimes, aeons, etc. and repeat stuff you heard about how 'chopping wood' is like, totally the thing to do if you want to understand enlightenment.
Still, don't confuse this matter for making a correct statement about firewood.
Submitted July 19, 2022 at 02:47AM by ThatKir https://ift.tt/1s2SeqF
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