February's Zen Master of the Month: Linji!

Linji is a big hitter in Zen. Let's discuss him, his teachings, and his impact here!

Linji

Linji Yixuan lived in the 9th Century CE during the time of the Tang Dynasty in China.

Linji is the dharma heir of the infamous Huangbo. Much of what we know about Linji comes from references from later Masters and the Record Of Linji

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Like Deshan's staff, Linji's shout became a commonly referenced meme in Zen. But don't think that was his only trick!

The Master (Linji) asked a monk, "Where did you come from?"
The monk gave a shout.
The Master bowed slightly and motioned for him to sit down.
The monk was about to say something, whereupon the Master struck him a blow.

 

He isn't afraid to take on the great Huangbo:

Huangbo had occassion to go into the temple kitchen. He asked the monk in charge of cooking rice, "What are you doing?"
The monk said, "I'm picking over the rice for the other monks.
Huangbo said, "How much do they eat in one day?"
"Two and a half piculs," said the monk.
"Isn't that too much?" said Huangbo?
"I'm only afraid it's not enough!" said the monk.
Huangbo immediately struck him a blow.

 

The monk mentioned the incident to the Master (Linchi, a student at the time). The Master said, "For your sake, I'll put this old fellow to the test!"
As soon as the Master had gone to Huangbo's quarters and was standing in atendance by him, Huangbo mentioned his earlier conversation with the monk in charge of cooking rice.

The Master said, "The monk didn't understand. I hope, Reverend, you'll be good enough to take his place and give us a turning word." Then the Master said, "Isn't that too much rice?"

Huangbo said, "Why not say, 'Tomorrow, you'll have a taste of it!'?"

The Master said, "Why say 'tomorrow?' Have a taste of it right now!" As soon as he had finished speaking, he gave Huangbo a slap.¹

Huangbo said, "This raving idiot, coming in here again and pulling the tiger's whiskers!"

The Master gave a shout and left the room.

1. Some may remember Huangbo slapping his own master, Baizhang, in the story of Baizhang's Fox

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Linji's shouts still echo today! Let's share some of his stories and quotes and see what we can make out of them.

Submitted February 01, 2018 at 06:57PM by NegativeGPA http://ift.tt/2DS1xB5