Gateless Gate 11

71
Gateless Gate (Mumonkan, Wumenguan) #11
Dogen's 300 #281
Zhoazhou Examines the Hermits

Personnel

• Zhaozhou Congshen (Joshu Jushin, 778-897, 10th gen). Go to ZHAOZHOU.
• Two unnamed hermits (or, possibly, the same one twice)
• Unnamed monks

Case

Zhaozhou went to a hermit's hut and asked, "Anybody in? Anybody in?"
The hermit thrust up his fist.
Zhaozhou said, "The water is too shallow for a ship to anchor." Thereupon he left.[1]
Again he went to a hermit's hut and asked, "Anybody in? Anybody in?"
The hermit, too, thrust up his fist.
Zhaozhou said, "Freely you give, freely you take away. Freely you kill, freely you give life." He made a profound bow.[2]

[1]Aitken: Zhaozhou went to a hermit's cottage and asked, "Anybody in? Anbody in?" The hermit lifted up is fist. Zhaozhou said, "The water is too shallow for a ship to anchor." And he left.
Cleary: Zhaozhou went to where a hermit was staying and asked, "Is there? Is there?" The hermit held up a fist. Zhaozhou said, "A ship cannot moor where the water is shallow." Then he left.
Gu: Zhaozhou went to a hermit's place and asked, "Is there? Is there?" The hermit held up his fist. Zhaozhou said, "Shallow water is not a place to dock a big ship." And he left.
Hinton: Master Visitation-Land stopped at a shrine-master's hut and called out: "Anyone there? Presence? Any Presence there?" The shrine-master simply held up his fist. "You can't anchor a boat in water this shallow," said Land. Then he left.
Low: Zhaozhou went to a hermit's hut and called, "Is anyone at home? Is anyone at home?" The hermit thrust up his fist. Zhaozhou said, "The water is too shallow to anchor here," and went away.
Sekida: Zhaozhou went to a hermit's cottage and asked, "Is the master in? Is the master in?" The hermit raised his fist. Zhaozhou said, "The water is too shallow to anchor here," and he went away.
Senzaki: One day, Zhaozhou visited a place where a monk had retired to meditate in solitude, and asked him, "What have you now?" The monk raised his fist. Zhaozhou left, remarking, "Ships cannot anchor where the water is too shallow."
Shibayama: Zhaozhou can to a hermit and asked, "Are you in? Are you in?" The hermit held up his fist. "The water is too shallow to anchor a vessel," said Zhaozhou.

[2]Aitken: Again he went to a hermit's cottage and asked, "Anybody in? Anbody in?" This hermit too lifted up his fist. Zhaozhou said, "Freely you give, freely you take away, freely you kill, freely you give life." And he made a full bow.
Cleary: Zhaozhou also went to where another hermit was staying and asked, "Is there? Is there?" That hermit also raised a fist. Zhaozhou said, "Can concede, can deny, can kill, can enliven." Then he bowed.
Gu: Zhaozhou went to another hermit's place and asked, "Is there? Is there?" The hermit also held up his fist. Zhaozhou said, "Able to give and able to take; capable of killing and capable of saving." He made obeisance.
Hinton: Later he returned to the shrine-master's hut and again called out: "Anyone there? Presence? Any Presence there?" Once more the shrine-master simply held up his fist. "Ah you -- you can offer up and steal away, put to death and bring to life," said Land. Then he bowed reverently.
Low: He went to another hermit's hut and cried out, "Is anyone at home? Is anyone at home?" The hermit thrust up a fist. Zhaozhou said, "Freely you give, freely you take away. Freely you bestow life, freely you destroy," and mad a profound bow.
Sekida: Coming to another hermit's cottage, he asked again, "Is the master in? Is the master in?" This hermit, too, raised his fist. Zhaozhou said, "Free to give, free to take, free to kill, free to save," and he made a deep bow.
Senzaki: A few days later, Zhaozhou went again to visit the monk, making the same abrupt query. The monk repeated his surly gesture in response. Zhaozhou said, "He can give, he can take. He can kill, he can save." And he bowed to the monk.
Shibayama: He then came to another hermit and called out, "Are you in? Are you in?" This hermit also held up his fist. "You are free either to give or to take away, either to kill or to give life," said Zhaozhou, bowing to him.

Wumen's Comment

Each hermit thrust up his fist the same way. Why is one accepted and the other rejected? Tell me, what is the cause of the confusion? If on this point you can say a turning word, then you can see that Zhaozhou's tongue has no bone. Now he raises up, now he thrusts down in perfect freedom.[3] But though this is so, it is also true that Zhaozhou himself has been seen through by the two hermits. Furthermore, if you can say that there is a distinction of superiority and inferiority between the two hermits, you have not yet the eye of realization. Neither have you the eye of realization if you say there is no distinction of superiority and inferiority between them.[4]

[3]Aitken: Both held up their fists in the same way. Why did Zhaozhou approve one and not the other? Tell me, what is the core of the complication? If you can give a turning word on this matter, you will realize that Zhaozhou's tongue has no bone it it. He is free -- now to raise up, now to thrust down.
Cleary: Both alike raised a fist: Why did he agree with one and not the other? Where is the riddle? If you can utter a pivotal word here, you will see that Zhaozhou's tongue has no bone; he helps up and knocks down with great freedom.
Gu: Both raised their fists. Why is one affirmed and the other denied? Tell me: Where is the fault? If you can utter a turning word here, then you can see that Zhaozhou's tongue has no bone in it. He can hold up and put down freely.
Hinton: That shrine-master holding up his fist: it was exactly alike both times. How it is Visitation-Land affirmed one and not the other? Speak up! Someone conjure a hinge-phrase! Make it reveal how nothing holds Visitation-Land's tongue back. Building up here, tearing down there, he's perfectly self-possessed -- vast and wide open in such wild freedom.
Low: Both stuck up their fist; why was one accepted, the other rejected? Just say, where is the source of the confusion between the two? If, in regard to this you can speak a word of understanding, then you will realize that Zhaozhou's toungue has no bone in it. Now he raises up, now he dashes down, in perfect freedom.
Sekida: Both raised their fists; why was the one accepted and the other rejected? Tell me, what is the difficulty here? If you can give a turning word to clarify this problem, you will realize that Zhaozhou's tongue has no bone it it, now helping other up, now knocking them down, with perfect freedom.
Senzaki: The raised fist was the same both times. Why, then, did Zhaozhou scorn the first and approve the second? Where is the fault? Whoever answers this knows that Zhaozhou's tongue has no bone, so he can use it freely.
Shibayama: Both held up their fists. Why did he approve the one and disapprove the other? Tell me, where is the core of the complication? If you can give a turning word on the point, you will see that Zhaozhou is unrestrained in saying what he wants to say and utterly free either to help the one rise up or to push the other down.

[4]Aitken: Be that as it may, can you realize also that Zhaozhou was seen through by the two hermits? Furthermore, if you say that one hermit was superior to the other, you do not yet have the eye of reflective study. And if you say there is no difference between them, you do not yet have the eye of reflective study.
Cleary: But even so, Zhaozhou was nevertheless exposed by the two recluses: If you say that either of the recluses was better or worse, you still lack the eye for Zen learning; but if you say neither was better or worse, you also still lack the eye for Zen learning.
Gu: While this is so, these two hermits have also exposed Zhaozhou; they saw right through him. If you say that one hermit was better than the other, you do not have the eye to investigate and learn. If you say that there is no better or worse, you also do not have the eye to investigate and learn.
Hinton: But however true that is, it's also true that Visitation-Land was destroyed by the interrogation of that shrine-master's two manifestations. If he affirms one is achieved and the other not, he hasn't perfected that studied and penetrating Buddha-deep eye. And if he denies one is achieved and the other not, he still hasn't perfected that studied and penetrating Buddha-deep eye.
Low: But though this is so, remember that the two hermits also saw through Zhaozhou. Furthermore, if you say one or the other of the two hermits is better or worse, you do not have an open eye. Neither do you have an open eye if you suppose there is no difference between the two hermits.
Sekida: However, I must remind you: the two hermits could also see through Zhaozhou. If you say there is anything to choose between the two hermits, you have no eye of realization. If you say there is no choice between the two, you have no eye of realization.
Senzaki: Yet perhaps Zhaozhou is wrong; through that monk, he may have discovered his own mistake. One who thinks that the insight of the one exceeds that of the other has no eyes to see.
Shibayama: Be that as it may, do you know that it was Zhaozhou, on the contrary, whose true nature was seen by the two hermits? If you say the one hermit is superior to the other, you ave not yet got the Zen eye. Or if you say there is no difference between the two, you ave not yet got the Zen eye, either.

Wumen's Verse

His eye is a shooting star,
His activity like lightning;[5]
A sword that kills man,
A sword that gives man life.[6]

[5]Aitken: Eye like a shooting star; activity like lightning;
Cleary: Eyes like shooting stars. Mind like flashing lightning;
Gu: Eyes like shooting stars, Conditions like lightning.
Hinton: Buddha-deep shooting-star eye, lightning-flash loom of origins:
Low: His eye a shooting star, He moves like lightning.
Sekida: The eye like a shooting star, The spirit like lightning;
Senzaki: The light of his eye is like a comet, His Zen activity is like ligtning.
Shibayama: His eye is a shooting star, His spirit is lightning.

[6]Aitken: the sword that kils; the sword that gives life.
Cleary: The sword that kills, The sword that gives life.
Gu: The blade that kills; The sword that brings life.
Hinton: blade that puts people to death, sword that brings people to life.
Low: A death dealer, a life-giving sword.
Sekida: A death-dealing blade, A life-giving sword.
Senzaki: The sword that kills May also save!
Shibayama: A sword to kill, A sword to give life.

Yun-An's Comment

"A ship cannot moor where the water is shallow" -- there are echoes in the words. "Can concede, can deny," and a bow -- there are barbs concealed in the statement. Old Zhaozhou may be said to have used all of his magical powers; the recluses were skillfully able to sit there and observe the outcome. Now there are those without autonomy, orphan souls who do not have the ye to penetrate the barrier: They just compare gain and loss, not only missing the point of the ancients but also burying their own selves. When you see with clear eyes, how can you suppress a laugh? Do you understand the point? Highly refined pure gold shouldn't change color.

Tongxuan's Comment

The two recluses keep the ultimate treasure hidden in their chests, waiting for the right people. Zhaozhou, moreover, is an ocean-faring merchant; rare are those who know the appropriate price.

Cleary's Comment

The meaning of being a hermit in the context of Zen Buddhism is multifold. A Zen hermit is not someone who wants to avoid the problems of the world and drops out of society. In Zen, hermits were illuminated graduates of Zen schools who isolated themselves for a period of time in order to develop their transcendental insight and practical knowledge in preparation for reentering the ordinary human world in a state of balance. To be complete Zen masters, they needed to be effective communicators; yet they also needed to be free from personal nostalgia for the human condition. When fully prepared, they would contribute knowledge genuinely beyond the fluctuating and vulnerable subjectivity of ordinary human psychology all of its anxieties and wishful thinking. A Zen "hermit" has attained nirvana and is thus inwardly beyond the world. Their "seclusion" was often more symbolic than real, a reference to their psychological independence. Zhaozhou's question asks the hermits whether their nirvana is deep enough to empower them to go on the "living road" of objective reality.
One perspective is the ineffability of the absolute: Nothing at all can really describe either nirvana or the immediate experience of suchness. This perspective is called "holding still." The second perspective is the interconnectedness of everything is a cosmic web of Life. The hermit's first hold everything in its empty grip, because everything is in its place in one indivisible whole. This perspective is called "letting go." Whichever perspective you are absorbed in, it is crucial to be able to go back and forth freely in order to attain both ultimate liberation and objective compassion.

Low's Comment

It is impossible to live life without making judgment. All the time one asks oneself whether it would be better to do one thing rather than another. The problem is, however, that we tend to raise our judgments to the status of the absolute -- to presume that good and bad exist independently of each other. This koan is about what it means to go beyond good and bad, what it means to get beyond all contraries. What is at issue is getting beyond the opposites, not abandoning them.
People react to situations not so much according to their spiritual maturity as according to their temperament. It is a mistake to believe Zen training produces people who never react with heat. The bite in this koan comes from the question: if "the Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences," what is Zhaozhou doing displaying preferences? Why does he say good in the first case and bad in the second? Put as baldly as possible the problem is how can one be two? How can one be good-bad?

Sekida's Comment

"Anybody in?" asks "Is there a constant state of mindfulness?" Each hermit raised his fist to demonstrate constant mindfulness. "Too shallow": Speaking from the point of view of possible improvement, one's condition always remains shallow. Recognizing one's shallowness is important. "Free...": The second hermit is free in every way because he is in a state of constant mindfulness, which isthe only true freedom.

Senzaki's Comment

Zhaozhou saw vividly what the monk had, before he asked, but wanted to make sure. The monk raised his fist in the manner commonly adopted by the Zen teachers of the time. "Too shallow": Zhaozhou knew that the monk raised his fist impersonally, but he was disgusted with the conventional manner of Zen teachers, and could not help but complain at the sight of the fist. But the mind of the monk was no puddle, no matter what Zhaozhou said. Its waters may have appeared to be merely rippling, yet every wavelet echoed the surges of the great ocean. A few days later, Zhaozhou visits the monk again, asks the same question, and gets the same raised fist. Even if the Buddha confronted him, this monk would have raised his fist. If Bodhidharma visited him one hundred times, the monk would do the same each time. He would not be copying the conventional manner of Zen teachers, but would simply be creating his own Zen from the essence of mind; to each question he would be giving a fresh and original answer, without hesitating. He is the creator. He is the master. Thus Zhaozhou bows and praises.

Shibayama's Comment

A fist held up, just that -- splendid indeed! A fist is a fist through and through. Here is no room for discrimination. When you can really see through this fist, then Zhaozhou's remarks, and his Zen, will naturally be clear to you. Zhaozhou's superficially contradictory and haphazard remarks in fact issued from his utterly free and creative Zen life.

Verse by Anonymous Old Zen Master (Shibayama)

Whether to call it crazy or rude
I leave it to someone else to judge.
Peach blossoms are by nature pink;
Pear blossoms by nature white.

Verse by Another Anonymous Zen Master (Shibayama)

The spring breeze in a tree
Has two different faces.
A southward branch looks warm,
A northward branch looks cool.

Yamada's Comment

Zhaozhou asks, "Anybody in?" -- meaning Buddha nature or essential nature, which is our true self. When Zhaozhou tells the first monk, "The water is too shallow for a ship to anchor," he must have cast a glance at the hermit's face to see his response to this abuse. If the hermit showed any sign of having been offended or irritated even a little by the words of scorn, his Zen practice must have been shallow indeed. If his consciousness was as steady and immovable as the fist itself, his face would not have shown even a trace of irritation. When Zhaozhou tells the second monk, "Freely you give, freely you take away; freely you kill, freely you give life," he again cast a glance at the hermit's face. If the hermit showed even the slightest sign of pleasure at this words, Zhaozhou would have discovered the degree of the hermit's state of consciousness. When you sit with this koan, you must enter as far as possible into the state of consciousness of each hermit as well as that of Zhaozhou. Then you will grasp what was going on between them. Perhaps one day you will be able to see through all three of them.

Daido Loori's Comment (Dogen's 300)

In visiting these two hermits, it would appear on the surface that Zhaozhou approves the understanding of one and disapproves the understanding of the other, but do not be misled by appearances. We should thoroughly investigate this fist. After all, a fist is a fist. Can it be said that there is a distinction of superior or inferior between two fists being held up?
How then can Zhaozhou see the true nature of these two hermits who both hold up their fists in the same manner? If you can truly see into the fist, they you will see not only into the hermits but into you yourself and Zhaozho as well.
If you say that one hermit is superior to the other, they you have missed it. If, on the other hand, you say that there is no difference between the two hermits, this too is a hundred miles from the truth of this koan. Leap clear of sameness or difference and you will enter directly into Zhaozhou's heart.

Daido's Interjections

Zhaozhou called on a hermit and said, "Are you there? Are you there?"
   Anybody home? He wants to know if the hermit is alive or dead.
The hermit held up his fist.
   Outstanding! But say, what does it mean?
Zhaozhou said, "The water is too shallow here. It's not a place to anchor a vessel."
   There are echoes in these words that still reverberate to this day.
Then he went away. Later Zhaozhou called on another hermit and said, "Are you there? Are you there?"
   Again, are you alive or are you dead?
The hermit held up his fist.
   Outstanding! But what does it mean?
Zhaozhou said, "You have the power to give and take away, to kill and to give life."
   Tread carefully here, there are thorns in the mud.
He bowed and went away.

Daido's Verse

The fist contains the myriad things;
the myriad things contain the fist.
When words and ideas fade,
the light is evident.

Hotetsu's Verse

Two hermits -- what is the difference?
Their sameness is their difference.
Dissolving the illusion of "sameness" and "difference"
Into just this! just fist! just thist.

Illustration by Mark T. Morse