THE CASE The Sixth Ancestor was pursued by Ming the head monk as far as Ta-yü Peak. The teacher, seeing Ming coming, laid the robe and bowl on a rock and said, “This robe represents…
Posts TaggedBuddhist
Zen Koan Case 16: Yun-men: The sound of the Bell
THE CASE Yün-men said, “See how vast and wide the world is! Why do you put on your seven-piece robe at the sound of the bell?” WU-MEN’S COMMENT All you Zen students, training in the…
Zen Koan Case 18 What is Buddha?
THE CASE A monk asked Tung-shan, “What is Buddha?” Tung-shan said, “Three pounds of flax.” WU-MEN’S COMMENT Old Man Tung-shan attained something of clam-Zen. He opened the two halves of his shell a bit and…
Zen Koan Case 19 What is Tao?
Nan-ch’üan: “Ordinary mind is the Tao.” Chao-chou asked Nan-ch’üan, “What is the Tao?” Nan-ch’üan said, “Ordinary mind is the Tao.” Chao-chou asked, “Should I try to direct myself toward it?” Nan-ch’üan said, “If you try…