Weekly Measuring Tap: Case 3

Ever wanted to meet a real-life Zen Master? Here’s your chance to meet a bunch of them through the magic of books,

When Baizhang called on Mazu for a second time, as he stood by, Mazu looked at the whisk at the corner of the Chan seat. Baizhang said, "Do you identify with this function or detach from this function?" Mazu said, "When you speak out in the future, how will you help people?" Baizhang took the whisk and stood it up. Mazu said, "Do you identify with this function or detach from this function?" Baizhang put the whisk back where it had been before. Mazu then shouted. Baizhang was deafened for three days.

Xuedou cited this and said, "Extraordinary, o Chan worthies! There are now many in his lineage, but those who have found out the wellspring are very few. Everyone says Baizhang was greatly enlightened at the shout, but is that correct? Different ideographs that are similar may get mixed up. If one is clear-eyed, one cannot be fooled a bit. When Mazu said, 'How will you help people when you speak out in the future?' and Baizhang stood up the whisk, was it like an insect on a tree, or calling out and answering back at the same time? Do you want to understand the three days of deafness? Highly refined pure gold doesn't change color."

Baizhang is asked ”how are you going to help people out AS A BUDDHA” and he just stood up a whisk. Hilarious.

Then Xuedou comes along and it’s like are we sure we all actually agree on what happened?

Then Yuanwu, because he just reeeally has to speak his mind here, says (in no particular order, I’m just quoting whatever grabbed me),

“A cleared-eyed person is just right to fool.”

“People are tested by wealth, gold is tested by fire.”

“When asked about the teaching of Buddha, or asked about the intention of the founder of Chan, the meaning of his coming from the West, many would hold up a whisk. It is said to be like a lion teaching the cubs the knack of covering their tracks, turning around at a leap.”

“What was the meaning of the shout?”

I’d say the shout is like this book. What are they measuring?

Submitted April 07, 2023 at 09:06AM by astroemi https://ift.tt/ZxAKOi6