@burtmurph on Instagram

I have been away, and haven't had much to say; but today is today.

So ask away, and I'll try to say what I can in my own way.

#Where?

I've been designing a factory, and after a quick breath of home country air, I'll be going back there to build it with very little time to spare.

#Text?

"The Recorded Sayings of Linji" has traveled with me. Thousands of miles. but who really bears the weight of pdf files?

#Tide?

Surfs up, I'm hanging in there. It feels good to stop and sit in a chair and breathe fresh free air.

Initially, I think most people are going to assume that there are no parallels between Trump supporters and the Zen community.

But surprisingly enough, I think there is a lot of common ground in terms of attitude.

What do Trump voters want?

1. Not to have the government tell them what to do.

This was a major problem throughout Zen's 1000 Year history and arguably what destroyed Zen culture in China. The government imposed taxes, tried to influence who was designated as enlightened, and ultimately nationalized Zen communal property destroying Zen communities all across China.

Zhaozhou made a statement about this in his own practical everyday way:

• When government officials came to visit, Zhaozhou often remained in his seat, and when common folk came he was known to go out and meet them at the gate

2. Not to have the educational elite in charge.

There are tons of examples of zen Masters criticizing and ridiculing people who memorize quotes and try to use them in place of personal statements.

The issue isn't just about trying to imitate Zen Masters by hiding behind quotes and not being able to ama, since public Q&A is the only practice in Zen. The issue is also about what you believe to be true how that truth is dictated by an educated elite:

Huangbo: Above all it is essential not to select some particular teaching suited to a certain occasion, and, being impressed by its forming part of the written canon, regard it as an immutable concept.

3. Not to have opportunities driven by class and race and Non-Performance variables.

There's no more famous an example then the promotion of Huineng to the status of 6th and last patriarch.

Famously, Huineng was promoted over the head of more religious, better educated, and more senior monk. The promotion was so shocking that Buddhists to this day continue to believe that it was somehow the result rigged voting machines.

Huangbo pointed out that class, race, education, and seniority do not matter in Zen:

Huangbo: [The Northern Buddhist did not receive the robe and bowl of the patriarch] because he still indulged in conceptual thought—in a dharma of activity. To him ‘as you practise, so shall you attain' was a reality. So the Fifth Patriarch made the transmission to Hui Nêng ( Wei Lang ).

Where do Trump supporters go wrong?

Despite so much common ground Zen communities do not tolerate Trump followers generally.

It would be easy to point to the basics of Zen culture, Lay Precepts, Socialism, Public Interview. These are antithetical to Trump culture.

But at the end of the day it is likely that authoratarianism is the biggest issue. Zen Masters do not concede authority to anyone. Zen master Buddha is just another zen master. Trump culture depends on Trump. Whatever happens to him, happens to the movement.

Zen has no such authoritarian basis, for every zen master who is a Buddha there is a different Dharma.

Zen Masters—Monumental Whenever 

Zen masters create opportunities for themselves and others to make the most of the moment by offering what's called a "turning word". Take this story of Huangbo and the rice cook:

One day when Huangbo entered the kitchen, he asked the head rice-cook "What are you doing?"

The cook said, "I'm picking over the rice for the monks."

"How much do they eat in a day?" Huangbo asked. 

"Two and a half shi," said the cook. 

"Isn't that too much?" asked Huangbo. 

"I'm afraid it isn't enough," replied the cook. 

Huangbo struck him. 

Huangbo gives the monk 3 chances to put out a "turning word", and the cook fails to meet the challenge presented to him. 

Eat It Now

Zen masters are ready when others are not.

Later the cook mentioned what had happened to Linji. Linji said, "I'll test the old fellow for you."

[Linji to Huangbo] "The cook didn't understand...kindly give a turning word in place of the cook." said Linji, who then asked, "Isn't that too much?"

Huangbo said, "Well why not say, 'We'll eat a meal again tomorrow!"

"Why talk about tomorrow—eat it right now!" said Linji, slapping Huangbo in the face. 

Roman's Comment: 

This story cracks me up. A “turning word,” as I see it, is a phrase that turns the tables—a way of showing you’re free and gives others a chance to feel that freedom too. 

Here's are my 3 chances for you to offer a turning word : 

• What do you make of the case? 
• How do you slap the Huangbos in your life? 
• Is it really Friday?

#Post(s) in Question

Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1g59izn/three_barriers/

Link to episode:

https://sites.libsyn.com/407831/11-7-2024-gateless-47-doushuais-three-checkpoints

What the heck is a barrier, anyway? It's a Public Question, of course!

Link to all episodes: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

Buymeacoffee, so I'm not accused of going it alone:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ewkrzen

#What did we end up talking about?

why does wumen say "answer correctly"? what does "correctly" mean in various contexts? religion: answer key. new age: no grades. Zen: no answer key, but heavily graded why do masters set up barriers? what is the verse about? do numbers make any sense? how different languages build in different assumptions that you only see from another language getting bored with questions getting old

#You can be on the podcast! Use a pseudonym! Nobody cares!

Add a comment if there is a post you want somebody to get interviewed about, or you agree to be interviewed. We are now using libsyn, so you don't even have to show your face. You just get a link to an audio call.

How many eyes do you have?

五眼者。天眼徹見一切。肉眼不被物惑。法眼見性本空。慧眼智照洞明。佛眼物我等觀。五眼既淨。則信力．進力．念力．定力．慧力自得現前。心地法門唯證乃知。非凡情所能測度也。若人回光返照。見徹本來面目則不難矣。若妄認前塵光影為自己者。譬如獼猴水中捉月。爭拈得也。故云鏡裏看形見不難。水中捉月爭拈得。 淨五眼。得五力。秤鎚頭上揑出汁。渾崙好箇解脫門。字打開拕不入。

The "five eyes" are as follows:

Heavenly Eye: Sees all things completely.

Physical Eye: Is not deceived by objects.

Dharma Eye: Sees the nature of things as fundamentally empty.

Wisdom Eye: Illuminates with penetrating wisdom.

Buddha Eye: Views all things equally, without distinction between self and other.

When the five eyes are purified, then the powers of faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom naturally manifest before one. The Dharma gateway of the mind-ground is known only through personal realization; it cannot be fathomed by ordinary feelings and thoughts.

When a person turns their light inward to reflect back and sees through to their original face, it is not difficult. But if one mistakenly takes external phenomena—the images and reflections of past dust—as oneself, it is like a monkey grasping at the moon's reflection in water—how could it be seized?

Thus it is said, "Seeing one's form in a mirror is not difficult; grasping the moon in water—how could it be held?"

Purify the five eyes, attain the five powers, and it is like squeezing juice from the head of a scale weight: it brings forth a thoroughly good gateway to liberation, where the eight's strokes are wide open, allowing nothing to enter.

The eight strokes, may be eight's strokes, as in literally the strokes to form the character 八 to depict an open gate. 八字打開拕不入 can be interpreted as "the shape of the character eight is fully opened, yet nothing can enter." u/koancomentator had gotten that right, in pointing out to me previous that the best translation for 八字 may be "the character eight" (referring to the character 八, so when rendered to English loses its meaning, plus the unity/division meaning).

Wiktionary states the glyph origin for 八 is "two bent lines indicating the original meaning of "to divide". This character is later borrowed to mean "eight" because of homonymy, making the original meaning obsolete (now represented by 分 and 別)." homonymy is sounding the same, but then became 'fen' later 分 (divide) replacing it, with its composition of "八" + "*刀 (*knife)". (Here's a post about cutting the eighth consciousness instead of a cat).

In my post Yuanwu's Dog Urinates Towards Heaven, I had this line 八字打開無盡庫 translated as "Eight symbols open up an endless storehouse.", when it could have been "Opening like the character '八' reveals an endless storehouse" (or "treasury" if you will, that is, have the true dharma eye to see it). That post contained the counting up to seven, down from seven, etc. and it said 七通八達舉著 ("The seven passages and eight ways are raised").

Well, in Yuanwu's Nanquan passage, it has also its mention of "the character 八", and now it makes a lot of sense to me. Here's how I'd translate it now:

時人見此一株華如夢相似。"At that time, people saw this flower, which resembled a dream."

師拈云。陸亘手攀金鎖。The master picked it up and said, "Lu Gen grasps the golden lock with his hand."

南泉八字打開。Nanquan reveals the openness of 'eight.' (八)

直得七珍八寶羅列目前。All seven treasures and eight jewels are laid out before your eyes.

乃竪起拂子云。He then raised the whisk and said,

天地一指萬物一馬。"Heaven and Earth are one finger; all things are one horse."

通身是眼分疎不下。Eyes cover the whole body, yet they cannot discern clearly.

The eighth consciousness transforming into the four wisdoms enabling the threefold body of enlightenment, Vairocana, is "seeing nature" in Zen and knowing Mind is Buddha (Vairocana).

A monk came forward and asked: “It is said in the teachings of old that if one does not see a single Dharma, this is the Tathagata. Only then can it be called 'seeing clearly'. What is this basis of seeing clearly?”

The Master replied: “Through seven, reaching eight.” (透七透八)

I've got five nails, and one is aimed at each of your eyes. We'll get the bull's eye before we burn up, even if it takes seven penetrations and eight holes.

There's the missing instructions that the Cleary's omitted from their translation of the BCR. I'll end this pst with one from Case 68 and then Case 91 of the Blue Cliff Record that is most appropriate to wrap this all up:

垂示云。無啗啄處。祖師心印。狀似鐵牛之機。透荊棘林。衲僧家。如紅爐上一點雪。平地上七穿八穴則且止。不落寅緣。又作麼生。試舉看。

No place to peck or bite—the ancestral teacher's mind-seal. Resembling the workings of an iron ox, passing through a thicket of thorns. For a monk, it’s like a snowflake on a red-hot furnace. Setting aside the seven penetrations and eight holes on flat ground, what is it like when one does not fall into the realm of causes and conditions? Try to present it and see.

&

垂示云。動絃別曲。千載難逢。見兔放鷹。一時取俊。總一切語言為一句。攝大千沙界為一塵。同死同生。七穿八穴。還有證據者麼。試舉看。

The teaching goes: Moving the string to play a different tune—an encounter rare even in a thousand years. When the hawk is released upon sighting the rabbit, greatness is seized in an instant. Gather all language into a single phrase, encompass the great thousand worlds of sand in a single speck of dust, the same in death and life, with seven penetrations and eight openings. Is there anyone who can bear witness to this? Try to present it and see.

Is it gone within the blink of an eye? Or is it never even hidden?

###Case 48. Qianfeng’s One Road (J.C. Cleary)

A monk asked Qianfeng, “All those blessed with excellent enlightenment in all worlds share one road to nirvana. Where does the road start?”

Qianfeng picked up his staff and drew a line and said, “Right here.”

Later a monk asked Yunmen for instruction. Yunmen picked up a fan and said, “The fan leaps up to the thirty-third heaven and taps Indra on the nose. In the Eastern Sea it strikes a carp and the rain pours down.”

###Wumen said,

One man walks on the bottom of the deepest sea, raising dust and dirt as though winnowing. One man stands on the peak of the highest mountain, with white waves surging up to the sky. Holding fast, letting go, each extends one hand to support the Zen vehicle. They are like two galloping chargers colliding; surely no one in the world can stand up to them. But if we observe them with the correct eye, neither of the two great elders knows where the road starts.

###Verse

Before you’ve set out, you’ve already arrived.

Before you’ve spoken, you’ve already explained.

Even if you anticipate every situation before it develops,

You still have to know that there is an opening upwards.

Zen is uncomfortable to people because it doesn't bow down to any authority and because Zen Masters set up barriers, they are not worried about being helpful.

The big deal here is that there is no entrance (Dongshan) because there in no place to get to, so right here is as good as anywhere else. But where this gets complicated is that this is only half the case. Yunmen is clearly making a strong argument that stands in contrast to Qianfeng's, but can anyone challenge themselves to explain? I don't think I'm going to get a lot of takers.

Also the translation is a bit sus, specially the last lines of the verse. It's supposed to be a Go analogy, where you are anticipating your opponent's every move. But even if you are like that, there is something beyond looking for an entrance.

Today we are going to take a closer look at Master Mazu Daoyi's record, specifically his encounter with Master Nanyue Huairang, referred to in the text as Master Rang.

"During the Kaiyuan era": 唐開元中 (713-741)

"he (Daoyi) practiced xiding": 習定 Xi Ding, according to the Baidu encyclopedia is: Cultivate tranquility to stop delusions

"at the Fahua Institute on Mount Heng": 於衡嶽傳法院 Could also be rendered: Hengyue’s Chuan Fayuan temple

"where he met Master Rang": 遇讓和尚 Master Nanyue Huairang

"who recognized his potential": 知是法器

"and asked": 問曰

"Great Virtue": 大德 "Dade" is an honorific title which can render "eminent monk" or "virtuous monk"

"what are you seeking by sitting in chan?": 坐禪圖什麼 here it specifically says zuòchán or sitting chan, which is commonly translated sitting in meditation.

"The master said": 師曰

"I seek to become a Buddha.": 圖作佛 fó generally translates as Buddha, however there is some nuance to the term. According to the encyclopedia it can mean Buddha, Buddhist, or even "to become like Sakyamuni. It can also mean "to become a compassionate person, or someone who "cannot see clearly and wants to see clearly"

"Rang then took a brick": 讓乃取一磚

"and began polishing it in front of Daoyi’s hut.": 於彼菴前磨

"Daoyi asked, ‘What are you doing?’": 師曰。磨磚作麼

"Rang replied, ‘I’m polishing it to make a mirror.’": 讓曰。磨作鏡 jing here does mean mirror, however it corresponds with the notes above in that it can also mean to make "seeing glasses" or "shine" as well as an expression that means "clear observation" or "see clearly". This appears to be a quote from Hanshan's poem entitled "Steaming Sand" which reads:

"Steaming sand to make rice, digging a well when thirsty.
Grinding a brick with great effort, it can never be used as a mirror.
The Buddha said that everything is originally equal and always has true nature.
But examine yourself and think carefully, and do not waste time arguing."

The line about steaming sand comes from the sixth sentence of the Shurangama Sutra: "It is like steaming sand and stones, hoping that they will become rice. After hundreds and thousands of kalpas, they are just hot sand. Why? This is not rice, because it is made of sand and stones."

"Daoyi said, ‘How can polishing a brick make it a mirror?’": 師曰。磨磚豈得成鏡

"Rang responded, ‘If polishing a brick doesn’t make it a mirror,’": 讓曰。磨磚既不成鏡

"how can zuòchán make you a Buddha?’": 坐禪豈得成佛耶

"Daoyi asked, ‘Then what is the right way?’": 師曰。如何即是

"Rang answered, ‘It’s like a buffalo pulling a cart: if the cart doesn’t move,’": 讓曰。如牛駕車。車不行

"do you whip the cart, or do you whip the buffalo?’": 打車即是。打牛即是 This portion comes from an ancient legend about leader named Yao also known as Yi Qi. It comes from a meeting between Yao and Yu Shun: "So, Yao went in disguise to make a private visit and came to the Lishan area. He heard that Shun was plowing in the fields, so he went to the fields. He saw a young man with a tall, robust build and a strong, alert presence, focused intently on plowing. In front of the plow were harnessed a black ox and a yellow ox.

Strangely, this young man never used a whip on the oxen. Instead, he hung a winnowing basket on the plow and, every so often, tapped the basket and gave a shout. When Shun reached the end of the field, Yao asked, 'Most plowmen use a whip on their oxen. Why do you only tap the basket instead of striking them?' Seeing an elder asking, Shun cupped his hands and respectfully replied, 'The oxen toil hard to plow for people, exerting themselves and sweating. How could I bear to whip them? When I tap the basket, the black ox thinks I'm striking the yellow one, and the yellow ox thinks I'm striking the black one, so they both work hard to pull the plow.'

Hearing this, Yao felt that this young man was wise and kind-hearted; if he treated oxen this way, he would surely have even more compassion for the people. Yao and Shun then engaged in a conversation in the field, discussing issues of governing the land. Shun's insights revealed an understanding of principles and moral duty, far beyond those of an ordinary person."

"Daoyi had no response.": 師無對

"Rang then said,": 讓又曰

"Are you practicing zuòchán,": 汝為學坐禪

"or are you practicing sitting to become a Buddha?": 為學坐佛

"If you are learning zuòchán,": 若學坐禪

"chán is not simply sitting or lying down.": 禪非坐臥

"If you are learning to sit as a Buddha,": 若學坐佛

"the Buddha has no fixed form.": 佛非定相 This echoes the Diamond Sutra: Chapter 5 which reads: "“Subhuti, what do you think? Can the Buddha be recognized by means of his bodily form?”
“No, Most Honored One, the Buddha cannot be recognized by means of his bodily form. Why? Because when the Buddha speaks of bodily form, it is not a real form, but only an illusion.”
The Buddha then spoke to Subhuti: “All that has a form is illusive and unreal. When you see that all forms are illusive and unreal, then you will begin to perceive your true Buddha nature.”

"With the dharma of non-abiding,": 於無住法
This echoes the Diamond Sutra Chapter 10 which states: “Therefore, Subhåti, the Bodhisattva, Mahàsattva, should thus produce a pure heart. He should produce that heart without dwelling in forms. He should produce that heart without dwelling in sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, or dharmas. He should produce that heart without dwelling anywhere."

"one should neither grasp nor reject.": 不應取捨 In the teachings of Vimalakirti we find: "The Bodhisattva “Treasure of Threefold Potency” said: “Realization implies subject and object which are a duality, but if nothing is regarded as realization, there will be neither grasping nor rejecting, and freedom from grasping and rejecting is initiation into the non-dual Dharma.”

This echoes the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Mañjuśrīparivarta Sūtra “Bhagavān, when the mind is not grasping, not seeing characteristics of dharmas nor one who sees, then this is cultivating Prajñāpāramitā. Bhagavān, it is not seeing good or bad, the creation of high or low, and neither grasping nor rejecting. Why? This is because dharmas are neither good nor bad, being apart from all characteristics. Dharmas are neither high nor low, because they are equal in nature. Dharmas are neither accepted nor rejected, because they abide in reality. This is cultivating Prajñāpāramitā.”

As well as the Attadanda Sutta which tells: "A sage does not speak in terms of being equal, lower or higher. Calmed and without selfishness he neither grasps nor rejects."

"If you sit to become a Buddha, you are killing the Buddha.": 汝若坐佛。即是殺佛 This is an interesting part that relates to topics that some seem to not like discussing here in this forum, so I won't go into it here.

"If you cling to the form of sitting,": 若執坐相

"you have not grasped the principle.": 非達其理

"Hearing this teaching,": 師聞示誨

"the master felt as if he had tasted ghee.": 如飲醍醐 ghee or hú here means purest cream, however it is a term used to refer to the highest Dharma.

"He bowed and asked,": 禮拜問曰

"How should I use my mind to unite with the formless samadhi?": 如何用心。即合無相三昧

"Rang said,": 讓曰

"When you study the method of the mind ground, it is like planting seeds.": 汝學心地法門。如下種子 The encyclopedia states: "The Dharma of the Mind Ground (心地法门) was expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha in his Reward Body form as Vairocana Buddha in the 'Palace of Maheshvara', and is known as the 'Forty Methods of the Mind Ground for Attaining Buddhahood'. This teaching presents the methods of abiding, practicing, directing, and grounding together as a unified approach." The abbot of Lingyin Temple, Huiming has an interesting break down of what this means, but is far too long to post here.

"The essentials of the dharma I teach are like heavenly rain.": 我說法要。譬彼天澤

"When your causes and conditions come together, you will see the Way.": 汝緣合故。當見其道

"Daoyi then asked,": 又問曰

"The Way has no form; how can one see it?": 道非色相。云何能見

"Rang answered,": 讓曰

"The eye of the mind-ground can see the Way. It is also the same with formless samadhi.": 心地法眼能見乎道。無相三昧。亦復然矣

"The master asked,": 師曰

"Is there creation and destruction?": 有成壞否

"Rang said,": 讓曰

"If one sees the Way in terms of creation and destruction, gathering and dispersing, that is not seeing the Way.": 若以成壞聚散而見道者。非見道也

"Listen to my verse:": 聽吾偈

"The mind-ground holds many seeds;": 心地含諸種

"when it meets rain, all will sprout.": 遇澤悉皆萌

"Samadhi blooms without form;": 三昧華無相

"what is there to destroy or create?": 何壞復何成

"The master gained enlightenment,": 師蒙開悟

"and his mind was free and at peace.": 心意超然

"He served Rang for ten years,": 侍奉十秋

"and his understanding grew more profound each day.": 日益玄奧

Thank you for reading.

Form https://fo.sina.com.cn/o/2013-06-27/172411036.shtml

"禅宗作为中国汉传佛教的八大宗之一，在中国佛教史乃至哲学史、思想史上都具有重要的意义和深远的影响。而记载六祖慧能说法和生平事迹的集录——《六祖坛经》，则可说是禅宗的“宗经”。它是禅宗的基本理论阵地，奠定了南宗禅的主要理论基础。离开了《坛经》就无从研究慧能的思想，也难以研究慧能南宗的形成、发展与演变。而且《坛经》是中国僧人汗牛充栋的佛教著述中唯一一部被奉为“经”的经典性著作，这些都说明了《坛经》的特殊地位。20世纪以来，随着敦煌本《坛经》和其他禅籍的发现，中外学者围绕着《坛经》作了许多研究，取得丰硕的成果。本文即利用了许多学术界新的观点，对《坛经》的相关问题以及基本构架、禅法思想作一个简要的梳理、概括。"

Google translation:

As one of the eight major schools of Chinese Buddhism, Zen Buddhism has important significance and far-reaching influence in the history of Chinese Buddhism, as well as in the history of philosophy and thought. The Sixth Patriarch's Altar Sutra, which records the Sixth Patriarch Huineng's teachings and life stories, can be said to be the "main scripture" of Zen Buddhism. It is the basic theoretical position of Zen Buddhism and laid the main theoretical foundation of Southern Zen. Without the Altar Sutra, it is impossible to study Huineng's thoughts, and it is also difficult to study the formation, development and evolution of Huineng's Southern School. Moreover, the Altar Sutra is the only classic work regarded as a "scripture" among the numerous Buddhist writings of Chinese monks. All these illustrate the special status of the Altar Sutra. Since the 20th century, with the discovery of the Dunhuang version of the Altar Sutra and other Zen books, Chinese and foreign scholars have conducted many studies on the Altar Sutra and achieved fruitful results. This article uses many new viewpoints in the academic community to briefly sort out and summarize the relevant issues of the Altar Sutra, its basic structure, and Zen thought.

"有关《坛经》的版本

　　综观现今存世的《坛经》本子，真可谓五花八门，令人眼花缭乱。日本学者石井修道的“六祖坛经异本系统图”，列出了《坛经》的十四种不同的版本。宇井伯寿在他的《禅宗史研究》一书中则列出了《坛经》近二十种。中国学者杨曾文教授在其介绍敦博本《坛经》的文章后面，表列的《坛经》本子更是多达近三十种。不过虽然现存《坛经》本子很多，但绝大部分都不过是一些不同的版本或校改传抄本，内容上并无太大的差异。日本学者田中良绍曾认为：“目前《坛经》的版本系统，依驹泽大学禅宗史研究会所刊行之《慧能研究》约可分为五种：敦煌本、惠昕本、契嵩本、承继敦煌本系古本与契嵩本而再编的德异本、主要承接契嵩本而再编的宗宝本。”杜继文等则说：“现已发现的《坛经》分属唐、宋、元三个朝代编订，可以四种类型为代表：一、为法海集本(即敦煌本和敦博本)；二、惠昕述本(简称“惠昕本”)；三、契嵩改编本(已佚失，或即“德异本”)；四、宗宝校编本(简称“宗宝本”)，这四种版本，总体思想倾向是一致的。”郭朋先生也曾指出：“真正独立的《坛经》本子，仍不外乎敦煌本(法海本)、惠昕本、契嵩本和宗宝本这四种本子，其余的都不过是这四种本子中的一些不同的翻刻本或传抄本而已。”"

Google translation:

Versions of the Altar Sutra

Looking at the existing versions of the Altar Sutra, it is really diverse and dazzling. The "Systematic Chart of the Sixth Patriarch's Altar Sutra" by Japanese scholar Ishii Shudao lists fourteen different versions of the Altar Sutra. Ueki Hakuju listed nearly twenty versions of the Altar Sutra in his book "Research on the History of Zen Buddhism". Chinese scholar Professor Yang Zengwen listed nearly thirty versions of the Altar Sutra at the end of his article introducing the Altar Sutra of Dunbo. However, although there are many existing versions of the Altar Sutra, most of them are just different versions or revised copies, and there is not much difference in content. Japanese scholar Tanaka Ryosho once believed that: "The current version system of the "Platform Sutra" can be divided into five types according to the "Hui Neng Research" published by the Zen History Research Association of Komazawa University: Dunhuang version, Huixin version, Qisong version, Deyi version which inherited the ancient Dunhuang version and Qisong version and re-edited, and Zongbao version which mainly inherited Qisong version and re-edited." Du Jiwen and others said: "The "Platform Sutra" that has been discovered belongs to the Tang, Song and Yuan dynasties, and can be represented by four types: 1. The Fahai Collection (i.e. the Dunhuang version and the Dunbo version) Mr. Guo Peng also pointed out: "The truly independent versions of the Altar Sutra are still no more than the Dunhuang version (Fahai version), Huixin version, Qisong version and Zongbao version. The rest are just some different reprints or copies of these four versions."

Discussion: In the same article, both the authority and the fact of different versions are mentioned. The existence of different versions doesn't alter the authority status of Platform Sutra in Zen in China.

The following is from The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch.

惠能严父，本贯范阳，左降流于岭南，作新州百姓。此身不幸，父又早亡，老母孤遗，移来南海；艰辛贫乏，于市卖柴。时，有一客买柴，使令送至客店。客收去，惠能得钱，却出门外，见一客诵经。惠能一闻经语，心即开悟。遂问："客诵何经？"客曰："《金刚经》。"复问： "从何所来，持此经典？"客云："我从崭州黄梅县东禅寺来。其寺是五祖忍大师在彼主化，门人一千有余；我到彼中礼拜，听受此经。大师常劝僧俗，但持金刚经，即自见性，直了成佛。"惠能闻说，宿昔有缘，乃蒙一客取银十两与惠能，令充老母衣粮，教便往黄梅参礼五祖。

Google translation:

Huineng's father was a strict man. He was originally from Fanyang. He was exiled to Lingnan and became a citizen of Xinzhou. Unfortunately, his father died early, leaving his mother alone. They moved to Nanhai. They were poor and had to sell firewood in the market. At that time, a guest bought firewood and asked someone to deliver it to the inn. The guest took the firewood and Huineng got the money. He went out and saw a guest reciting scriptures. Huineng was enlightened as soon as he heard the scriptures. So he asked, "What scripture is the guest reciting?" The guest said, "The Diamond Sutra." He asked again, "Where are you from and why are you reciting this scripture?" The guest said, "I came from Dongchan Temple in Huangmei County, Zhanzhou. The temple is where the Fifth Patriarch Master Neng preached and has more than a thousand disciples. I went there to worship and listen to this sutra. The master often advised monks and laymen to just recite the Diamond Sutra, and then they would see their own nature and become Buddhas." Huineng heard this and thought they had a predestined relationship. So the guest gave Huineng ten taels of silver to buy food and clothing for his mother and told him to go to Huangmei to pay homage to the Fifth Patriarch.

Can't AMA

Zen Masters focus almost exclusively on Zen historical records of public debate (koans) because public debate is the only Zen practice.

Dongshan famously said, "If you would experience that which transcends even the Buddha, you must first be capable of a bit of conversation." This is a contested translation, and it might be more You can't have a conversation about enlightenment if you aren't enlightened, or something to that effect.

Either way, if you don't study what Zen Masters teach enough to answer questions about the words they say?

Then you are attached to the words of your own beliefs, so much so that there is no room in your heart to learn about anything.

Can't skip across 1,000 years

Zen Masters created and maintained historical records of conversations in the form of transcripts, called koans. All the evidence points to Zen communities recording these conversations as history, and referring to these conversations as history. In contrast, the Christian Bible and the Buddhist sutras are seen as mythological by their followers. Myth is not history.

Someone who is attached to words makes the classic error of trying to know everything about a subject by reading one sentence, and Huangbo calls them out very harshly:

Above all it is essential not to select some particular teaching suited to a certain occasion, and, being impressed by its forming part of the written canon, regard it as an immutable concept. Why so? Because in truth there is no unalterable Dharma which the Tathagata could have preached.

If you believe that a particular phrase is the unalterable truth, then you are attached to those words. This is real attachment, not being able to traverse all the teachings of a tradition. Much like Christians who only know a handful of bible quotes, and live by those with no debate.

Can't find anyone else to make the argument

If your beliefs and ideas are unique to you, then you made them up.

Pure and simple.

Zen Masters use and reuse other Masters' arguments, sometimes debating with those famous teachings, but more often not simply explaining the teachings to others. It's easy to find a ton of Zen Masters on a famous Zen subject.

Lots of 1900's Buddhist apologetics made claims that had never been made before in human history. Those claims were believed by many uneducated Westerners, who didn't have any experience with religious apologetics.

When Bielfeldt proved that Dogen was a fraud and a liar and that shikantaza was a bunch of BS, he used Dogen's own words. Since then we've seen that Rujing's own words, and the words of a ton of other Zen Masters, confirm these conclusions about shikantaza being BS.

We have a ton of Zen Masters saying don't try to focus your mind into stillness, don't try to gradually improve: www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/notmeditation.

It's not just one example... it's all of them.

Attached to words will get you in trouble

The reality is that everybody knows this. That's why there aren't forums open to debate about Zen. There are either secular forums where textual evidence is presented, or religious forums where censorship is the only rule.

Censorship is the ultimate attachment to words and sentences.

#Why slap anyone ever?

###Ask any woman who has been sexually harassed on public transportation.

###Watch any episode of the Three Stooges.

###Read any history of child-disciplining techniques.

##What I mean is that slapping someone was a commonly recognized tactic for exposing the perceived inappropriateness of someone's conduct to the public.

#Who do Zen Masters slap?

##Anyone, including each other and on at least one occasion, themselves.

#Why slap?

###Giving Zen instruction is outrageous from the perspective of Zen Masters

####(Huangbo's "No Masters of Zen")

###Zen Masters demonstrate and recognize outrage at their own position

####(Yunmen and Linji exhorting their assembly to slap them.)

###Recognition is not a Mechanical Act

####(Zen Imitators are exposed before the assembly by interviewing them.)

#.

#..

#...

#ZEN IS ALL ABOUT PROVING YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT

Traditional ewk AMA, feel free to ask me anything about Zen

What is TuesdAMA?

Public interview is the core communal tradition in the Zen lineage. It's so basic and essential and intrinsic that any individual or organization claiming to be Zen that does not sponsor weekly public interviews is not Zen.

AMAs have a bit of a history in r/Zen of being used to expose frauds, liars, cheats, new agers, meditation worshippers, and Western Buddhist posers... because anybody can say anything on the internet, but they can't be interviewed about it if they are frauds.

But what does it take to AMA? It's the same thing as the first day of any high school class: you stand up and say your name, where you are from, and what your interests are. Think about whether you are comfortable doing this, and why some people might not be able to without violating the Reddiquette.

       Zen study is 100% about answering your questions

The definative ewk AMA

https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/1ddef4v/tuesdama_ewk_all_about_that_zen/

20 years of academic study on Zen; I read the wiki /r/zen/wiki/getstarted

12k podcast episodes downloaded: https://sites.libsyn.com/407831

What have you learned this year?

No idea. Here's a post from 11 months ago that is ranked "very controversial": https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/18hgadq/why_arent_there_lots_of_enlightened_people_on_the/

Just from that post alone, I've learned some things:

1. Nobody is that interested in Zen. That's okay.
2. Lots and lots of people want to make money and self esteem based on the fame of Zen. That's not okay.
3. Ignorance is 100% the place where everybody on social media is failing about Zen. Also about most other stuff.
4. Reddit does not care about vote brigading in small forums. I have stopped complaining. It's not even an ideological driven brigade, it's just rage arising from mental health issues.
5. While different religions mean different things by "enlightenment", there are no enlightened teachers on the internet genuinely trying to reach out to people.

Unblocking Christmas

It's Christmas, and that means I unblock everybody! I think this year I will block less and report more. I've been using the block function to to contribute to the work by mods and admins, and that's not helping them as much as I thought.

New Year's Resolution - It's going to be Wumenguan 24/7

Let's see how long that lasts!

Ask me anything about any book ever. I dare you.

Amazon randomly recommended Blofeld's translation of Hui Hai's record called "Zen Teaching of Instantaneous Awakening", so naturally I found a way to read it for free. Right in the beginning we have an interesting question and answer exchange:

Question: "What is sudden enlightenment?"

Answer: "‘Sudden’ means immediately eliminating delusory thoughts. ‘Enlightenment’ means realizing there is nothing to attain."

The first question I had was "well what's a delusory thought? What's the Chinese for that?"

Luckily cbeta has the text so I plugged the characters into Pleco. The characters being translated as "delusory thoughts" are 妄念- "wild fantasy" or "unwarranted thought".

Anytime I've seen "delusory thought" in a Zen text I've always wondered what one was. What causes a thought to be categorized as "delusion"?

I think "unwarranted thought" is a much more helpful translation of the characters.

What makes a thought unwarranted? When it doesn't match with reality.

What do Zen masters consider real? Our direct lived experience of reality as it is illuminated by Awareness before concepts.

So an unwarranted thought would be any thought that doesn't match up to what is actually presented within immediate Awareness.

numerology instead of college

There's a guy posting the forum these days about his various interpretations of texts and they are mostly rooted in numerology and Aleister Crowley New age thinking.

This is a guy who claimed that Alister Crowley was a genius, much like a certain former President claimed he was a genius. There are no standards used for genius by these people. They say it just as appeal to authority.

College education is not an option or a joke when we're talking about doing academic work.

But again Aleister Crowley new ageer fans and ex-presidents who claim they are a genius. Have another thing in common and that is a lack of education leading them to say crazy stuff.

Middle way is Buddhist doctrine

In the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta in the Pali Canon, the first teaching the Buddha gave after his enlightenment which sets forth the four noble truths, he speaks of the Middle Way, the path of practice that avoids the two extremes of sensual indulgence on the one hand, and severe asceticism on the other.

Okay, so when we're talking about the Middle Way in the context of Zen teachings, it's a debate about the meaning and truth of this sutra.

There are other Middle Way concepts especially in New age religion, but there's no text for these and so the problem there become a shifting definitions that Don't meet the requirements of a logical argument.

Zen quotes about middle Way

Since the mind lacks these two extremes, how could there be a middle? Attaining this is called the Middle Way, the true path of the Tathāgata (Buddha).

. . .

Question: What is the meaning of the Middle Way?

Answer: It is the meaning of the extremes.

Question: am asking about the Middle Way-- why do you respond that it is the meaning of the extremes?

Answer: The extremes exist because of the Middle, and the Middle arises because of the extremes.

Even a cursory read of these quotes makes it clear that the debate is about the tension between Zen and this sutra since Zen Masters don't teach the eightfold path and obviously there's no examples of any Zen Master following full path.

formally trained to make an argument

When you're going to write something in college or even in high school, the stakes are unusually high compared to social media.

Because you will get graded on it and that grade will matter in your life.

People who didn't do well in high school and then spend all their time on social media don't feel that they have to meet any standard.

This generally means that social media stuff isn't very reliable and that includes Wikipedia anytime the person editing it does not have a degree in the subject.

So the first question always is going to be what argument is the person trying to make?

Second, what are the steps of the argument?

Third, what facts support the steps of the argument?

Let's apply the standard to our aleister Crowley memberologist friend and his claims about Zen's Middle path.

Middle Way in Zen

1. The argument seems to be that Zen is related to Buddhism

2. The argument is not sophisticated.

   • Middle way of 8f Path is a Buddhist doctrine
   • One Zen master addressed the Middle Way one time in a thousand years of historical records.
   • Therefore there is a middle way in Zen
   • Therefore Zen is related to Buddhism.

failure of new age pseudo reasoning

There are a number of problems with this argument:

1. The evidence of the use of the term middle way in Zen teachings is incredibly sparse. The middle way is the 8-fold path and there are no references to people following the eightfold.

2. The only quotes that are offered very much illustrate that Zen Masters are rejecting the Buddhist interpretation of the Middle Way as a doctrine and are pointing out inherent flaws in it.

3. These problems have not been anticipated and addressed as they might be in a high school book report and would have to be in any undergraduate college writing.

a lack of formal training is the hallmark of New age scholarship

Here is a link to the previous iteration of this thread.

#Status of Group Projects

1. Miaozong's Instruction, Part 1

We are up to Case 30. In the Chat GPT era, we are now capable of producing translations of Zen texts that are on par with the 20th century in a matter of minutes. Combined with the collective expertise of those that have studied Zen for a time, this translation project is shaping up to surpass anything available in bookstores that purports to be a translation of Zen texts.

This project seems to have slowed down in recent months, /u/jeowy was carrying it along with regular OPs of his translations. it would be cool if someone could pick up with Case 31.

2. Xutang's On Behalf Of: Part 1

I am continuing to validate Xutang's Empty Hall translations with Chat GPT. A lot of new stuff has came up in the recent work I've done on this text. I look forward to sharing it all with you.

3. Wiki Maintenance

Volunteers needed.

4. Zen Primary Sources

Volunteers needed.

5. Untranslated Texts Hitlist

What texts should we add to this page?

Status of Individual Projects

1. ThatKir: Household Instructions from the Illusory Abode Translation & Annotation

Status: In Progress

2. ewk: Gateless Checkpoint

Status: "OMG"

3. ewk: Hard Copy of Qingliao's Faith in Mind & Tongxuan's 100 Questions

Status: Unknown

4. ewk: Academia.edu Article on Historicity of Zen records and the contextual authority of Zen Masters

Status: Unknown

Did I miss anything?

It seems that a user who had blocked me has accused me of being unable to answer questions (which is odd, as they blocked me for being able to do so?) and they have made a post refuting my previous post and mentioned how I couldn't quote three Zen masters in it - I guess they missed the "Pt. 1" in the title that indicated more to come? I also did provide Yanshou in the comments explaining the Middle Way (and yes, including when it is negated or said to not exist - contextual reading is important, especially in non-dual texts...)

Admittedly, I did err in the first post as I had pasted the passage from Yuanwu's record about there being no difference between the original source of the patriarchs and the Buddhas; from ancient times to the present, how they share the same true view, and how understanding a koan doesn't separate one by a hair's breadth. I had intended to also include another passage from Yuanwu's record in proximity to that, but I hadn't, oops! So here it is:

進云。只如教中道。圓悟如來無上知見。未審禪師與佛相去多少。

The student asked, “In the teachings of the Middle Way, it is said that the Tathāgata’s supreme knowledge and insight is perfect enlightenment. How far apart are the Zen master and the Buddha?”

師云。不隔一絲毫。

The master replied, “Not separated by even a hair’s breadth.”

Anyway, there are other references to the Middle Way in Yuanwu's recorded sayings ie, this instance: “In the teachings of the Middle Way, it is said: ‘Before leaving Tuṣita Heaven, he had already descended to the royal palace; before emerging from his mother’s womb, he had already completed his work of saving beings.’" (Cut short for brevity). We can see that Buddha's teaching is kind of equated here as the Middle Way teaching.

I want to look at a different text today, however, and that is 頓悟入道要門論 (The Essential Gate to Sudden Enlightenment and Entering the Path) by 慧海 Huihai.

This text has a Q&A portion, where a monk asks, "What is ultimate emptiness?" and the answer given is: "Neither emptiness nor non-emptiness; this is called ultimate emptiness." The monk then asks "What is the true suchness of stillness?" The Master gives a long answer "There is no fixed state, nor is there a lack of fixed state. This is called the true suchness of stillness." and it goes on and on for a paragraph. The monk then asks the next relevant question this probing would lead to:

問。云何是中道。

What is the Middle Way?

答。無中間。亦無二邊。即中道也。

There is no middle, nor are there two extremes. This is the Middle Way.

云何是二邊。

What are the two extremes?

答。為有彼心。有此心。即是二邊。

The existence of that mind and the existence of this mind; this is the two extremes.

云何名彼心。此心。

How do we define that mind and this mind?

The Master then gives an answer:

答。外縛色聲。名為彼心。內起妄念。名為此心。若於外不染色。即名無彼心。內不生妄念。即名無此心。此非二邊也。心既無二邊。中亦何有哉。得如是者。即名中道。真如來道。如來道者。即一切覺人解脫也。經云。虗空無中邊。諸佛身亦然。然一切色空者。即一切處無心也。一切處無心者。即一[A18]切色性空。二義無別。亦名色空。亦名色無法也。汝若離一[A19]切處無心。得菩提解脫。涅槃寂滅。禪定見性者。非也。一切處無心者。即修菩提．解脫．涅槃．寂滅．禪定。乃至六度。皆見性處。何以故。金剛經云無有少[A20]法可得。是名阿耨多羅三藐三菩提也。

External bindings of form and sound are called that mind. Internal arising of delusive thoughts is called this mind. If one is not stained by external forms, it is called there being no that mind. If one does not generate delusive thoughts internally, it is called there being no this mind. This is not the two extremes. This is not a matter of two extremes. Since the mind lacks these two extremes, how could there be a middle? Attaining this is called the Middle Way, the true path of the Tathāgata (Buddha). The path of the Tathāgata is liberation for all awakened beings. The sutra says that emptiness has no middle or edge; thus, the bodies of all Buddhas are the same. All forms and emptiness are the state of having no mind everywhere. To be without mind everywhere is to have all forms and natures as empty. The two meanings are not separate; it is also called form and emptiness. It is also called the absence of dharmas of form. If you separate from all places where there is no mind, you attain bodhi, liberation, and the tranquility of nirvana. However, to see the nature in stillness is not it. Being without mind everywhere means to cultivate bodhi, liberation, nirvana, tranquility, and stillness, including the six perfections; all of these are places of seeing nature. Why is this so? The Diamond Sutra states that there is not even a single dharma that can be obtained. This is called anuttara-samyak-sambodhi (unsurpassed perfect enlightenment).

We'll likely continue our exploration in a Pt. 3.

Edit: Before the Q&A I had pasted above happens, the monk also asks:

Question: What is the meaning of the Middle Way?

Answer: It is the meaning of the extremes.

Question: I am asking about the Middle Way—why do you respond that it is the meaning of the extremes?

Answer: The extremes exist because of the Middle, and the Middle arises because of the extremes. Originally, if there were no extremes, how could there be a Middle? Thus, what we call the Middle exists because of the extremes. Therefore, we know that the Middle and the extremes depend on each other for their existence and are all impermanent. Form, sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness are also like this.

Middle Way between what?

Moreover. the Way is not something specially existing; it is called the Mahāyāna Mind—Mind which is not to be found inside, outside or in the middle. Truly it is not located anywhere.

Not the new age middle way of the Topicalist New Age where you choose your own religion, and not the Buddhist Middle Way of moderating both desire and discipline.

These middle ways are intended as compromises to help people feel better about having faith and yet doing little.

Zen Masters don't even want people to have faith to begin with. And what would there be to do?

Middle Way to Where?

For new agers, the middle way leads to self-actualization where you get to believe what you want and feel good about it.

For Buddhists the middle way leads to gradually fewer reincarnations and it gradually more pure life.

How could there be a middle way to sudden Zen enlightenment? Where in the 1,000 years of historical records about Zen do we see anyone pursuing that and getting anywhere?

If there's a zero examples of anybody ever doing it and suddenly in the 1900s some Westerner says oh I totally figured it out without any education?

And that's called cultural misappropriation.

Dongshan's Follow the Bird Path

A monk said, "The Master normally tells us to follow the bird path. I wonder what the bird path is?"

Dongshan: "One does not encounter a single person," replied the Master.

References to the bird path are found in Indian texts, but the image speaks for itself: not constrained to a particular road, absolutely self-deterministic.

The idea that someone can tell you how to get to enlightenment or that there is a means or a method, or that you should trust someone else more than your own heart?

      ENTIRELY REJECTED BY ZEN

New agers and Buddhists seek meaning and authority and they seek salvation in obedience.

Zen Masters do not tolerate that.

Is this something to aim for? Something that actually can be? Is it an option for anyone? Does it matter? Is this a question one should be asking or only natural?

I see this terminology pass by in many (translated) koans which made me wonder how it happens, but also to whom it is to happen and wonder what you think, but also what your insights, perspectives, contemplations and considerations regarding this are for you on a personal scale, but also grander in the “school of chan/zen”

In T1997 Records of the Teachings of Chan Master Yuanwu Foguo we see multiple mentions of "The Middle Way Teaching" (教中道). We will be examining this in the next few posts.

I was to prime us for this series with a passage from Yanshou's Record of the Source Mirror where he explains that Zen is the Middle Way teaching, and says when you have examples of extremes, polarities, enlightenment and delusion, etc. the cutting down the middle, is the middle way. I was going to post that passage a few days ago, but haunted by the prospective outcome (spooky Halloween noises) I did not.

So, today we're mainly looking at this passage from Yuanwu's record, where we find an explanation of the mirror with no stand:

便云。和尚放下拄杖子。別通箇消息來。方契他意。而今參學兄弟。直須是箭鋒相拄針芥相投內外絕消息始得。若只尋見尋聞求知求解。只成箇生死根本。何不體取無生了本無速。若能箇箇如是見。生死路一時截斷。全不動一絲毫頭。所以道。居千人萬人中。如無一人相似。只是歇得身心。百無知解。如無用處一般。若是隨言逐句作道理。滿肚皮是禪。何時得脫去。故南泉禪師道。山僧出世。只為諸人。拈却佛病祖病。老僧尋常向兄弟道。父母未生前。還有形貌也無。他教中道。四大五蘊成身。只因父母交感一念染心。而成此身。我且問爾。哆哆和和時。何不共人相爭。及至纔長大。便有爭人爭我。四大一旦離散。依前還復本來形貌。故云。菩提本無樹。明鏡亦非臺。本來無一物。何處惹塵埃。各宜勉力。以悟為期。莫虛度光陰。時不待人。

The teacher said: Put down your staff, Master, and bring a new message that truly conveys the meaning. As for those who are now studying, you must engage with sharpness like arrows meeting head-on, like needle tips aligning perfectly, with no inner or outer distractions whatsoever. If you simply search for sights, sounds, knowledge, and understanding, you are merely strengthening the roots of birth and death. Why not realize the essence of non-arising and swiftly attain the original ground? If each one of you could see in this way, the path of birth and death would be cut off all at once, without the slightest movement.

This is why it is said: ‘Amid a thousand or ten thousand people, there is none quite like oneself.’ It is simply a matter of letting go of body and mind, free of any thought or knowledge, as though you were entirely unused or purposeless. If you chase after words and sentences, reasoning out their meaning, filling your belly with ‘Chan,’ when will you ever escape?

Thus, Chan Master Nanquan said, ‘I entered this world for you all, casting aside the burdens of Buddha and Patriarchs alike. Often, I say to you all: Before your parents were born, did you have any form or appearance?’

(他教中道。四大五蘊成身) In the Middle Way Teaching, it is said that the body is made up of the four elements and the five aggregates, arising from a single thought of attachment at the time of your parents' union, forming this body. Now I ask you—when you were babbling and playing as a baby, why didn’t you compete with others? Yet, as soon as you grew up, there arose conflict over self and others. When the four elements disperse one day, you will return to your original form.

“This is why it is said, ‘Bodhi is fundamentally without a tree; the clear mirror is also not a stand. Originally, there is not a single thing—where could dust alight?’

“Each of you must make an effort to seek awakening as your goal. Do not waste time idly, for time waits for no one.”

You often see the four elements and five aggregates being raised in Zen by masters and in discussion, people will call these "Buddhist" aspects of the record, and while the "Buddha Dharma", "teachings of the Buddha", etc. appears throughout the record, you also see masters refer to the teachings as the "Middle Way teachings"...

Some people who reject that Zen is a school of Buddhism (often those who reject reality) seem to place an emphasis on the matter of winning and losing and even arbitrarily apply it to conversations over "mundane matters", when that seems pretty antithetical to Zen, as illustrated above, and what I've read in the past where Yuanwu called Zen's state "non-contentious samadhi". Above we read: "Now I ask you—when you were babbling and playing as a baby, why didn’t you compete with others? Yet, as soon as you grew up, there arose conflict over self and others." Is Zen not about killing this self by realizing its inherent empty nature? Time waits for no one... even if idling for 10 years.

Yuanwu's recorded sayings text also states,

The master said, "A thoroughly understood koan does not separate one by even a hair's breadth. It encompasses the entire world and is a great gate to liberation, as bright as the sun and moon, as vast as the empty sky. There is no difference between the original source of the patriarchs and the Buddhas; from ancient times to the present, they share the same true view. For those with sharp faculties and superior wisdom, there is no need to deliberate. They immediately stand like a wall a thousand feet high, acknowledging it directly within their own roots. They can then encompass the past and present, severing the head of the Buddha of retribution and transformation, without the slightest leakage.

The transformation is in the eighth consciousness, and the samadhi with no leakage is documented in Human and Celestial Eyes, Dongshan inherited from Yunyan Tansheng the Wisdom of the Three Types of Leakage (三種滲漏, shenlou) )(aka No Leakage), and the baojing sanmei (宝鏡三昧 "Jewel Mirror Samādhi).

Using the jewel sword of non-duality to cut away all confusions both ends fall away. Left with the Middle Way.

The monk then quoted, “How could it compare to the setting sun and the solitary wild goose flying together? The autumn waters merge with the vast sky into one color.”

The master said, “Drawing the bow after the thief has fled.”

Then the master continued, “Inside, there is no mind; outside, no form. Above, no Buddhas to revere; below, no sentient beings to grieve over. Greed, jealousy, and stinginess are all eliminated. Compassion, joy, and equanimity are dispensed with. Cutting off both ends, the Middle Way is unhindered. Utterly naked, there is nothing to take on. Bare and exposed, without contradiction—striking it does not muddy it, lifting it does not make it clear, stirring it does not move it, and twisting it does not turn it.

(Imagine playing Bop It with that? "Strike it, stir it, twist it" . . . Game over!)

The "thief having fled" is a reference to the eighth consciousness teaching. It is said the 6th consciousness is the thief of the mind, and I recently posted about how cutting the 8th leaves no worry of the thieves or bandits. Also, this from Charles Luk's Chan and Zen Teaching: "For this reason we are obliged to have recourse to this hua t'ou and use its 'Vajra King's Precious Sword' to kill all these thieves so that the eighth consciousness can be transmuted into the Great Mirror Wisdom, the seventh into the Wisdom of Equality, the sixth into the Profound Observing Wisdom and the first five consciousnesses into the Perfecting Wisdom." etc.

We'll explore more of Yuanwu's record's references to the Middle Way teachings in part 2, and possibly 3...

#Intro

Colophons usually refer to information about a book and its author stamped on it. I've seen the term used to describe Mingben and other Zen Masters' instructional commentary on artwork or texts penned by their own hand.

Most of the examples of this genre of Zen instruction are left untranslated, uncatalogued, and in the hands of museums, temples, or private individuals.

The obvious caveat is that handwritten texts can be forged, which the Smithsonian Museum has shown could be the case here by remarking,

*The first three colophons on the Fanlong scroll also appeared on a recorded handscroll painting

of the Sixteen Luohan attributed to the late-Tang poet, painter, and Chan monk, Guanxiu 貫休 (832–912). Instead of Zhongfeng Mingben, as here, on that scroll the first colophon is dated 1100 and signed as Su Guo 蘇過 (1072–1123), younger son of Su Shi 蘇軾 (1037–1101). The second recorded colophon on that scroll (third on the Freer scroll, where it is signed by Yuansou Xingduan) is dated 1315 and attributed instead to Zhao Mengfu 趙孟頫 (1254–1322). And the third colophon (second on the Freer scroll, where it is signed as Tiechuan jushi) is attributed to the renowned Chan prelate Jitan Zongle 季潭宗泐 (1318–1391). The recorded scroll concludes with a brief notice attributed to Ni Zan 倪瓚 (1306–1374), anachronistically dated to the guichou year of the Zhizheng 至正 reign period (1341–68), a year that would correspond to 1373. The recorded Su Guo text (which lacks the dedication on the Freer scroll) is eighteen characters shorter than, and contains other discrepancies with, its counterpart on the Freer scroll, while the two remaining texts also contain minor discrepancies with their respective counterparts. While the authenticity of the recorded scroll and its colophons may be suspect, the fact that the three texts are attributed to other writers introduces an element of doubt concerning the otherwise unrecorded Freer colophons as well*

The Smithsonian

https://asia-archive.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/F1960-1_Documentation.pdf

#The Artwork

Here is a link to the artwork in question.

Title: 《十六應真圖 》 The Sixteen Luohan's Painter: 梵隆 Fanlong, 12th Century

#Mingben's Colophon

The Smithsonian article I linked in the Introduction provided a unreadable-rough translation but I plugged the Chinese into ChadGPT and got something rough but at least in readable English.

The eighteen sages abiding in the world, each with their own realized samadhi, display various marvels and distinct realms. Their supernatural transformations and profound functions are beyond comprehension. One only sees lofty mountains towering against the sky, deep blue seas swelling beneath clear skies, ancient trees and new bamboo, evergreen pines amid strange rocks; the reverence of empresses and nobles, and the attendance of local deities and wild guardians. Long serpents drink in qi, dissolving their own toxic flames, while fierce tigers submit, their imposing auras dissipated. They sit majestically, embodying self-possession, and walk with endless dignity, so that as one reads these scrolls, one feels transported to the vast stone bridges of Fangguang. Teachings state, “Externally, they manifest as Śrāvakas, while within they secretly engage in the practices of Bodhisattvas.” Their outward “manifestations” thus completed, the so-called “inner secrecy” also belongs to the realm of perception, allowing for the following verse:

“Strange forms and wondrous shapes, unfettered by snares, Realizing that all realms are mind-made, each seamlessly united. Beyond the stories of the eighteen, no brush can capture empty space.”

Elder Bian brought out a scroll stored in his traveling case, and one day, during a break from meditation, he held it up, requesting an inscription for the back. Respectfully inscribed by Elder Hantou Mingben of the Western Tianmu Mountain.

#Decoding

The bulk of the first paragraph would be interesting scholarship material if we can figure out who the 16 people in the artwork are, what is being depicted in the scene, and what Zen Masters say about those people. The only clue I have is that there is a tradition of groups of 16, 18, or 500 close disciples of Zen Master Buddha depicted as remaining in the world and not departing until the end of the world and the coming of the the future Buddha, Maitreya but we just aren't there yet in terms of people with enough time on their hands to undertake a task like that so we're left with Mingben's instruction on what it means to be enlightened.

1. Seeing reality directly without blinding yourself to any part of it.

2. The different states of mind do not deviate in their origin from each other.

3. The Zen transmission can't be captured by any particular manifestation of it.

From Sun-Face Buddha: The Teachings of Ma-tsu and the Hung-chou School of Ch'an, p. 65:

All of you should penetrate your own minds; do not record my words. Even if principles as numerous as the sands of Ganges are spoken of, the mind does not increase. And if nothing is said, the mind does not decrease. When there is speech, it is just your own mind. If there is silence, it is still your own mind. Even if one could produce various transformation bodies, emit rays of light and manifest the eighteen transformations, that is still not like becoming like dead ashes.

Wet ashes are without power, and can be compared to the Sravakas who falsely cultivate causes in order to obtain the fruits. Dry ashes are with power, and are like the Bodhisattvas whose karma is mature and who are not defiled by any evil. If one is to speak about all expedient teachings of the tripitaka that the Tathagata has expounded, even after innumerable kalpas one still would not be able to finish them all. It is like an endless chain. But if one can awaken to the Holy Mind, then there is nothing else to do, You have been standing long enough. Take care!

This describes arriving at the Absolute from within the Relative. Taking phenomena as they appear, observe their nature: knowing their existence is Mind, knowing their non-existence is Mind, knowing preferences is Mind, knowing no preferences is Mind. Samsara compassionately exists merely to point you back toward your own Mind. What if anything stops you from realizing this?

CASE

A monk asked Tung Shan, "What is Buddha?"

Tung Shan said, "Three pounds of hemp."

Why does the monk trouble Dongshan with questions about the Buddha? Because their exchange, and experience was both framed and enabled by Buddhism. Buddha was an awakened one, a person awakened to their true nature. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Their true nature was three pounds of hemp. In the commentary, Yunmen says no to:

"They were in the storehouse at the time, that's why they answered like that."

"Dongshan was asked about the East and answered from the West" (Meaning he was asked about a Universal, Existential question and he answered from a conventional and worldly perspective thus illustrating the interdependence of void and form. (Nope!)

"Since you are Buddha, you go about asking about Buddha, and Dongshan says this in a roundabout way" IE - if hemp, then certainly YOU!

"Three pounds of hemp is itself Buddha" - Dongshan calls this interpretation the interpretation of a dead man because the idea of a bunch of hemp being Buddha is unfathomable.

But, Bodhisattvas - the case is about words. We can't just have jumbled speech, and so one word comes after another, meaning is built up, and we get to exercise concepts. This case, I think, is asking us to loosen our ties to finding meaning in the words.

Where does that leave us?

When we think of the different sets of beliefs people adopt as them playing different games with rules and win-conditions the contrast with Zen and the "game" of dharma-combat is obvious.

Some examples,

#Christianity (Protestant)

##Rules

You must:

###Believe that The Bible has wisdom in its pages.

###Believe that your soul is originally stained with sin.

###Believe that a magic-zombie-jesus that can clean away your sins by prayer

##Win/Lose State

###Going to Heaven; going to Hell after you die.

####We know you're a Christian by your belief in the above.

#Perrenialist New Ager

##Rules

You must:

###Believe that underlying all the world's religions and philosophies there is a perennial spirituality with perennial truths common to all of them.

###Believe that there exists a lesser-self/ego/delusion that deludes your true self.

###Believe that you can transcend your lesser-self/ego/delusion by the supernatural experiences of meditation, psychedelics, and trance-states.

##Win/Lose State

###Attaining unity with your true self.

####We know you're a Perrenialist New Ager by your belief in the above.

I had a breakdown of Buddhism's faith-rules and it's win-lose states but I typed over that.

Things get weird when we look at what Zen Masters are doing since they neither prescribe belief in doctrine nor attainment nor escape from states of being.

It's like they're winning 24/7 without even trying. Things get ugly for religion really quick when we consider how religion isn't like games at all. After all, no one starts crusades, perpetuates poverty, and lies about Zen Masters in the name of Settlers of Catan.

But I think it works to show how Christians, Buddhists, and New Agers all bind themselves in pursuit of an outcome.

Since the practice of Zen is public interview, I'm interested in finding out why people believe they need salvation/enlightenment/mystical union when Zen Masters showed everyone that they don't need to.

But it takes two to tango and if people aren't willing to AMA about their beliefs in a Zen forum, they won't be curious to know what Zen Masters have to say about them in the Zen forum.

It all comes down to self-awareness, if you aren't even going to take inventory of your beliefs and acknowledge where they put you in terms of "game" you are in the wrong forum.

Oddly enough, there are faith-based social movements and religions that are famous for advertising

harmony and inner peace

but in practice these groups are super angry at Zen.

Whenever their brands come up in this forum, there's a lot of content and vote brigading from other forums. These people want to profess their faith and get really angry when they are told that their faith has nothing to do with Zen.

Not Zen (and not interested)

The main groups of people who come in here and claim to be affiliated with Zen and even authoritative on the topic of Zen all feature people who are almost completely ignorant of Zen tradition and culture.

Over the last decade that I've been here debunking these groups claims of association with Zen has formed wiki pages:

1. Alan Watts & Christian humanists

• www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/sexpredators

2. Zazen prayer-meditation religion

   • www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/notmeditation
   • www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/secular_dogen
   • www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/zazen

3. 8f Path Buddhists

• Four statements of Zen, wiki link in sidebar

4. Awakening New agers and meditation worshippers
   • www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/modern_religions

the face of religious bigotry

The most telling theme in all of this anti-zen sentiment is that none of these groups are really interested in Zen at all.

They don't have textual references.

They don't get upset with us and then go off and study Zen history and then historical records (koan).

They don't particularly care that Zen Masters ever had anything to say about any of the stuff that these faiths are concerned with.

But most importantly, the peace and Harmony that these groups claim to have developed through their practice immediately evaporates exposing it as sham that it is.

Do.You Even Chatechism Bro?

One of the big problems, if not, the biggest problem is that these groups are all ignorant of their own religious beliefs, specifically those core elements of their faith that define it.

So they don't care that the Four Statements of Zen might reject their catechism cuz they don't even know what it is.

I could write out a catechism for each of these groups because I have pwnd them so many times but I don't think they care.

So the question is does anybody who actually is interested in Zen want to understand why any particular faith-based catechism from these groups is incompatible?

I see dead white people

One reason poorly educated Western privilege types are drawn to cult figures like sex predator drug addict defrocked christian minister college dropout Alan Watts is that these groupie followers have low self worth, and Christian Humanism is all about believing everybody is valuable.

Zen Masters absolutely reject that. Zen Masters compare unenlightened people to zombies. Without enlightenment you are "dead inside".

Yuanwu, BCR book of instruction: If you say it exists, then you are blind;

if you say it doesn't exist, then you are dead.

Dead. Zombie dead. Mouth moves, but only mouth noises come out. Not real words, not a living person.

Christian Humanism is all about being saved through faith, and being saved means not thinking of yourself as a garbage person. If you work hard and obey the church, then the Protestants tell you that you have value. But if you don't work hard and don't obey the church? And aren't successful academically, spiritually, socially, economically? Those are all the successes. Without those you are a garbage person. Which is why Christian Humanism is so popular, and Alan Watts type gurus can make a buck off of these people who feel like losers from all the garbage life they have.

But in Zen, hard work and successes won't cut it. Without enlightenment, you are just a dead zombie loser no matter what you do or what you believe.

Dead Zombie losers rejoice!

But whose fault is it that people feel deeply and have come to believe that they are garbage people in need of faith to save them?

Christian Faith: Make a deal with god or you are a garbage person.

Christian Humanist Faith: All humans have value, there are no garbage people.

Zen Masters: Value is bullsh**. There is no good/bad or value/garbage. The whole structure of that thinking is zombie brain follower delusion.

Huangbo: … since you are fundamentally complete in every aspect you should not try to supplement that perfection by meaningless practices [like meditation, prayer, or Christian Humanist affirmation BS].

This is why Zen Masters aren't "bad people" for telling you that without enlightenment you are dead inside. Because being dead inside doesn't make you less valuable. Because THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS VALUE IRL.

This is why Zen Masters say that BS beliefs ARE WHAT MAKE YOU DEAD INSIDE, because you depend on them, instead of on your own heart, to know what "value" is.

I can't save you from yourself

Christians, Christian Humanists, 8f Path Buddhists, and Zazen prayer-meditation, are all about convincing people that belief is what makes things valuable and true.

Zen is all about recognizing you are alive.

What is the HIGHEST HOLY TRUTH OF ZEN MASTER BUDDHA'S DHARMA LAW?

Bodhidharma said, "Emptiness of belief and value, with nothing holy about that".

And of course nobody can make anybody better, since there is no better.

Shazam.

Worship... what does it mean?

Our friend google provides us the etymology:

The word "worship" comes from the Old English word weorþscipe, which means "worthiness" or "worth-ship". The word is made up of two parts:

Worth/wurth/weorth: All mean "worthy"

Suffix scip/scipe: Eventually became ship and means "the state or condition of being"

The word "worship" literally means "to give something worth" or "to demonstratively attribute value". When used as a verb, "worship" means ascribing worth to a being or object.

The modern English usage would be something like "to use faith to make something worthy of reverence".

Sex predator drug addict college drop out christian priests like Alan Watts

Without worship, people like Alan Watts aren't going to be seen as "worthy" of anything. By every bench mark in human society, Alan Watts was a total loser who drank himself to death at a young age because of mental health problems.

Only illiterate white people could possible think Watts was an authority on a 1,000 year tradition that passed from India into China (but not Japan), a tradition built on socialist 5 Lay Precept communities who practiced relentless public interview as the focus of the spiritual lives.

Often I talk to these illiterate white people, and they do not even TRY to make the argument that Alan Watts benefited -or even understood- from the things he claimed to "entertain" people about.

There isn't an option for valuing Alan Watts other than worship. Worship though is the natural, on-your-knees state of the American white male these days though. Turn on the TV. There aren't a ton of them solving social, political, or economic problems right now. There are though a ton of them worshipping other white dudes.

Zen Masters reject worship absolutely

Let's give them the floor, since it's a forum about them. A recent flood of white worshippers seem to have forgotten that:

Foyan - YOU must

This is called awaken­ing, or breakthrough, or discovery. You must attain this at least once; only then can it be said that the task of the journey is done.

• Foyan uses the phrase "you must" roughly thirty times in his record.

What do you people come to me for? Each individual should lead life autonomously— don’t listen to what other people say. An ancient declared, “ I knew how to lead life by the time I was eighteen.” You people must learn to live independently.

• You can't be independent if you worship losers-at-life like Alan Watts. Find somebody who didn't drink themselves to death, and ask their opinion about addicts. Find a woman, any woman, and ask if a sex predator is ever a wise man.

Huangbo - not about creating belief in others

Why do they not copy me by letting each thought go as though it were nothing, or as though it were a piece of rotten wood, a stone, or the cold ashes

of a dead ire? Or else, by just making whatever slight response is suited to each occasion? If you do not act thus, when you reach the end of your days here, you will be tortured by Yama.

• You can see people are already tortured... that's what worshipping drug addict sex predators with mental health problems does to a person. Tortures them. Try worshipping Mr. Rogers instead. Not only will you not be tortured, you won't be able to maintain the worship.

If you suppose there is a Dharma to be preached, you will naturally ask me to expound it, but if you postulate a me that implies a spaciat entity! The Dharma is no Dharma-it is mind!

• Here it comes, and it will like sting, high school book report stylez, dharma means "law", or that-by-which-value-is-known. GASP! So the dharma of Alan Watts worshippers is? Well, I mean it's topicalism, sure, but in detail it's Christian Humanism Says I Am Valuable Even If I'm Total Human Garbage. That's a dharma. Lots of people would rather have that then a personal code. Obviously. Very popular atm.

And Zhaozhou

Zhaozhou, who's words burn the living dead Alan Watts worshippers like holy water, or so I imagine in my more fanciful moments:

Monk: "I've come a long way to see you, it's not clear to me. What is your family custom?

Zhaozhou: I don't talk about it to people.

Monk: Why don't you talk about it to people?

Zhaozhou: That's my family custom.

Monk: You do not talk about it, but why do the four seas (all the people in the world) come to see you?

Zhaozhou: You are the sea, I am not the sea.

Monk: It's not clear to me, what is the sea?

Zhaozhou: I've hooked one!

Aside from how-you-gonna-worship that, the Alan Watts worshipper is so brain dead from all those excuses about how it's okay for this guy to be a sex predator, drug addict, college drop out, white authority on asia, let's be honest. Worshippers of all kinds have never been good at high school book reports, or high school generally.

That's why they turn to worship- because there is no work required. You just get down on your knees and pray for faith. And by A MIRACLE, you believe the dumbest @#$# ever.

You've been served

If you want to go to trail trial, by all means, present your evidence.

Please give me advice on where to begin 🙏.

At the end of the book Mingben states he never found the enlightenment that everyone told him he would find. This has been on my mind quite a bit. If everything is illusion, when someone says "I am enlightened" they are either NOT enlightened because enlightenment / buddahhood is an illusion, or they are enlightened / see their own buddahhood and trying to explain to someone who exists within the illusion.

So, Mingben says he never attained it because it's an illusion, but if he found a way to see past the illusion is this not enlightenment / seeing ones own buddahhood?

This seems like some of paradoxical things I enjoy from Zen.

Don't be all 1900's Buddhist about it

One of the biggest problems in modern Zen scholarship is the general level of ignorance about Zen, and the fact that most people who wrote about Zen in the 1900's were Buddhists by training and faith. It's like having Christians do all the scholarship on Wicca.

Another problem is that 1900's scholars and scholarship is that what's happened in the last quarter century is mostly out of reach to pop culture. People on social media still think debunked scholarship is "pretty accurate", despite the 1900's being wrong about so much, especially Asian cultures.

The most recent problem is not special to Zen scholars, of course, but it's the Ttump era, particularly the last decade, which normalized disinformation and harassment censorship. Which is why there is so much downvote brigading and so little debate on this forum or on any Buddhist forum. Why debate when you are wrong? Why debate when you can simply harass somebody off a platform?

3 easy ways Zen is not Buddhism

1. Zen Masters are Buddhas, Buddhist Masters are not

• Buddhism is a submission to Buddha as their messiah: The best wiki page on Buddhism anywhere on the internet!

www.reddit.com//r/zen/wiki/buddhism

• The four statements clearly say become a Buddha. The only wiki page on the Four Statements of Zen anywhere on the internet https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/fourstatements

2. Zen Masters teach sudden enlightenment, Buddhists teach practice/conformity self-improvement.

• Huangbo's famous "sudden as a knife thrust", and of course "see nature, become a Buddha" from the Four Statements.
• In contrasts, Buddhism requires faith in rebirth, because nobody is going to get anywhere on the 8f path in one lifetime.

3. Zen Master teach Bridget Jones "just as you are" Buddha nature, Buddhists teach karmic sin you need to purify

• "Right thought" does not sit well with many people because it is so obviously though policing. But purity requires purity of thought, doesn't it?
• Huangbo's "you are inherently complete" is what we might call the "Bridget Jones Assertion", aks "Just as you are": https://youtu.be/oZu2JfM2Aq8

Nobody is going to argue it

The problem with civil public debate is that there has to be two sides... and there just aren't. We know there is no meditation in Zen. We have all seen that Buddhism and Zen are not only incompatible, but are entirely dissimilar (unlike Buddhism and Christianity).

Much like nobody in the Ttump era argues that the man isn't a felon, a sex predator, and a racist. Nobody argues it because it isn't true.

It's just that harassment stops papers from endorsing the other candidate.