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Hekiganroku - Case 31: Mayoku Circles Around the Master's Dais
Mayoku, with his ring-staff in hand, came to Shokei.
He circled Shokei's dais three times, shook the ring-staff and
stood there bolt upright.
Shokei said, "Right, right!" (Setcho comments, "Wrong!")
Mayoku then came to Nansen. He circled Nansen's dais three times, shook
the ring-staff and stood there bolt upright.
Nansen said, "Not right, not right!" (Setcho comments, "Wrong!")
Then, Mayoku said, "Master Shokei said, 'Right, right!' Why, Master, do you
say, 'Not right, not right!'?"
Nansen said, "With Shokei it is right, but with you it is not right.
This is nothing but a whirling of the wind [1]. In the end, it will perish."
[1]: one of the four elements in Chinese physics (earth, air, fire, wind),
wind is the element of movement.
Case 32: Jo and the "Essence of Buddhism"
A senior monk Jo asked Rinzai, "What is the essence of Buddhism?"
Rinzai came down from his seat, grabbed him by the lapels, slapped him and
thrust him away. Jo stood there as if rooted to the spot.
A monk standing nearby said, "Senior monk Jo! Why don't you make a deep bow?"
As he made a deep bow, Jo suddenly attained a great enlightenment.
Hekiganroku - Case 33: Chinso Has One Eye
National Secretary Chinso went to see Shifuku. When Shifuku saw him coming, he
drew a circle. Chinso said,
"It is already straying from the essence that your student has come to you
at all. Why do you draw a circle in addition to that?"
Thereupon Shifuku closed the door of his room.
(Setcho said, "Chinso has but one eye.")
Case 34: Kyozan's "Not Wandering"
Kyozan asked a monk,
"Where have you come from?"
The monk said,
"From Mount Ro." [1]
Kyozan said,
"Have you been to the Goroho Peak?" [2]
The monk said,
"No, I have never been there."
Kyozan said,
"Then you have never been to the mountains at all!"
Unmon said,
"Because of too much compassion these words have fallen into grasses."
[1]: One of the most beautiful and most famous mountains in the southern part
of China with many Zen monasteries.
[2]: The Goroho Peak, translated as "Five Elder" Peak, is the most noted peak
of Mt. Ro.
Case 35: Manjusri's "Three Three"
Manjusri asked Mujaku,
"Where have you come from?"
Mujaku answered,
"From the south." [1]
Manjusri said,
"How is the Buddhist Dharma in the South maintained?"
Mujaku said,
"The monks of this age of the corrupted Dharma are venerating the precepts
a little."
Manjusri said,
"How many monks are over there?"
Mujaku said,
"Three hundred here, five hundred there."
Mujaku asked Manjusri,
"How is the Buddhist Dharma maintained here?"
Manjusri said,
"Worldly and Saints live together, dragons and snakes are mixed with
each other."
Mujaku said,
"How many monks are here?"
Manjusri said,
"Three three before, three three behind."
[1]: The South of China, namely the region of Konan.
Hekiganroku - Case 36: Chosa Goes Picnicking
One day, Chosa went for a walk in the mountains.
When he returned to the gate, the head monk said,
"Where have you been, Master?"
Chosa said,
"I was out walking about in the mountains."
The head monk said,
"Where did you go?"
Chosa said,
"First, I went following the scented grass; then came back through the
falling flowers."
The head monk said,
"It sounds very much like a spring mood."
Chosa said,
"It's better than the autumn dew dropping on the lotus flower."
(Setcho commented, "I am grateful for that answer.")
Case 37: Banzan's "Not One Thing in the Three Worlds"
Banzan, giving instruction, said, "In the Three Worlds [1], there is not one
thing. Where should one seek the mind?"
[1]: The World of desires, the World of materials, and the World of
non-materials.
Hekiganroku - Case 38: Fuketsu's "Heart Seal"
When he was staying at the government office of the Province Ei, Fuketsu
entered the hall [to preach] and said,
"The heart seal [1] [stamp] of the patriarch [2] resembles the activity
of the iron ox [3]. When it goes away, the [impression of the] seal
remains; when it stays there, the [impression of the] seal is brought to
naught. If it neither goes away nor stays, would it be right to give a
seal [of approval] or not?"
Then Elder Rohi came up and said,
"I have the activities of the iron ox. [However,] I ask you, Master,
not to give me the seal."
Fuketsu said,
"I am accustomed to leveling the great ocean through fishing whales. But,
alas, now I find instead a frog wriggling about in the mud."
Rohi stood there considering.
Fuketsu shouted
"Kaatz!"
and said,
"Why don't you say anything else, Elder?"
Rohi was perplexed.
Fuketsu hit him with his whisk and said,
"Do you remember what you said? Say something, I'll check it for you."
Rohi tried to say something. Fuketsu hit him again with his whisk.
The Magistrate said,
"Buddha's law and the King's law are of the same nature."
Fuketsu said,
"What principle do you see in them?"
The Magistrate said,
"If you do not make a decision where a decision should be made,
you are inviting disorder."
Fuketsu descended from the rostrum.
[1]: The form of the heart-mind.
[2]: Bodhidharma.
[3]: An "iron ox" is a massive construction which lay at the bottom of the
Yellow River. It stood against the great stream and protected the area
from flood.
Hekiganroku - Case 39: Unmon's "Garden Fence"
A monk asked Unmon,
"What is the Pure Dharma-body [1]?"
Unmon said,
"Flower fence" [2].
The monk said,
"What if I understand the point that way?"
Unmon said,
"A golden-haired lion."
[1]: The body of the ultimate Truth (Jap. hoshin, sk. dharmakaya) or one of the
three bodies of Buddha.
[2]: In Japanese: Kayakuran. It actually was a flower fence around a restroom.
Case 40: Nansen and the Flower
Minister Rikuko talked with Nansen.
Rikuko said,
"Dharma-teacher Jo said, 'Heaven and earth and I have one and the
same root; all things and I are one single body.' How wonderful this is!"
Nansen pointed at the flowers in the garden, called to Rikuko and said,
"People of our time [1] see these flowers as in a dream."
[1]: I.e. "you."