2020-01-13

Gateless Gate 47

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Gateless Gate (Mumonkan, Wumenguan) #47
Doushuai's Three Barriers

Personnel and Date
  • DOUSHUAI Congyue (Tosotsu Jûetsu, 1044-1091, 20th gen), disciple of Yunan "Zhenjing" Kewen (1025-1102)
  • Date guess: ca. 1081
Case (Shibayama)
Master Doushuai Congyue made three barriers to test monks.
To inquire after the Truth, groping your way through the underbrush, is for the purpose of seeing into your nature. Here, now, where is your nature, Venerable Monk?[1]
If you realize your own nature, you certainly are free from life and death. When your eyes are closed, how can you be free from life and death?[2]
If you are free from life and death, you know where you will go. When the four elements are decomposed, where do you go?[3]
[1] “You make your way through the darkness of abandoned grasses in a single-minded search for your self-nature. Now, honored one, where is your nature?” (Aitken);
“Brushing aside confusion to search out the hidden is only for the purpose of seeing essence. Right now where is your essence?” (Cleary);
“Pushing aside the weeds to investigate the mysterious is only for the purpose of seeing the nature. Right now, where is this nature?” (Guogu);
“Open wild origins and penetrate depths of dark-enigma: that’s the only way to see your original-nature. So tell me, you monks here now today: your original-nature, where is it?” (Hinton);
“You leave no stone unturned to explore profundity, simply to see into your true nature. Now, I want to ask you, right (or just) at this moment, where is your true nature?” (Low, Sekida)
“In studying Zen, the aim is to see your own true nature. Now, where is your true nature?” (Senzaki);
“The purpose of making one’s way through grasses and asking a master about the subtle truth is only to realize one’s self-nature. Now, you venerable monks, where is the self-nature at this very moment?” (Yamada).
[2] “When you have realized your self-nature, you are free of birth and death. When the light of your eyes falls, how are you free?” (Aitken);
“Only when you know your own essence can you be freed from birth and death. When you are dying, how will you be free?” (Cleary);
“If you see your self-nature, you are liberated from birth and death. Yet when the light of your eyes goes out, how will you be liberated?” (Guogu);
“Knowing your original-nature in and of itself, know it perfectly, and you’re free of life and death. So tell me: at death, when the radiance of your eyes is falling away, how can you get free of life?” (Hinton);
“If you realize your true nature, you are free from life and death. Tell me, when your eyesight dims (or deserts you) in the final moments (or at the last moment), how can you be free from life and death?” (Low, Sekida);
“When you realize your own true nature, you will be free from birth and death. Now, when the light is gone from your eyes and you become a corpse, how can you free yourself?” (Senzaki);
“When you have attained your self-nature, you can free yourself from life-and-death. How will you free yourself from life-and-death when the light of your eyes is falling to the ground?” (Yamada).
[3] “When you are free of birth and death, you know where to go. When your four elements scatter, where do you go?” (Aitken);
“When you are freed from birth and death, then you will know where you are going. When the elements disintegrate, where do you go?” (Cleary);
“If you are liberated from birth and death, you will know where you will go [after you die]. When the four elements disperse, where will you go?” (Guogu);
“If you’re free of life and death, perfectly free, you know where you dwell in the end. So tell me: the four elements you are – earth, air, fire, water – when they scatter away, where is it you’re going?” (Hinton);
“When you free yourself from life and death, you should know where you are going. So when the four elements disintegrate, where will you go?” (Low)
“When you free yourself from birth and death, you should know where you are. Now your body separates into the four elements. At this moment, where are you?” (Senzaki);
“When you set yourself free from life and death, you should know your ultimate destination. So when the four elements separate, where will you go?” (Sekida);
“When you have freed yourself from life-and-death, you know where to go. After your four elements have decomposed, where will you go?” (Yamada).

Wumen's Comment (Shibayama)
If you can rightly give the three turning words here, you will be the master wherever you may be, and live up o the Dharma no mater how varied the circumstances. If, however, you are unable to give them, I warn you, you will get tired of the food you have bolted, and well-chewed food keeps hunger away.
Wumen's Verse (Shibayama)
This one instant, as it is, is an infinite number of kalpas.
An infinite number of kalpas are at the same time this one instant.
If you see into this fact,
The True Self which is seeing has been seen into.

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