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Hekiganroku - Case 51: Seppo's "What Is This?"
When Seppo was living in a hermitage, two monks came to pay their respects.
When he saw them coming, Seppo thrust open the gate of his hermitage with his
hands, jumped out, and said,
"What is this?"
The monks also said,
"What is this?"
Seppo hung his head and retired into his hermitage.
Later, the monks came to Ganto. He asked them,
"Where have you come from?"
The monks said,
"From Reinan [1]."
Ganto said,
"Did you ever visit Seppo?"
The monks said,
"Yes, we visited him."
Ganto said,
"What did he say?"
The monks related what had happened. Ganto said,
"What else did he say?"
The monks said,
"Not a word; he hung his head and retired into his hermitage."
Ganto said,
"Ah, how I regret now that in those days I did not tell him the last word!
If I had told it to him, no one under heaven could do anything against him."
At the end of the summer practice period the monks came back to this
conversation and asked him about its meaning. Ganto said,
"Why didn't you ask me about it sooner?"
The monk said,
"We could not dare to ask you about it."
Ganto said,
"Seppo was born on the same stem as I [2], but he will not die on the same
stem. If you want to know the last word, it is just this."
[1]: A region in the south, where Seppo was living at that time.
[2]: Seppo and Ganto were both students of Tokusan; cf. Case 13 in the Mumonkan.
Case 52: Joshu's Stone Bridge
A monk asked Joshu,
"For a long time, the stone bridge of Joshu [1] has echoed in my ears.
But now that I've come here, I just see a log bridge."
Joshu said,
"You simply see a log bridge; you don't see the stone bridge yet."
The monk said,
"What is the stone bridge?"
Joshu said,
"It lets donkeys cross, it lets horses cross."
[1]: (same note as case 9) The name of the Zen Master Joshu is taken from the
city "Joshu", near which he taught.
Hekiganroku - Case 53: Hyakujo and the Wild Ducks
When Great Master Ba was walking with Hyakujo, he saw wild ducks flying by.
The Great Master said,
"What is that?"
Hyakujo said,
"Wild ducks."
The Great Master said,
"Where did it go?"
Hyakujo said,
"They flew away."
The Great Master twisted Hyakujo's nose tip. Hyakujo cried out in pain.
The Great Master said,
"Why flew away?"
Hekiganroku - Case 54: Unmon Stretches His Arms
Unmon asked a monk,
"Where have you come from?"
The monk said,
"From Saizen."
Unmon said,
"What words does Saizen say lately?"
The monk stretched out his arms. Unmon slapped him.
The monk said,
"I have something to say about it."
Unmon then stretched out his own arms. The monk remained silent.
Then Unmon hit him.
Case 55: Dogo's Condolence Visit
Dogo and Zengen came to a house to express condolences. Zengen tapped on the
coffin and said,
"Is this life or death?"
Dogo said,
"I don't say life, I don't say death."
Zengen said,
"Why don't you?"
Dogo said,
"I won't say, I won't say."
On the way back Zengen said,
"Master, please say it to me right away. If you don't, I shall hit you."
Dogo said,
"If you want to hit me, you can hit me. But I will never say."
Thereupon Zengen hit him.
Some time later Dogo passed away. Zengen went to Sekiso and told him what
had happened. Sekiso said,
"I don't say life, I don't say death."
Zengen said,
"Why don't you?"
Sekiso said,
"I won't say, I won't say."
With these words, Zengen came suddenly to an insight.
One day, Zengen took a hoe and walked in the Dharma-hall from east to west and
west to east. Sekiso said,
"What are you doing?"
Zengen said,
"I am seeking the sacred bones of the late master."
Sekiso said,
"Giant billows far and wide; whitecaps swelling up to heaven. What
sort of sacred bones of your late master are you searching for?"
(Setcho commented, "Heavens! heavens!")
Zengen said,
"That was very good for me in order to gain power."
Taigen Fu [1] said,
"The sacred bones of the late master are still there."
[1]: He stood in the Dharma line of Seppo.
Hekiganroku - Case 56: Kinzan and the "Arrow"
A Zen devotee named Ryo asked Kinzan,
"What is it when one single arrow breaks through three barriers?"
Kinzan said,
"Drive out the master from behind the barriers, so that I may see him."
Ryo said,
"If so, I will acknowledge my failure and correct it."
Kinzan said,
"Till when do you want to wait?"
Ryo said,
"I made a nice shot, but no one could see the arrow,"
and he went out. Kinzan said,
"Wait, sir."
Ryo turned his head. Kinzan grasped him and said,
"Let's put aside the story of the arrow which breaks through three barriers.
Just shoot an arrow for me, so that I may see it."
Ryo hesitated. Kinzan hit him seven times with a stick and said,
"I will allow this fellow to keep puzzling for thirty years."
Hekiganroku - Case 57: Joshu and the "Bumpkin"
A monk asked Joshu,
"'The supreme Way is not difficult; it simply dislikes choosing'. What
is non-choosing?"
Joshu said,
"Above the heavens and under the heavens I am the only one, alone and
exalted."
The monk said,
"That is still choosing."
Joshu said,
"You stupid bumpkin, where is the choosing?"
The monk remained silent.
Case 58: Joshu and the "Pitfall"
A monk asked Joshu,
"'The supreme Way is not difficult; it simply dislikes choosing.' Isn't
that the pitfall of the people of our time [1]?"
Joshu said,
"Once someone asked me like that. I am sorry that even after five years
I still can't give an answer to it."
[1]: (same note as Case 40) I.e. "you."
Hekiganroku - Case 59: Joshu's "Supreme Way"
A monk asked Joshu,
"'The supreme way is not difficult, it simply dislikes choosing. But even
if a word is uttered, it is already an action of 'choosing.' -- Then how
can you, Master, try to lead other people?"
Joshu said,
"Why don't you quote the sentence to the end?"
The monk said,
"I just had this much in my mind."
Joshu said,
"It's only: 'The supreme way is not difficult; it simply dislikes
choosing.'" [1]
[1]: Cf. Case 2.
Hekiganroku - Case 60: Unmon's Staff
Unmon showed his staff to the assembly and said,
"This staff has changed into a dragon and has swallowed up the heaven and
the earth. Where do mountains, rivers and the great earth come from?"