Blue Cliff Record - Affirming Zen Tradition: Taking A Hungry Man's Food

BCR, 3rd Case, page 19

When you get here you must have the ability to drive off the plowman's ox and to snatch away the hungry man's food before you will see how Great Master Ma helps people.

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ewk note: I seem to recall we couldn't find this passage at some point... In any Case, why does he say "here", why is depriving people of employment and food an "ability", and how does this ability explain how Mazu helps people with "sun face buddha, moon face buddha"?

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By the by, the Case in question:

Great Master Ma was unwell.

The temple superintendent asked him, "Teacher, how has your venerable health been in recent days?" The Great Master said, "Sun Face Buddha, Moon Face Buddha."

Cleary footnote:

According to the Buddha Name Scripture, a Sun Face Buddha lives in the world for eighteen hundred years, whereas a Moon Face Buddha enters extinction after a day and a night.

So that cleared that up.

Submitted October 01, 2019 at 05:21AM by ewk https://ift.tt/2n5j3yH