Today's Koan is _ Case 98 Tozan's Heed ...
If I may explain this Koan, it concerns the fact that, as we draw to a close of the 100 Koans of the Book of Equanimity, one should not try to explain, debate, intellectually categorize and understand some Buddhist teachings and Koans in order to truly know the FULLNESS and FULFILLMENT which the Koan and teachings seek to convey.
Here, someone asks in the Main Case an intellectual question about categorizing the "Three Bodies of Buddha" (basically, (1) the nirmanayaka historical Buddha in India, who was a man, (2) the dharmakaya buddha, which is the reality beyond all names, divisions and concepts including the concept "buddha," and (3) the sambhogakaya, which is the buddha as represented in all the perfected ideals of goodness, wisdom, compassion, that a buddha can represent. However, the student asks how to leap through all these ideas and categories. The question concerns how NOT to categorize these. Tozan replies "Always take heed" (something like, "always have your eyes open and just see the answer.") In some translations, this expression in Chinese by Tozan (吾常於此切) is rendered “I am always most intimate with it.” That sounds different, but it really can be the same, namely, stop making ideas and categories, and just open one's eyes, and there is not the slightest separation from the real meaning, and all are most intimate together. Is this the Buddha that is beyond all names, divisions, concepts and categories, yet is precisely each and every name, division, concept and category too?
The Preface speaks of priests who, in the face of this question about categorizing the Buddhas, just stood silent and dropped intellectualizing, thus cutting off tongue and head. Even though we must sometimes say something to convey all this for the sake of people trying to understand (like I am doing now with this post), we should never forget that we need to drop the names, divisions, ideas, categories to really pierce these buddhas who are, yet totally leap through, all names, divisions, ideas, categories.
The Appreciatory Verse has some lines about emptiness, not falling into the world (of names, divisions, ideas, categories). This is the secret which leaps through time (kalpas) and ideas of emptiness. The final poem is a rather cliche image, in Zen poetry, of separate things like boat and reeds made whole in the quiet midst.
Question: There are times we need to use names, divisions, ideas, categories in order to live in the world. There are times in Zen to understand something by dropping all names, divisions, ideas, categories. But is it also possible to drop and know a world free of names, divisions, ideas, categories which --IS -- this world of names, divisions, ideas, categories? Can one answer the question without falling into names, divisions, ideas, categories to do so?
Take heed, a prophesy of fulfilment, fulfilment has got to be ... unity realized. ("Uhuru" means freedom, independence) Take Heed! So many years, Kalpas of time have gone, and we just can't see. So open one's eye's and see!
Gassho, J
stlah
If I may explain this Koan, it concerns the fact that, as we draw to a close of the 100 Koans of the Book of Equanimity, one should not try to explain, debate, intellectually categorize and understand some Buddhist teachings and Koans in order to truly know the FULLNESS and FULFILLMENT which the Koan and teachings seek to convey.
Here, someone asks in the Main Case an intellectual question about categorizing the "Three Bodies of Buddha" (basically, (1) the nirmanayaka historical Buddha in India, who was a man, (2) the dharmakaya buddha, which is the reality beyond all names, divisions and concepts including the concept "buddha," and (3) the sambhogakaya, which is the buddha as represented in all the perfected ideals of goodness, wisdom, compassion, that a buddha can represent. However, the student asks how to leap through all these ideas and categories. The question concerns how NOT to categorize these. Tozan replies "Always take heed" (something like, "always have your eyes open and just see the answer.") In some translations, this expression in Chinese by Tozan (吾常於此切) is rendered “I am always most intimate with it.” That sounds different, but it really can be the same, namely, stop making ideas and categories, and just open one's eyes, and there is not the slightest separation from the real meaning, and all are most intimate together. Is this the Buddha that is beyond all names, divisions, concepts and categories, yet is precisely each and every name, division, concept and category too?
The Preface speaks of priests who, in the face of this question about categorizing the Buddhas, just stood silent and dropped intellectualizing, thus cutting off tongue and head. Even though we must sometimes say something to convey all this for the sake of people trying to understand (like I am doing now with this post), we should never forget that we need to drop the names, divisions, ideas, categories to really pierce these buddhas who are, yet totally leap through, all names, divisions, ideas, categories.
The Appreciatory Verse has some lines about emptiness, not falling into the world (of names, divisions, ideas, categories). This is the secret which leaps through time (kalpas) and ideas of emptiness. The final poem is a rather cliche image, in Zen poetry, of separate things like boat and reeds made whole in the quiet midst.
Question: There are times we need to use names, divisions, ideas, categories in order to live in the world. There are times in Zen to understand something by dropping all names, divisions, ideas, categories. But is it also possible to drop and know a world free of names, divisions, ideas, categories which --IS -- this world of names, divisions, ideas, categories? Can one answer the question without falling into names, divisions, ideas, categories to do so?
Take heed, a prophesy of fulfilment, fulfilment has got to be ... unity realized. ("Uhuru" means freedom, independence) Take Heed! So many years, Kalpas of time have gone, and we just can't see. So open one's eye's and see!
Gassho, J
stlah
It's as simple as riding a bicycle (a Zen bicycle, with no wheels and all wheels). 
"oh wo, wo, wo eh hey"
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