New Mazu translation: Keep out of the grass

One day, Mazu asked one of the monks working in the kitchen, "What are you doing?"

"Tending cattle."

"And how do you tend them?"

"When they stray into the grass, I pull them back by the nose."

"A true cowherd, indeed."

一日在厨作務次、祖問日、作什麼。 日、 牧牛。 祖日、作 麼生牧。日、一迴入草去,便把鼻孔拽来。祖曰、子真 牧牛。

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Welcome! ewk comment: Every page of this book is like The Afterparty... I have no idea what is going to happen, and when it does happen, I don't understand why it happened.

word that is the source of contention this time?

GRASS! and no, it's not even a reference to maryjanejuana-cepts!

mdbg here.

Google translate has it:

As soon as he enters the grass.

Which makes it sound like the monk keeps the cow from eating, which makes sense since they are in a kitchen and Zen is crazy sh**.

But the commentary says it really means "eating too much", which makes no sense and is something a stupid person would say.

Thoughts?

Submitted February 12, 2022 at 06:20AM by ewk https://ift.tt/Msiy8PF