Gateless Gate 36

202
Gateless Gate (Mumonkan, Wumenguan) #36
Meeting One Who Has Accomplished the Way

Personnel and Date

• WUZU "Qingyuan" Fayan (Goso Hôen, 1024-1104, 20th gen), disciple of Baiyun Shouduan
Date guess: ca. 1085

Case (Aitken)

Wuzu said, “When you meet someone attained in the Dao on the road, do not make your greeting with words or with silence. How will you make your greeting?”[1]

[1] “On the road, when you encounter people who have attained the Way, you do not face them with speech or silence. So tell me, how do you face them?” (Cleary);
“If on the road you meet a person who has fulfilled the way, greet this person with neither words nor silence. Tell me, how will you respond?” (Guogu);
“You meet a sage-master of Buddha-Way on the road, meet him not with words and not with silence. Right now, speak up! Tell me! How do you meet him?” (Hinton);
“When you meet a man of the Way on the way, do not greet him with words do not greet him with silence. Tell me how will you greet him?” (Low)
“When you meet a Zen master on the road, you cannot speak, you cannot remain silent. What will you do?” (Senzaki);
“When you meet a man of the Way on the path, do not meet him with words or with silence. Tell me, how will you meet him” (Sekida);
“If you meet a man of Dao on the way, greet him neither with words nor with silence. Now tell me, how will you greet him?” (Shibayama);
“If you meet a man on the path who has accomplished the Way, do not greet him with words or silence. Tell me, how will you greet him?” (Yamada).

Wumen's Comment (Aitken)

If you become intimate with this matter, you are certainly to be warmly congratulated. If it is not yet clear, then you must be alert to every single thing.

Wumen's Verse (Aitken)

Meeting someone attained in the Dao on the road,
Don’t make your greeting with words or with silence;
A punch in the jaw!
If you want to realize – just realize.

KOAN INDEX
Hotetsu's Verses on Koans