"Next, I made up my mind to visit a master of this Zen School. When I asked him about the Bright Virtue, he told me: 'If you want to understand the Bright Virtue, do zazen and the Bright Virtue will be understood.'"
"As a result, after this I immediately took up the practice of zazen. Here, I'd go into the mountains, eating nothing for seven or even ten whole days; there, I'd find some cliffs, and, seated on a pointed rock, pull up my robes, with my bare backside right against the stone, determined to meditate to the very end, even if it killed me, and refusing to leave my seat until I simply tumbled down."
"Despite it all, though, I still couldn't settle my question about the Bright Virtue."
[. . .]
"But gradually my illness reached a critical point, and for a full seven days I was unable to swallow any food and could get nothing down apart from some thin rice gruel. Because of this, I realized I was on the verge of death. 'Ah, well,' I said to myself, 'there's nothing to be done.' But really I had no particular regret other than the thought that I was going to die without realizing my long cherished desire."
"Just then, I had a strange sensation in my throat, and when I spit against the wall, I notice the sputum had congealed into a jet-black lump like a soapberry, rolling down the surface. After that, the inside of my chest felt curiously refreshed, and that's when it suddenly struck me: 'Everything is perfectly managed with the Unborn, and because up till today I couldn't see this, I've just been uselessly knocking myself out!' Finally I saw the mistake I'd been making!"
What a display! Zazen! Trying to settle questions! Jet-black phlegm rolling down a wall!
Bankei really laid it on thick here, but can you blame him? His whole practice on the suggestion of Dogen Buddhists was not only was a total time-waster but debilitated him physically for the rest of his life. I cite Huangbo's three brushes with mugwort to Linji as a sort of reference point for kindness.
Fun Trivia: Bankei's enlightenment story is one of the first I remember hearing way back when. Heard lots of wacky "interpretations" of his black phlegm. How much time wasted!
In case anyone tries and pin something on me, I'll go ahead and let the record stand that it's not about getting yourself sick to throw up on walls.
In the end though, what is this Bright Virtue?
Submitted February 10, 2020 at 06:15PM by ThatKir https://ift.tt/2UETOkR
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