Wumen Huikai [W-G: Wu-men Hui-k’ai / J: Mumon Ekai]

 

Wumen Huikai wrote, “If useless things do not clutter your mind, this day is the best day of your life.”

Zen Masters of China: 299-303

Yuelin Shiguan [W-G: Yueh-lin Shih-kuan / J: Getsurin Shikan]

A student asked Yuelin Shiguan, “How can I escape the wheel of birth and death?”

Yuelin’s curt reply was: “What use is there in escaping it?”

Zen Masters of China: 298-99

Dahui Zonggao [W-G: Ta-hui Tsung-kao / J: Dai-e Soko]

Dahui Zonggao held up his staff and demanded: “If you call this a staff, you affirm; if you don’t call it a staff, you negate. Beyond affirmation and negation, what are you going to call it? Say something!”

Zen Masters of China: 296-98

The Story of Zen: 159, 161-63

Yuanwu Keqin [W-G: Yuan-wu K’o-ch’in / J: Engo Kokugon]

Yuanwu Kequin told his students, “The heat of a candle flame can’t compete with the heat of the sun. The chill of a breeze can’t compete with the chill of the moon. The legs of a crane are long, those of a duck, short. The pine is tall and straight; brambles are short and tangled. Geese are white; ravens are black. That’s the way it is. When you grasp this, then all things will be your teacher.”

Zen Masters of China: 292-93, 296

The Story of Zen: 159-62

Wuzu Fayan [W-G: Wu-tsu Fa-yen / J: Goso Hoen]

Asked to describe Zen training, Wuzu Fayan used this analogy:  “It is like learning the art of burglary. There was a young boy who was the son of a very successful burglar, but he noticed that his father was getting older and wasn’t as spry as he’d once been. This worried the boy. ‘What will our family do when my father isn’t able to pursue his craft any longer?’ he wondered. ‘How will we avoid poverty and starvation?’ After dwelling on this for some time, the boy made up his mind to ask his father to teach him the family trade. 

“The father was pleased that his son had taken this initiative, and, that evening, he took the boy with him. They came to a large house occupied by a wealthy family, and the father showed the son how to break through the fence and enter the house without being heard. Then he brought him into one of the bedrooms, where the family was sleeping. He indicated the large chests where clothes for various seasons were stored. ‘Go over to that chest and gather its contents for us to take.’ But when the son bent over the chest, his father pushed him into it, closed the lid, and latched it. The father then crept out of the room and, once safely outside, shouted as loud as he could: ‘Thieves!  Thieves!’

“His cries woke the household. The family could see that the house had been broken into, but it appeared that the burglar had escaped.

“The boy in the chest was very angry about what his father had done to him. As he thought about how to escape, it occurred to him to make a sound like a mouse caught in the chest. The household servant, holding a lantern, went over to the chest to investigate the noise. As soon as she lifted the lid, the boy jumped out, blew out the lantern, pushed the startled woman aside, then rushed through a window. 

“As he ran away, the members of the household chased after him. He could hear them gaining on him as he passed an old well. Looking about, he found a large stone which he threw into the well making a loud splash. He left one of his sandals by the well and continued on his way. The household members gathered around the well and peered into it but couldn’t see anything. Deciding that the burglar must have drowned, they went back home.

“The boy came to his own house, still very angry with his father. But his father told him to calm himself and describe what had happened. When the boy completed his tale, the father embraced him and said, ‘Well done! You’ve learned the art.’”

Zen Masters of China: 287-92 

The Story of Zen: 159-162

Huitang Zuxin [W-G: Hui-t’ang Tsu-hsin /J: Maido Shoshin]

A Confucian visited the Zen master Huitang Zuxin and asked him to explain the matter of Zen.

“There’s a passage in the writings of your master, Confucius, which explains Zen very well. Are you familiar with these lines: ‘My disciples, do you think I’ve withheld anything from you? Be assured, I haven’t held back anything at all.’”

The Confucian started to reply, and Huitang cut him off, shouting, “No!”           

The Confucian was left confused by the encounter. Sometime later, however, he and Huitang were walking in the mountains. It was spring and the flowering trees were in blossom. Huitang said, “Can you smell them?”               

“Yes.  Of course.”               

“As I said, I’ve kept nothing back.”

Zen Masters of China: 285-87

 

Xianglin Chengyuan [W-G: Hsiang-lin Ch’eng-yuan / J: Kyorin Choon]

Xianglin Chengyuan was once asked the traditional question, “Why did the first patriarch come east?” It is a way of asking what the purpose of Zen is. 

He replied, “It’s not good for one’s health to sit too long.”

Zen Masters of China: 279-80