Questions & Koans

When Rinzai came to Daiji, he was sitting in his quarters. Rinzai asked, “How is it when you are sitting calmly in your room?” Daiji said, “The consistent colour of the winter pine tree has been outstanding for a thousand years; when an old man in the country picks flowers, it is spring all over the country.” Rinzai said, “The foundation of perfect wisdom of enlightenment of all ages has been transcended forever; ten thousand barriers shut off the Three Mountains.” Daiji gave a Katsu. Rinzai also gave a Katsu. Daiji said, “How?” Rinzai shook his sleeves and left.

Commentary:

In Daiji’s answer ‘The consistent colour of the winter pine tree has been outstanding for a thousand years; when an old man in the country picks flowers, it is spring all over the country’, ‘the winter pine tree’ symbolises the true-Self that is unchangeable like a pine tree which is evergreen, and ‘its consistent colour has been outstanding for a thousand years’ means that it has been manifesting itself clearly before us without any concealment for countless years. In ‘when an old man in the country picks flowers, it is spring all over the country’, flowers imply words and spring the true-Self. So, this phrase means that when he, Daiji himself reveals the true-Self by saying these few words, it reveals itself all over the country as if it were spring all over the country. In Rinzai’s replying words, ‘The foundation of perfect wisdom of enlightenment of all ages has been transcended forever’ means he is never attached even to the true-Self that is the foundation of perfect wisdom of enlightenment, and ‘Ten thousand barriers shut off the Three Mountains’ implies the Three Mountains that is the true-Self are difficult to recognise since they are covered with ten thousand barriers, which are illusions. Then, both masters revealed the true-Self by giving a Katsu in turn. When Daiji said, “How will you respond now?” Rinzai responded by showing the true-Self through shaking his sleeves and leaving.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

A. The concept of happiness exists based on that of suffering just as the concept of right exists based on that of left. Were it not for left, there would be no right. In the same way, if there were only happiness, happiness would not be happiness.

That is why it is said that happiness contains suffering and vice versa. Buddhism says that we should be able to see both as identical so that we may escape from the ocean of suffering.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Bodhidharma, sensing that the emperor couldn’t understand him, crossed the Yangtze river and went to another country called Wi. Later the emperor of Yang regretted failing to recognise him and wanted to send for him. Then, master Ji-Gong said to him, “Don’t try to bring him back. He will never return even if you send all the people for him.”

Student: “Why did Ji-Gong say that Bodhidharma would never return even if the emperor of Yang sent all the people for him?”

Master: “What can be brought and taken is not Bodhidharma.”

Commentary:

The Buddha neither comes nor goes but is with us wherever we may go.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Rinzai went to Sambyo, who asked him where he had come from. Rinzai answered that he had come from Obaku. Sambyo said, “What did Obaku have to say?” Rinzai said, “Last night the golden bull vanished in the dark, and no trace of it has been seen since.” Sambyo said, “The autumn wind blows on the flute of jade. Who is it that understands such music?” Rinzai said, “Having passed ten thousand barriers, he dwells not even in the deep blue sky.” Sambyo remarked, “You are getting too high with this.” Rinzai said, “The dragon gave birth to the golden phoenix, The lapis lazuli breaks into sparkling radiance.” Sambyo said, “Sit down and have some tea,” and then asked again, “Where have you been lately?” Rinzai said, “At Ryoko’s.” Sambyo asked, “And how is Ryoko these days?” The master left.

Commentary:

Rinzai responded to Sambyo’s question by revealing the true-Self through the words ‘Last night the golden bull vanished in the dark, and no trace of it has been seen since’. ‘The golden bull’ implies the true-Self, and ‘no trace of it has since been seen’ means that the true-Self is formless and that he is not deluded by its illusion. Sambyo’s words ‘The autumn wind blows on the flute of jade. Who is it that understands such music?’ means that he wonders who can grasp Rinzai’s answer even though Rinzai made an answer as beautiful music. Rinzai’s ‘Having passed ten thousand barriers, he dwells not even in the deep blue sky’ means that one who is neither deluded by ten thousand words and forms nor stays even in the form of Emptiness that is imagined being beautiful like the deep blue sky can understand his answer. Sambyo’s ‘You are getting too high with this’ means ‘You reveal the true-Self too delicately for it to be discerned’. Rinzai’s ‘The dragon gave birth to the golden phoenix, The lapis lazuli breaks into sparkling radiance’ implies that when one has become one with the true-Self, whatever one does and says is the function of the true-Self. Rinzai’s answer ‘At Ryoko’s’ to Sambyo’s question ‘Where have you been lately?’ implies the true-Self that we have never left and can’t be separated from. That is why Rinzai answered by revealing the true-Self through leaving when he was asked about Ryoko.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

A. Each person’s ‘I’ is the most important. All that we do in our lives is nothing but to attempt to please and satisfy our ‘I’. Even sacrificing ourselves for someone else, although it may be called altruism, is a sort of way to please and satisfy our ‘I’. Feeling that we have succeeded in doing this, we feel happy and accomplished. When we fail to do so, we become unhappy and even frustrated.

However, what is regrettable is that we don’t know what the ‘I’ is whilst we regard it as the most important. That is why all our effort to please and satisfy it is fruitless although we are struggling to do it. The purpose of Zen meditation is to help to realise our ‘I’. To realise our ‘I’ is called enlightenment.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Joshu asked a monk, “Have you been here before?” The monk said, “Yes, I have.” Joshu said, “Have a cup of tea.” Joshu asked another monk, “Have you ever been here?” The monk answered, “No, I have not.” Joshu said, “Have a cup of tea.”

Student: “Why did Joshu only tell the monks to have a cup of tea although they made different answers?”

Master: “Because their destinations are the same although they are lost in different places.”

Commentary:

The map to the Buddha’s Kingdom has nothing but the destination because there is nothing between the travellers and the destination.

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When Rinzai came to Ryoko during his period of wandering, Ryoko was giving a Dharma talk at the High Seat. Rinzai stepped forward and asked Ryoko, “Without drawing the sword, how could one conquer?” Ryoko clutched his seat. Rinzai said, “How could a great teacher not have skilful means?” Ryoko stared and let out a long sigh. Rinzai, pointing at him with his finger, said, “This old fellow, today he was reduced to bewilderment!”

Commentary:

Rinzai’s question ‘Without drawing the sword, how could one conquer?’ meant ‘Do you know the true-Self that is so free from illusions that there is no one to conquer and be conquered not mention the sword?” Ryoko responded by revealing the true-Self by clutching his seat. Rinzai, pretending to disapprove his answer, asked him again so that he might see if Ryoko was deluded by the words ‘How could a great teacher not have skilful means?’ which could appear to be humiliating. Ryoko lost no time in showing skilful means by staring and letting out a long sigh. Rinzai’s last words and attitude towards Ryoko might sound rude and degrading, but his intention was to show how great Ryoko was to his students, and to test them to see if they could grasp his appraisal of Ryoko as the function of the true-Self.

Student: “What would you say if you are asked ‘Without drawing the sword, how could one conquer?’?”

Master: “I would say, ‘Why are you wielding the sword so dangerously?’”

Student: “How would you answer if you are asked ‘How could a great teacher not have skilful means?’?”

Master: “I would say, ‘A great teacher’s skilful means is visible to none but the wise’.”

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

A. In Buddhism, being deluded by illusions is often compared to dreaming. The opposite of being deluded by illusions is to see things as they are, which is compared to awakening from a dream. This is why the word ‘awakening’ is used as a synonym for enlightenment in Buddhism.

According to the Diamond Sutra, Buddha said, “If you can see everything as if you were seeing it in a dream, you can see the true-Self.” However, the words ‘seeing everything as if you were seeing it in a dream’ don’t make much sense to you until you realise the fact, that is, until you are enlightened, just as you don’t realise that you were haunted by nightmares until you awaken from your dream.

The purpose of Buddhism is to help people to awaken from their dreams, and Zen meditation is a kind of practice for awakening from dreams.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Layman Pang said, “Everyone has a Sutra. However, there is no one who can read it because it is formless, nameless and textless. If you have ‘I’, that is self, you can neither read nor listen to it. If you happen to be able to read it, you will become one with the principle of no birth and no death. Then, you don’t have to follow Bodhisattvas and don’t have to try to become the Buddha.”

Student: “Why don’t I have to try to become the Buddha?”

Master: “Because trying to become the Buddha is forsaking Him.”

Commentary:

No Buddha is the Buddha.

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Rinzai came to the memorial pagoda of Bodhidharma. The incumbent asked, “Old Venerable, will your first bow be to the Buddha or to the Patriarch?” Rinzai said, “I shall bow neither to the Buddha nor to the Patriarch.”

The incumbent asked, “What feud is there between you, old Venerable, and the Buddha and Patriarch?” Rinzai shook his sleeves and left.

Commentary:

It is not certain whether the incumbent asked Rinzai the question because he really didn’t know, or because he wanted to test Rinzai. Rinzai’s answer ‘I shall bow neither to the Buddha nor to the Patriarch’ meant that he was not deluded by the illusions of the Buddha and the Patriarch since he knew that everything is empty. The incumbent asked Rinzai why he didn’t pay homage to them even though they deserved his respect since he enjoyed the realm of enlightenment thanks to their teaching. Hearing the question, Rinzai shook his sleeves and left.

Was he rude and impolite, or did he show his respect to them? This episode presents us with a question ‘What is the right way to respect the Buddha and Patriarchs heartily?’. One day a monk asked his master who always taught his students to kill the Buddha, “Sir, why do you always tell us to kill the Buddha when we make our living thanks to him?” The master answered, “Because that is the way to venerate him.” The core of Buddhism is not to worship, or pray to the Buddha but to recognise the Buddha in our daily life without being deluded by the illusion of the Buddha.

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All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway