Wednesday, 8 February 2023

Zen Under the Gun: Just the hits please

https://www.amazon.com/One-Hundred-Questions-Buddhist-Classic-ebook/dp/B0893NBY85

https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Under-Gun-Masters-Turbulent/dp/0861715926/

Zen Masters after Wumen:

Hengchuan (1222-1289)

Gulin (1262-1329)

Zhuxin (1292-1348)

Daian (1347-1403)

We are at the end, and it's Daian's poetry. He does the traditional thing (unlike Wumen) and includes only one body blow per poem.

Here are the blows from three poems, minus the poems:

If not for my dharma-nephew, how would I open my old mouth to discuss it?

.

In the treasury, the light of the wish-granting jewel is shining bright;

Pick it up and it melts away everyone's doubts.

.

Well... it's hard to show this one without context:

In an empty house, gazing like a wall

Speaking or silent, never setting foot in the city streets

Just bringing up the seal of the patriarchs before my own mental

impulses start working

Following the secret spirit talisman the Zen patriarchs wore

In the mirror, my beard, a thousand snow-white strands At the corner of the bench, a rattan cane, seven feet of black My only fear is that a summons will arrive from on high

With an imperial grant of a golden robe to chase me to court

.

µ Yo͞ok  Welcome! Meet me  My comment: Bodhidharma fans out there will note that "gazing like a wall" seem to offer a very different interpretation of the relationship between gazing and walls in Zen.

All you need is the secret talisman and you are set.



Submitted February 09, 2023 at 05:29AM by ewk https://ift.tt/1yibTsV

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