Live koanage - You keep it well

A bit of an experiment: as live an analysis of a reading session as I can manage. If you're not interested in my thoughts on it please ignore.

So I skipped ahead to a random koan in Cleary's translation of the Book of Serenity. My contention is that I/we can get something out of it without having previously studied. And that by sticking my neck out, others can see where they can see more clearly.

Case 77:

A monk asked Yangshan, "Do you know written characters?"

Yangshan said, "Enough."

The monk circled him once to the right and said, "What character is this?"

Yangshan drew a cross on the ground.

The monk circled him once to the left and said, "What character is this?"

Yangshan changed the cross to the mystic infinity symbol of well-being.

The monk drew a circle and held it up with his hands like a titan holding the sun and moon, and said, "What character is this?"

Yangshan then drew a circle surrounding the mystic infinity.

The monk then posed like Rucika.

Yangshan said, "Right, so it is. You keep it well."

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Alrighty, I picked a hard one. Seems to be some cultural references that I have no clue about. Very high chance of misreading. That's ok, we're always dealing with a different era than our own with these guys anyway, right? One sec, gotta google Rucika - never heard of that/her/him/it before....

....back. Looks like this guy is supposed to be the last Buddha of our era. Conveniently matches up with the time difference, hey? :) Time travellers, we all are.

Ok, time to digest...

I'll take it that the cross is something like 'crossing out' - for me it has a negative feeling compared to a circle. It can't easily be written with one stroke - feelings of duality, of getting in one's own way. More googling...looks like the cross meant '10' by the time this would have happened - totally different meaning than my guess. Maybe talking about the 10 directions?

The mystic infinity symbol of well-being - now that sounds like a good thing. To me this matches up with other ideas I've read, like the baby buddha taking two steps one way then two steps back before declaring that he was the 'World Honored One'. But Yangshan did erase the first symbol to write it so...feels like a 'leveling up' type move.

It's interesting that the author chose to describe this monk as 'like a titan'. Seems the energy in his expression plays a part here. I've often interpreted the circle as a symbol of enlightenment - again: returning, coming back around, complete - just has a natural beauty to it. Sometimes I think when circles are drawn in other stories, it's like a challenge: ok here we are enlightened - there's nothing to do; so whatcha gonna do? The Chinese are wonderous with the way insight penetrates culture. I mean, the I Ching is just gibberish on first reading, but it gets referred to in Zen texts in ways that show there's depth to it. Circles might also symbolize continual rebirth...another quick google...hm, looks like completeness isn't a bad interpretation.

Yangshan drew a circle around the mystic infinity. What a nice guy huh? If you're free to choose what to do, let's make every day a good day?

Then the monk poses like Rucika, the last Buddha of our age. This does make me think a little more. Going back to re-read, and reduce.

...

A bit more detail on Rucika - there was a very nice guy/deva/god who supposedly guarded the Sangha against Mara, around the time of Shakyamuni's death, who received a prediction that he would become the Buddha Rucika. This reminds me a little of some old Buddhist stuff - so vaguely I can't remember details. The combination brings to mind ideas of waiting for everyone else to become enlightened before entering Nirvana that seems to be a thing in some streams of Buddhism. Definitely ideas of protection. Does this link to the idea of 'keeping' that is presented in the next reply?

Time to step back and see if any of these puzzle pieces fit together. And of course to weigh up what is intellectualizing (head on a head), and what would be avoiding thinking, or cutting our own head off to save our lives.

....

So I get the feeling the monk was trying to unite the right and left with his blustering - Yangshan circling the infinity symbol is like making infinite well-being the whole thing. I love how he proceeds without going back to the '10'.

Being the last buddha is not a compliment (last to get the memo type thing), but understanding that means it's not an insult. Posing as the last buddha is giving a strong indication of understanding. I feel a little sarcasm in Yangshan's words - saying something is 'right' when you don't think right and wrong, saying you keep it when you know holding on to views is not the way - but not that much sarcasm that he doesn't mean what he says.

Maybe sarcasm isn't the right word - there's a kind of 'perpendicular' speaking that I think happens with Zen masters. Like for example, when 'right' is considered not separating right from wrong. Then the words make a different kind of sense.

I think the monk is indicating his understanding of Yangshan's writing - protection of infinite well-being. And Yangshan says 'yup'. Just your common case of arrowheads meeting midair. If there is any sarcasm it is that this guy has a focus in his wholeness.

Gonna read the commentary...

....

Well, seems this didn't go too far astray, at least as Wansong reads it. Although he does say he would have just told the monk that he "has always been illiterate" to see what he would do :)

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It is a toughy. I'm gonna leave it there - way too many words already. Thoughts?

Submitted November 22, 2018 at 05:51PM by sje397 https://ift.tt/2R6KJg3