Blue Cliff Record 15

149
Blue Cliff Record (Hekiganroku, Biyan Lu) #15
Yunmen's "No Preaching on Oneness"

Personnel

• YUNMEN Wenyan (Ummon Bunen, 864-949, 13th gen), disciple of Xuefeng
• An unnamed monk

Yuanwu's Introduction (Sato)

A sword that kills, a sword that gives life:
This is the traditional principle of old, the pivotal point of our time.
Just tell me, where at present is the sword that kills, the sword that gives life?
I will give you an example, look!

Case (Sato)

A monk asked Yunmen, “What is it when this is not an activity [of the mind] in front of
yourself, nor is it a thing in front of yourself?”
Yunmen said, “One preaches exactly so.” (Tô-issetsu. Literally: “Reversed – one preaching.")[1]

[1] Or "No preaching on oneness" (Sekida); "An upside-down statement" (Cleary)

Xuedou's Verse (Sato, italics Cleary)

“One preaches exactly so” – dividing a tally.

An upside-down statement -- he divides a token.

Dying and living together, I will resolve it for your sake.

Dying together, living together, he gives you certainty.

Eighty-four thousand were not phoenix feathers;

The eighty-four thousand disciples of Buddha were not worthy successors;

Thirty-three persons went into tigers' dens.

Thirty-three Zen masters entered the tiger's den.

Remarkable, remarkable:
Rushing, lapping – the moon in the water.

Distinctly outstanding -- the moon in the churning rushing water.

Sato's notes: "Eighty-four thousand": The number of people in Shakyamuni’s assembly. "Not phoenix feathers": i.e., only Maha-Kashyapa was 'a phoenix feather'. "Thirty-three persons": The number of Patriarchs up to the 6th Patriarch, Huineng.

KOAN INDEX
Hotetsu's Verses on Koans