Case 62 never ends, and so we jump to Case 63, Joshu Asks About [Great] Death ...
(I have changed the title of the case slightly, as the Koan is addressing the "Great Death" of the self and Enlightenment that is fully and transcends all mere matters of life and death!)
The discussion of this Case by Yamada Koun is fairly short and good (pardon me for being a lazy bones this week and just cutting and pasting from him so much this time!
) ...
He and Shishin Wick point out that the references in the Preface seem largely to herald the power and equal stature of the two Teachers who appear in the story.
About the "Great Death", Yamada Koun writes ...
I offered my own little comment on this in another thread today ...
The reference to light and dark in the next sentence can be a little confusing, for the simple reason that the "dark" is where all things become one and whole, while in the "light" things appear separate and dividied (the word "Enlightenment" is a western translation of words like "Satori", and thus can be a little misleading because we usually think of "darkness" as representing ignorance while "seeking the light" means wisdom.) We see this in the lines from the Sandokai (Identity of Relative and Absolute, which we chant during our Monthly Zazenkai)
In his commentary on the Sandokai, Suzuki Shunryu Roshi points out that "Dark" here is not a negative sense and the usage of those terms in many Chinese Zen writings is not as we use them in the west. In fact, "when we have the lights on" in a room, everything in the room appears separate and standing apart, with different shapes and colors and pieces, some good things and some bad, beautiful and ugly things. However, in a dark room, all the separate, broken up things vanish into oneness and wholeness! In Buddhism, of course, that "one and wholeness" is a medicine for always only seeing the world as broken, divided, good/bad, beautiful/ugly.
Now, some people thus may think that this "light" world of broken, divided, good/bad, beautiful/ugly is "ignorance ... AND IT IS, and we need to stop only seeing the world (and our self) that way! In our ordinary life, before Buddhist Practice, we may only encounter the world in this broken, sometimes beautiful sometimes very ugly way. HOWEVER, notice that the Sandokai poem does not say that the "dark" world of wholeness, oneness is the final destination. In fact, the poem points to something much more profound:
Light is also darkness
As to the Appreciatory Verse, Yamada Roshi translated the first line somewhat differently from Shishin: "The castle of poppy seeds, the rock of the kalpa – they subtly exhaust the beginning". Yamada comments:
Likewise:
Both Yamada and Shishin explain the "goose and fish" reference as understanding directly, not beating around the bush.
So, have you seen the light, or does this all leave you in the dark?
Gassho, J
SatToday
(I have changed the title of the case slightly, as the Koan is addressing the "Great Death" of the self and Enlightenment that is fully and transcends all mere matters of life and death!)
The discussion of this Case by Yamada Koun is fairly short and good (pardon me for being a lazy bones this week and just cutting and pasting from him so much this time!
) ...
He and Shishin Wick point out that the references in the Preface seem largely to herald the power and equal stature of the two Teachers who appear in the story.
About the "Great Death", Yamada Koun writes ...
A “man who has died a great Death” means a person who has completely cut off any
delusions and concepts. When that happens, a new life suddenly appears. Jôshû seems to be
referring to himself. He says in effect: “I have died the great death and come again to life. How
will you treat me?”
As you know, when all concepts die away, the new life of your true self appears. It is
only then that the activity of a religious person emerges. Actually, however, there is no living
and dying. Precisely where there is no living and dying, he fabricates living and dying in
coming this way to Tôsu. Thus, precisely in the great death there is the great life. There is a
division into two. You could say that Jôshû is revealing the essential world with his words. As
you know, even if I raise this stick, this is the complete manifestation of the essential. When I
consider it, the essential world is the world of not a single thing. It is the world of the fraction I
often cite, whose numerator is alpha and whose denominator is a circle containing the figure
eight on its side symbolizing emptiness and infinity. I had the feeling that, in raising a staff, I
was showing that world. Actually, however, when we speak of the essential self, we make a
temporary division into the numerator and denominator. But the essential self is the entire
fraction itself. When I show this kotsu (Roshi shows his stick), the essential world and the
phenomenal world are completely one in being shown here. I tend to say the world of emptiness
or oneness. That may seem to be showing the world of the denominator. But actually it’s the
fraction itself; it is the fact itself that is shown. Although I am showing both the phenomenal
and the essential, it is actually revealing the fraction itself. That is how I would like to view
this statement of Jôshû. What does Tôsu say in reply?
delusions and concepts. When that happens, a new life suddenly appears. Jôshû seems to be
referring to himself. He says in effect: “I have died the great death and come again to life. How
will you treat me?”
As you know, when all concepts die away, the new life of your true self appears. It is
only then that the activity of a religious person emerges. Actually, however, there is no living
and dying. Precisely where there is no living and dying, he fabricates living and dying in
coming this way to Tôsu. Thus, precisely in the great death there is the great life. There is a
division into two. You could say that Jôshû is revealing the essential world with his words. As
you know, even if I raise this stick, this is the complete manifestation of the essential. When I
consider it, the essential world is the world of not a single thing. It is the world of the fraction I
often cite, whose numerator is alpha and whose denominator is a circle containing the figure
eight on its side symbolizing emptiness and infinity. I had the feeling that, in raising a staff, I
was showing that world. Actually, however, when we speak of the essential self, we make a
temporary division into the numerator and denominator. But the essential self is the entire
fraction itself. When I show this kotsu (Roshi shows his stick), the essential world and the
phenomenal world are completely one in being shown here. I tend to say the world of emptiness
or oneness. That may seem to be showing the world of the denominator. But actually it’s the
fraction itself; it is the fact itself that is shown. Although I am showing both the phenomenal
and the essential, it is actually revealing the fraction itself. That is how I would like to view
this statement of Jôshû. What does Tôsu say in reply?
The reference to light and dark in the next sentence can be a little confusing, for the simple reason that the "dark" is where all things become one and whole, while in the "light" things appear separate and dividied (the word "Enlightenment" is a western translation of words like "Satori", and thus can be a little misleading because we usually think of "darkness" as representing ignorance while "seeking the light" means wisdom.) We see this in the lines from the Sandokai (Identity of Relative and Absolute, which we chant during our Monthly Zazenkai)
The dark makes all words one;
The brightness distinguishes good and bad phrases.
The brightness distinguishes good and bad phrases.
Now, some people thus may think that this "light" world of broken, divided, good/bad, beautiful/ugly is "ignorance ... AND IT IS, and we need to stop only seeing the world (and our self) that way! In our ordinary life, before Buddhist Practice, we may only encounter the world in this broken, sometimes beautiful sometimes very ugly way. HOWEVER, notice that the Sandokai poem does not say that the "dark" world of wholeness, oneness is the final destination. In fact, the poem points to something much more profound:
Light is also darkness
As to the Appreciatory Verse, Yamada Roshi translated the first line somewhat differently from Shishin: "The castle of poppy seeds, the rock of the kalpa – they subtly exhaust the beginning". Yamada comments:
This first line of the Verse is also referring to Jôshû and Tôsu. The “castle of poppy
seeds” is a reference to eternity in Buddhism. Imagine a castle measuring 40 miles on each side
and filled with poppy seeds. Every hundred years a bird comes and eats one poppy seed. It
would take forever for the poppy seeds to disappear. It thus symbolizes an endlessly long time
span.
The same holds for the “rock of the kalpa.” This time we have the image of a cubic rock
measuring 40 meters on each side. Every hundred years an angel descends from heaven and
brushes the rock with her feather cape. A kalpa is the time it would take for the entire rock to
disappear! The ancients were certainly imaginative! These images are much more vivid than a
bunch of zeros lined up, and easier to understand. These lines are saying that it is without
beginning and without end. It is endless time. This is what is meant by the lines “they subtly
exhaust the beginning.” This means that both Jôshû and Tôsu have clearly grasped that world.
seeds” is a reference to eternity in Buddhism. Imagine a castle measuring 40 miles on each side
and filled with poppy seeds. Every hundred years a bird comes and eats one poppy seed. It
would take forever for the poppy seeds to disappear. It thus symbolizes an endlessly long time
span.
The same holds for the “rock of the kalpa.” This time we have the image of a cubic rock
measuring 40 meters on each side. Every hundred years an angel descends from heaven and
brushes the rock with her feather cape. A kalpa is the time it would take for the entire rock to
disappear! The ancients were certainly imaginative! These images are much more vivid than a
bunch of zeros lined up, and easier to understand. These lines are saying that it is without
beginning and without end. It is endless time. This is what is meant by the lines “they subtly
exhaust the beginning.” This means that both Jôshû and Tôsu have clearly grasped that world.
The living eye in the ring illumines vast emptiness. The “living eye” is the eye
of satori. This line also refers to both Jôshû and Tôsu. The ring has a hole in the middle. ... The eye of satori is used to see the ring. That means seeing the surrounding ring. You
can see the ring as the phenomenal world, and the hole as the world of emptiness. To illuminate
vast emptiness means to see that emptiness with the eye of satori. That means clearly realizing
that the phenomenal world is empty. And although it is empty, it appears clearly like this.
of satori. This line also refers to both Jôshû and Tôsu. The ring has a hole in the middle. ... The eye of satori is used to see the ring. That means seeing the surrounding ring. You
can see the ring as the phenomenal world, and the hole as the world of emptiness. To illuminate
vast emptiness means to see that emptiness with the eye of satori. That means clearly realizing
that the phenomenal world is empty. And although it is empty, it appears clearly like this.
So, have you seen the light, or does this all leave you in the dark?
Gassho, J
SatToday
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