Ts'ui Yen's Eyebrows

Blue Cliff Record: Case VIII

At the end of the summer retreat Ts'ui Yen said to the community, "All summer long I've been talking to you, brothers; look and see if my eyebrows are still there."

Pao Fu said, "The thief's heart is cowardly."

Ch'ang Ch'ing said, "Grown."

Yun Men said, "A barrier."¹

I don't understand. Yuanwu says:

The appearance in the world of the successive generations of teaching masters would have been entirely without benefit if they hadn't reached down to instruct people. What would have been the purpose?

Verse

Ts'ui Yen teaches the followers;/ For a thousand ages, there is no reply./The word "barrier" answers him back;/He loses his money and suffers punishment./Decrepit old Pao Fu-/Censure or praise are impossible to apply./Talkative Ts'ui Yen/Is clearly a thief./The clear jewel has no flaws;/Who can distinguish true from false?

¹ I discuss some of the technical terms of the case here.

Submitted September 12, 2020 at 04:38PM by surupamaerl https://ift.tt/3ke6HfA