Prime Minister Li asked a monk, “What verbal teaching does Grand Master Ma have?” The monk said, “Sometimes he says mind is Buddha, sometimes he say it is not mind, not Buddha.” Li said, “It’s all beyond This Side.” Li instead asked master Xitang Zang, “What verbal teaching does Grand Master Ma have?” Zang called, “Prime Minister!” Li responded. Zang said, “The drums and horns directing the army have gone into action.”
Comments:
There is a case where one of Mazu's students gets enlightened and goes off on his own teaching "Mind is Buddha". I think it's the peach blossom guy? Anyway, Mazu sends one of his monks to test Mr. Peach Blossom by having the monk tell him that Mazu now teaches "Not Mind, not Buddha".
I find this interesting because the above story suggests Mazu taught "Mind", then stopped and started teaching "not Mind", while case 371 suggests Mazu taught both at the same time and switched between the two.
I'm wondering if Zang was a student of Mazu's? His technique of calling out to Li and then pointing out that the very thing that made him turn his head is the Buddha is a classic device of Mazu's. In this case the "horns and drums" are the Buddha-Nature.
Lately I'm under the probably mistaken assumption that one can realize Mind by observing your lived experience and your actions as they occur to gain some kind of tacit understanding of the source and illuminator of those things (Self).
Submitted February 06, 2023 at 08:55PM by koancomentator https://ift.tt/oG6vzAY
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