I got the James Green translation of Layman Pang a few months ago…there’s a particular provocativeness in the text that uproots both popular misconceptions about the history of Zen in China as well as the status of Zen Masters in their own tradition.
Two things stand out on these points immediately to anyone who actually reads the text:
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China was a highly literate society with government officials taking a keen interest in cultural trends and movements. Layman Pang, and other Zen Masters of the time, had freaking Dukes and government officials hanging around trying to figure out what the whole shtick was about. This resulted in the rather unique phenomena in human history of extensive records of ordinary conversations among old friends being at the forefront of literary dissemination and discussion for hundreds of years. This is downright weird.
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The attribution of a “Zen Pope” situation that apologetics try to concoct around Mazu or a hierarchy of sanctity that grants monastics special understandings is absent. This fact not just invalidates the entirety of the authors introductory remarks about his continuing spiritual journey and the “importance of lineage” but makes it downright offensive for him to try and say it has a place in a book about Zen.
Here’s something for those who haven’t had the chance to check him out:
At another time, the Layman asked Mazu, ”If you met someone who was a distinctly authentic person, how would you recognize him?”
Mazu directed his gaze downward.
The Layman said, ”Only you are able to play a tune on a stringless harp.”
Mazu looked up and the Layman bowed. Mash then returned to his room. The Layman followed him, saying, ”Just now, I tried to trick you, but you made a fool out of me instead.”
Authenticity is a pretty big deal and something that people claim for themselves all the time as if the word had some magic juice they could squeeze out of it.
If that authenticity though, is present even in the face of failing to trick someone WHO YOU ARE FOLLOWING and making a fool of yourself instead…obviously we aren’t talking about something that is a cover for conformance to a standard of behavior or belief.
That’s been enough talking on my end…
Speak up!
Submitted May 30, 2022 at 02:16AM by ThatKir https://ift.tt/ThAQnsc
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