Blue Cliff Record 17

189
Blue Cliff Record (Hekiganroku, Biyan Lu) #17
Xianglin's "Sitting Long and Getting Tired"

Personnel and Date

• XIANGLIN Chengyuan (Kyôrin Chôon, 908-87, 14th gen), disciple of Yunmen Wenyan
Date guess: ca. 974 (assuming ca. 10 years into his abbacy of Xianglin Monastery)

Yuanwu's Introduction (Sato)

Only if you can cut off nails and break through iron, you are qualified as an authentic master.
If you evade arrows and hide away from swords, how can you become an adept leader?
Let me put aside the place where no needle enters.
What is it when white billows flood the heaven?
I'll try to give you an example, look!

Case (Sekida)

A monk asked Xianglin, "What is the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?"
Xianglin said, "Sitting long and getting tired."

Xuedou's Verse (Sekida)

One, two, and tens of hundreds of thousands,
Take off the muzzle and set down the load.
If you turn left and right, following another's lead,
I would strike you as Cihu [Lizong, ca. 800-880] struck Liu Tiemo.

KOAN INDEX
Hotetsu's Verses on Koans