Gateless Gate 26, Book of Serenity 27

174
Gateless Gate (Mumonkan, Wumenguan) #26
Book of Serenity (Shoyoroku, Congrong Lu) #27
Two Monks Rolled Up the Bamboo Blinds

Personnel

• FAYAN Wenyi (Hogen Buneki, 885-958, 15th gen), disciple of Luohan "Dizang" Guichen

Case (Shibayama)

The monks gahered in the hall to hear the Great Fayan of Qingliang give teisho before the midday meal.
Fayan pointed to the bamboo blinds.
At this two monks went to the blinds and rolled them up alike.
Fayan said, "One has it; the other has not."

Wumen's Comment (Shibayama)

Tell me, which one has it and which one has not? If you have your Zen eye opened at this point, you will then know how Master Qingliang failed. Be that as it may, you are strictly warned against arguing about "has" and "has not."

Wumen's Verse (Shibayama)

When they are rolled up, bright and clear is the great emptiness.
The great emptiness does not yet come up to our teaching.
Why don't you cast away emptiness and everything?
Then it is so lucid and perfect that even the wind does not pass through.

Sturmer's Verse

Rolling up the blinds
sunlight fills the paddocks.
Grass, sheep,
fence posts --
nothing to add
nothing to take away.
As the tide goes out
the rocks are exposed.

KOAN INDEX
Hotetsu's Verses on Koans