Hide and Seek

From The Record of Tung-shan (Dongshan),

When the Master saw Yu Shang-tso coming, he immediately rose and his behind his Ch'an seat.
Yu said, "Why do you avoid me, Ho-shang?"
"I have always said that it was the Acarya who didn't see this old monk," said the Master.

I can't stop laughing about this. At how silly Dongshan's little farce is. The image is pure gold.

Although he's hiding behind his chair, I think he's revealing something. First, that he has a sense of humor. Second, that he doesn't feel the need to come off as serious in this interaction, which we might even be able to extrapolate could apply to his relationship with his 'Zen Master, head of the monastery, leader of monks' position as a whole.

Imagine anyone else of comparable standing pulling this stunt; a priest, a guru, a college professor, a doctor, a mayor, an attorney. They see you coming to consult them about something and duck behind their chair. You see them do this. They know you saw them do this. You can still see them hiding behind their chair.

Could you even keep a straight face? "Why are you hiding from me?"

"I have always said that it was you who didn't see me."

In what sense did Dongshan mean this?

I don't have the source text, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess the character being translated as "see" is probably 見, which can also mean 'catch sight of, meet with, be exposed to,' or 'call on'. Not that this would necessarily change the meaning, but maybe expand it a little.

Given the playful nature of the interaction, I think it could be Dongshan's way of giving Yu a compliment, or maybe a lighthearted admonishment. "Why are you avoiding me?"... "I always said you were the guy who didn't come to see me. I'm trying to preserve your rep, man!"

Something like that. Maybe.

What are some other takes? Why is Dongshan hiding behind his chair? Why does he claim he's always said Yu 'didn't see him'?

Submitted May 14, 2023 at 11:12PM by Surska0 https://ift.tt/s38yD4Y