Yangshan Smashes a Mirror

Case 24 of The (Provisionally title by Ki) Lion Roaring Record

Guishan had a monk send a mirror to Yangshan.

Yangshan received it, held it up, and said to the assembly,"Can anyone say whether this is from Guishan's mirror now in the hands of Yangshan or say whether it is Yangshan's mirror sent by Guishan -- is there someone who can determine this right now?"

There was not one word from the assembly, so [Master Yangshan] smashed the mirror. To the monk who had come [with the mirror Yangshan] said, "Go back to Ven. Guishan and bring this matter up with him."

Shanzhao's Verse:

Yangshan received Guishan's mirror

Held it up to the assembly, asking for a straight response

An ignorant, confused Chan bunch, eyes not open

Directly under Yangshan the head was quickly nailed

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This one had no footnotes by Whitfield. Sometime he gets lazy; sometimes there isn't much in terms of footnotes we can expect from a translator who belongs to a church that relies on not talking about what's going on in the Zen tradition. Regardless, we could do with the Chinese on that "head was quickly nailed" line.

I think there are a few things to consider in this case:

1. Receiving the Mirror

   Guishan got a mirror from Yangshan...but it doesn't leave a trace in either of them. Those who turn away from a mirror are unable to be reflected in it.

   According to Pleco, there's a prohibition against Preceptors looking in mirrors. Zen Masters aren't playing by those rules.

2. Appraising the Mirror

   Yangshan brought out the mirror, and initiated conversation, without relying on cliched recitations or relying on the words of another. After all, Yongjia (YES HIM AGAIN), said in his song-intro, *"From long ago, the dusty mirror remains unpolished. Now it is time to clean and appraise it." Appraising it...that's an evaluation. Well, who's mirror was it originally?

3. Smashing the Mirror

   In an instant, it is smashed:

   Prohibitions do not reflect it;

   Defiling dust does not gather on it.

   How are Gui & Yang mirrored?

Submitted March 22, 2022 at 04:25AM by ThatKir https://ift.tt/Kz5PvTm