BCR C2: The Ultimate Path is Without Difficulty

POINTER

Heaven and earth are narrow; sun, moon, and stars all at once go dark. Even if blows of the staff fall like rain and shouts roll like thunder, you still haven't lived up to the task of the fundamental vehicle of transcendence. Even the Buddhas of the three times can only know it for themselves; the successive generations of patriarchs have not been able to bring it up in its entirety. The treasury of teachings of the whole age cannot explain it thoroughly; clear eyed patchrobed monks cannot save themselves completely. When you get here, how will you ask for more instruction? To say the word "Buddha" is trailing mud and dripping water; to say the word "Ch'an" is a face full of shame. Superior people who have studied for a long time do not wait for it to be said; latecoming beginners simply must investigate and apprehend it.

CASE

Chao Chou, teaching the assembly, said,¹

"The Ultimate Path is without difficulty;²

just avoid picking and choosing.³

As soon as there are words spoken, “this is picking and choosing," “this is clarity."⁴

This old monk does not abide within clarity;⁵

do you still preserve anything or not?"⁶

At that time a certain monk asked, “Since you do not abide within clarity, what do you preserve?”⁷

Chao Chou replied, “I don’t know either."⁸

The monk said, "Since you don't know, Teacher, why do you nevertheless say that you do not abide within clarity?"⁹

Chao Chou said, “It is enough to ask about the matter; bow and withdraw."¹⁰

NOTES

1. What's the old fellow doing? Don't create complications!

2. Not hard, not easy.

3. What's in front of your eyes? The Third Patriarch is still alive.

4. Two heads, three faces. A little boasting. When a fish swims through, the water is muddied; when a bird flies by, feathers fall.

5. His thieving intent already shows; where is the old fellow going?

6. He's defeated. Still there's something, or a half.

7. The monk presses him well; his tongue is pressed against the roof of his mouth.

8. (The monk) crushed this old fellow dead; he has to fall back three thousand miles.

9. Look! Where is he going? He's chased him up a tree.

10. Lucky thing he has this move; the old thief!

NOTES FROM AN 🦉

Joshu once again proves himself to be a peerless Bodhisattva, leading the way into hell to clearly show the way out.

The Ultimate Path is without difficulty, what a wonderful way sign to be left behind, a grandiose measuring stick left by the ancients, from which we can judge our attainment.

Simply put, if you encounter difficulties for an instant, you’ve stumbled past the Way right on into the weeds, and for a man lost in the weeds it can be difficult indeed to find your way out.

Yet our Fearless Bodhisattva didn’t stop at demarcating the path! Here he plants another waypoint for those lost in the weeds, pointing a way back to the Ultimate Path.

Just avoid Picking and Choosing! If you can manage this one simple task, you’ll find yourself with feet firmly planted back on the Path, carefree and unconcerned, relieved of all difficulties.

However there are those who make the mistake of assuming this not picking and choosing to mean that one should abide in clarity, by which Joshu means meditative equipoise.

Chao Chou said, "This is picking and choosing, this is clarity." People these days who practice meditation and ask about the Path, if they do not remain within picking and choosing, then they settle down within clarity. "This old monk does not abide within clarity.”

Joshu does not abide in Clarity, a state of meditative equipoise is not what is meant by The Ultimate Path.

Do you know what is meant to be preserved? Joshu admits he doesn’t, but he allows that it isn’t meditation.

It’s enough to ask about this Matter of preservation, what more do you want? Just go and put an end to your difficulties.

Submitted September 14, 2021 at 08:22PM by Owlsdoom https://ift.tt/2VGoIwl