The ultimate teaching of the holy truths

From Zen Master Yunmen: His Life and Essential Sayings

Having entered the Dharma Hall for a formal instruction, the Master said:

All of you who come and go for no reason: What are you looking for in [this monastery] here? I only know how to eat and drink and shit. What else would I be good for?

You're making pilgrimages all over the place, studying Chan and asking about the dao. Let me ask you: What have you managed to learn in all those places? Try presenting that!

Again, he said, "In the meantime, you cheat the Master in your own house. Is that all right? When you manage to find a little slime on my ass, you lick it off, take it to be your own self, and say: 'I understand Chan, I understand the Dao!' Even if you manage to read the whole Buddhist canon - so what?

The old masters couldn't help it. When they saw you run about aimlessly, they said to you 'supreme wisdom (bodhi) and nirvana.' They really buried you; they drove in a stake and tied you to it. Again, when they saw that you didn't understand, they said to you, 'It's not bodhi and nirvana.' Knowing this sort of thing already shows that you're down on your luck; [but to make matters worse,] you're looking for comments and explanations by others. You exterminators of Buddhism, you've been like this all along! And where has this brought you today?

When I was on pilgrimage some time ago, there was a bunch of people who gave me explanations. They didn't have bad intentions, but one day I saw through them [and realized] that they are laughingstocks. If I don't die in the next four or five years, I'll get these exterminators of Buddhism and break their legs!

These days there are plenty of temple priests everywhere who fake it: Why don't you go and join them? What dry piece of shit are you looking for in here?"

The Master stepped down from his seat, and he hit and chased the monks out of the hall with his staff.

Koa, important pieces to me:

- formal instruction - it's no joke

- Try presenting that! - good luck

- so what? - still nothing gained

- you're looking for comments and explanations by others - seems important, what do you think?

- The Master stepped down from his seat, and he hit and chased the monks out of the hall with his staff. - He seems to say he has nothing other than that to show.

Submitted December 15, 2018 at 11:14PM by koalazen https://ift.tt/2PFAWft