Doubting the Smelly Buddha

Chanlin baoxun: Precious Lessons from the Zen Schools. Compiled by Miaoxi and Zhu-An, with additions by Jingshan.

Case 11: Hot and Cold

Fushan Yuan said:

There are certainly things in the world that grow easily, but we have never seen anything that could live given one day of warmth and ten days of cold.

The supreme Way is clearly there before the mind’s eye, so it is not hard to see, but it is essential to be firm of will and powerful in practice.

This should be dealt with whatever you are doing. If you believe for one day and doubt for ten, if you are diligent in the mornings but put it off at night, not only will it be hard to see the Way right before your eyes, I fear you will be turning your back on it to the end of your life.

letter to a senior student

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Study Question:

1.What are some of the ways Zen Masters address concentration, effort, or doubt?

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Marking Rubric

1 Point - Discussing the contents of the case.

1 Point each - Discussing the study questions.

1 Bonus Point for quoting a Zen Master in your discussion.

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Concentration

Caoshan asked elder De, "'Bodhisattvas in concentration hear a musky elephant crossing a river' - what scripture does this come from?" He said, "From the Nirvana scripture." Caoshan said, "Do they hear it before concentration, or do they hear it after concentration?" De said, "The master is flowing." Caoshan said, "You've said quite a bit, but have only managed to say half." De said, "What about you?" Caoshan said, "Receive it at the river bank."

Dahui said, "Where do you get involved?"

Fushan is concerned with seeing what's right before your eyes. De says the "musky elephant" is flowing, and Caoshan replies that this is because he received it "at the river bank". Caoshan can carry old Shakyamuni because he's already enlightened, and so his concentration is on present issues.

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Effort

A monk asked, "When I wish to become a Buddha - what then?"

Joshu said, "You have set yourself quite a task, haven't you?"

The monk said, "When there is no effort - what then?"

Joshu said, "Then you are a Buddha already."

Back to Caoshan, before and after are "quite a task". Joshu is "already".

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Doubt

Baizhang said:

When mind and mental conditions are like earth, wood, or stone, moment after moment, like saving your head were it ablaze, also like the great scent-bearing elephant crossing a river, cutting off the flow as he passes, causing there to be no doubt or error, this person neither heaven nor hell can contain.

Baizhang apparently doesn't need to believe or doubt to receive the elephant at the river bank.

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Submitted March 17, 2021 at 01:08AM by The_Mahdoubt https://ift.tt/3vsrEd7