Questions & Koans

On the way back to his temple, Joshu happened to meet an elderly lady, who asked him, “Where do you live?” Joshu said, “In the east of this village.” Joshu, talking to his students about what had happened on his way back, said to them, “How can you write the ‘east’ that I told the old lady?” A monk wrote ‘east’, and another monk wrote ‘East’. Joshu said, “How foolish you are! You are no better than a nine-year-old boy.” One monk said, “Why do you say so?” Joshu said, “Because both of you know only letters.”

Student: “What was wrong with the two monks who wrote ‘east’ and ‘East’?”

Master: “Joshu’s place is free from directions.”

Student: “Why?”

Master: “Because it is too huge to be put on a map.”

Commentary:

Don’t be so foolish as to ask a passer-by where the universe is.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Rinzai was asleep in the meditation hall. Obaku came down the hall, saw him there, and struck the sounding board once with his staff. Rinzai lifted his head, but when he saw it was Obaku, he went back to sleep. Obaku again gave a whack on the sounding board, then went up to the head monk who was sitting in meditation, and said, “The young one down the hall is truly sitting. You with your fancy notions, what are you doing here?” The head monk said, “What does this old fellow want of me?” Obaku gave one more stroke on the sounding board and left.

Commentary:

Obaku tested Rinzai by striking the sounding board to see if he was deluded by the illusion of the sounding board.

When woken up by the sound of the sounding board Obaku struck with his staff, Rinzai went back to sleep after seeing it was Obaku. Seeing through Rinzai’s behaviour like this, Obaku approved him by giving another whack on the sounding board. This part may appear to be confusing, or misleading because it can seem to encourage those who practise sitting-meditation into sleeping. In fact, Rinzai meant that in the state of Emptiness there was no difference between Obaku’s striking the sounding board and his sleeping. Obaku tested the head monk to see whether he was deluded by words through praising Rinzai and scolding him. The head monk, conscious of Obaku’s intention, lost no time in responding by remarking, ‘What does this old fellow want of me?’ Obaku approved him by striking the sounding board.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

A. Even if you remain exactly as you are right now, if you could flick a magical switch in everyone else’s mind so that their perceptions of you were different, would you still be the same person? In other words, is a part of who we are contained within the way that we are seen by the rest of the world?

We always have two selves; the one that each of us defines himself as and wants to be defined as, and the one that others define us as. We sometimes try to adjust ourselves to, or escape from the definition, image of us made by others, and sometimes seek to get others to see us in the way we want them to. This is the way we live mundane lives.

In Buddhism, no matter what perspective you and others may have about you, all the perspectives are not real but imaginary illusions created by us. People are troubled by being bound with these invisible illusions. Escaping from these illusions is called deliverance in Buddhism.

We should see the real self of us stripped of all illusions that is referred to as the true-Self, the Buddha nature, or Emptiness in Buddhism. Then, we can realise that we are all perfection itself, that is, each of us is so perfect that no one is superior, or inferior to another. This is why Buddhism says that everything is equal.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

On the way back to his temple, Joshu happened to meet an elderly lady, who asked him, “Where do you live?” Joshu said, “In the east of this village.” Joshu, talking to his students about what had happened on his way back, said to them, “How can you write the ‘east’ that I told the old lady?” A monk wrote ‘east’, and another monk wrote ‘East’. Joshu said, “How foolish you are! You are no better than a nine-year-old boy.” One monk said, “Why do you say so?” Joshu said, “Because both of you know only letters.”

Student: “What was wrong with the two monks who wrote ‘east’ and ‘East’?”

Master: “Joshu meant the place that can’t be found on a map and whose name can’t be written.”

Commentary:

Joshu’s residence is a place that can’t be stayed at.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

One day Rinzai was sitting in front of the monks’ hall. Seeing Obaku come, he closed his eyes as if asleep. Obaku, as if frightened, returned to his quarters. Rinzai followed him there and bowed his apology. The head monk was present, attending Obaku in his quarters. Obaku remarked, “Although this is just a young monk, he understands this great matter.” The head monk said, “Old Venerable, why do you testify to his future life even though his heels haven’t touched the ground?” Obaku slapped himself across the mouth. The head monk said, “If you understand, it is all right.”

Commentary:

Seeing Obaku come, Rinzai revealed the true-Self by closing his eyes as if asleep. Sensing his intention, Obaku responded by showing the true-Self through pretending to be frightened. Rinzai bowed his apology for having tested Obaku. Then, Obaku tested the head monk to see whether he was deluded by words or not by saying, ‘he understands this great matter’. The head monk was wise enough to reply, “Why do you testify to his future life even though his heels haven’t touched the ground?” This means, “If you see Rinzai as he is, he was not born nor does he have any form. What do you address as ‘this’, ‘a young monk’ and ‘he’?” Obaku approved the head monk’s comment while pretending to admit his mistake of making a discrimination with his mouth by slapping himself across the mouth.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

A. Oneness doesn’t mean nothing but means that everything that seems to be separate and different from other things, including ourselves, is connected with them as one, just as all waves in the sea are connected as one as part of the sea, even though each of them has a different form and a different life span.

You can have more compassion, love for everyone and everything when you feel oneness than when you don’t. Then, you can love your neighbours as yourself, just as Jesus said.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

A monk asked Joshu, “They say that the Great Way is not difficult only if we don’t make a choice. What is not to make a choice?” Joshu answered, “Only I exist above and below heaven.” The monk said, “That is still making a choice.” Joshu responded, “What a bumpkin! Where is the choice?” The monk couldn’t say anything.

Student: “What is it to make a choice?”

Master: “Saying words is.”

Student: “Then, why did Joshu say he had not made a choice although he said, ‘Only I exist above and below heaven’?”

Master: “Because he didn’t say a word.”

Commentary:

Misusing the Buddha’s mouth as you please is the source of all calamity.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Later, Issan asked Gyosan, “What is the meaning of Obaku’s beating the superintendent?” Gyosan said, “The real robber ran off; the pursuer got the stick.”

Commentary:

In the Zen community a robber, or a thief symbolises an enlightened person, who is thought to have attained the universe for nothing without being noticed. So, in Gyosan’s words ‘The real robber ran off; the pursuer got the stick’, the real robber implies Rinzai who grasped Obaku’s intention, and the pursuer the superintendent who, not conscious of Obaku’s intention, thought that Obaku had hit him with his stick. He was deceived by the illusions that Obaku had made as expedient to reveal the true-Self.

Student: “Are you a robber, too?”

Master: “No robber thinks that he himself is a robber. Only a robber can recognise a robber.”

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

A. Finding beauty is also finding an illusion. When we look for beauty, what does beauty mean? The standard of beauty varies depending on individual perspectives and culture. It changes with time even in the same culture. In short, beauty is an imaginary concept, not a concrete thing, which is referred to as an illusion in Buddhism. However, Buddhism doesn’t discourage us from pursuing beauty but encourages us to realise something called the true-Self that is beyond beauty, while pursuing beauty.

Student: “What is it that is beyond beauty?”

Master: “It is beyond ugliness.”

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway

Master Uisan said to an assembly, “I will be reborn as a buffalo in a village down the mountain after one hundred years. Then, there will be the words ‘monastic Uisan’ written on the buffalo’s left side. If you call me monastic Uisan, what will become of the buffalo? If you call me buffalo, what will become of monastic Uisan? Tell me what you should call me.” Then, Angsan stepped forward and offered a bow.

Student: “What should we call him?”

Master: “I will call him buffalo.”

Student: “Then, what would become of monastic Uisan?”

Master: “I am more worried what will become of you.”

Commentary:

Illness becomes medicine to the wise, but medicine becomes illness to the foolish.

©Boo Ahm

All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway