Brian's Blue Cliff Record: It is ENOUGH

I think I'm in a section of profiles, and it's Zhaozhou's turn (Joshu). I'm eager to admonish Brian against using the Japanese romanization, but too little too late on my part.

Here's the exchange in question:

Zhaozhou, teaching the assembly, said, "The Ultimate Path is without difficulty;2 just avoid picking and choosing. As soon as there are words spoken, "this is picking and choosing," "this is clarity." This old monk does not abide within clarity; ³ 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?""?

Zhaozhou 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

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

All those numbers? That's Yuanwu interrupting to interjecting.

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Welcome! ewk comment: Brian concludes that the Blue Cliff Record's wild characters and outrageous attitudes and bizarre stories are a sort of permission to try things... I disagree.

I think it's a warning not to try things.

I think it's a warning not to try doctrine or conformity or emulation.

I think BCR is a barrier.

When Zhaozhou says "it is enough to inquire", he means this as a very specific rebuttal to the question "if you don't know, how do you know?"

"Not knowing is more intimate". If that's not just a line, then what does it mean to not know?

I think of it like a doctor who sees a patient for the first time. Not knowing the patient or the illness, that's the most intimate.

Submitted March 10, 2022 at 07:55AM by ewk https://ift.tt/9sjULMS