Great Zen Buddha is Thus

As Yangshan was sitting, Great Zen Buddha lifted one foot and said, "The twenty-eight patriarchs of India were thus, the six patriarchs of China too were thus, the old masters all over the land too are thus, you too are thus, and I too am thus."

Yangshan got down from the Chan seat and hit him four strokes with a wisteria stick.

Great Zen Buddha later went to Lieshan, and said himself, "Here comes the Great Zen Buddha of the land, with four strokes of a wisteria cane on Gathered Cloud Peak."

Lieshan said, "Strike the bell."

Zen ran off.

Without straying into conceptual ideations, nor relying on provisional explanations--what is the significance of Great Zen Buddha lifting a single foot and getting a beating?

Submitted March 22, 2023 at 01:51AM by ThatKir https://ift.tt/UTYiKdB