Mumonka
Tr. by Zenkei Shibayama
1. Josh'us Mu
KOAN
A monk once asked Master Joshu, "Has a dog the Buddha Nature or not?" Joshu
said "Mu!"
2. Hyakujo and a Fox
KOAN
Whenever Master Hyakujo gave a teisho on Zen, and old man sat with the
monk ot listen and alwasy withdrew when they did. One day, however, he
remained
behind, and the Master asked, "Who are you standing here before me?" The
old man replied, I am not a human being. In the past, in the time of the
Kasho Buddha, I was the head of the monastery. ONce a monk asked me, "Does
an enlightened man also fall into causation or not?" I replied, "He does
not." Because of the answer, I was made to live as a fox for five hundred
lives. Now i beg you, please say the turning words on my behalf and release
me from the fox body." The old man than asked Huakujo, "Does an enlightened
man also fall into causation or not?" The Master said,"He does not ignore
causation." Hearing this the old man was at once enlightened. Making a
bow to Huakujo he said,"I have been now released from the fox body, which
will
be found behind the mountain. I dare to make a request of the Master. Please
bury it asyou would a deceased monk."
The Master had the Ino striek the gavel and announce to the monks that
there would be a funeral for a deceased monk after the midday meal. The
monks wondered,
saying, "We are all in good health. There is no sick monk in the Nirvana
Hall. What is it all about?"
After the meal the Master led the monks to a rock behind the mountain,
poked out a dead fox with his staff, and cremated it.
In the evening the Master ascended the rostrum in the hall andtold the
monks the whole story. Obaku therupon asked, "The old man failed to give
the correct
turning words and was made to live as a fox for five hundred lives, you
would say; if however, his answer had not been incorrect each time, what
would
he have become?" The Master said, "Come closer to me. I'll tell you." Obaku
then stepped forward to Hyakujo and slapped him. The Master laughed aloud,
clappping his hands, and said, "I thought a foreigners bead is red, but
I see that it is a foreigner with a red beard."
3. Gutei Raised a Finger
KOAN
Master Gutei, whenver he was questioned, just stuck up one
finger.
At one time he had a young attendant, whom a visitor asked, "Whta is the
Zen your Master is teaching?" The boy also stuck up on finger. Hearing of
this Gutei cut off the boy's finger with a knife. As the boy ran out screamkng
wiht pain, Gutei called to him. When the boy turned his head, Gutei stuck
up his finger. The boy was suddenly enlightened.
When Gutei was about to die, he said to the assembled monks, "I attained
Tenryu's Zen of One Finger. I used it all thorugh my life, but could not
exhaust it." When he had finished saying this, he died.
4. The Foreigner Has No Beard
KOAN
Wakuan said, "Why has the foreigner from the West no beard?"
5. Kyogen's Man Up a Tree
KOAN
Master Kyogen said, "It is like a man up a tree who hangs from a branch
by his mouth: his hands cannot grasp a bough, his feet cannot touch the
tree.
Another man comes under the tree and asks him the meaning of Bodhidharma's
coming from the West. If he does not answer, he does not meet the questioner's
need. If he answers, he will lose his life. At such a time, how should
he answer?
6. Sakyamuni Holds up a Flower
KOAN
Long ago when the World-Honored One was at Mount Grdhramkuta to give a talk, he held up a flower before the assemblage. At this all remained silent. The Venerable Kasho alone broke into a smile. The Honored One said, "I have the all-pervading True Dharam, incomparable Nirvana, exquisit teaching of formless form. It does not rely on letters and is transmitted outside scriptures. I now hand it to Maha Kasho."
7. Joshu Says "Wash your Bowls"
KOAN
Once a monk made a request of Joshu. "I have just entered the monastery," he said, "Please give me instructions, Master." Joshu said, "Have you had your breakfast?" "Yes, I have ," replied the monk. "Then," said Joshu, "wash your bowls." The monk had an insight.
8. Keichu Makes Carts
KOAN
Master Gettan said to a monk: "Keichu made a cart whose wheels had a hundred spokes. Take both front and rear parts away and remove the axle: then what will it be?"
9. Daitsu Chisho
KOAn
Once a monk said to Master Seijo of Kyo, "Daitsu Chisho Buddha did zazen on a bodhi seat for ten kalpas. Buddha Dharma was not manifested, nor did he attain Buddhahood. Why was it?" Master Seijo said, "Your question is splendid indeed." The monk persisted, "He did practice zaaen on a bodhi seat. Why did he not attain Budddahood?"
10. Seizei, a Poor Monk
KOAN
A monk once said to Master Sozan, "I am poor and destitute. I beg you, O Master, Please help me and make me rich." Sozen said, "Venerable Sezei!" "Yes, Master," replied Seizei, Sozan remarked, "Having tasted three cups of the best wine of Seigen, do you still say that your lips are not yet moistened?"
11. Joshu Sees the True Nature of Two Hermits
KOAN
Joshu came to a hermit and asked, "Are you in? Are you in?" The hermit held up his first. "The water is too shallow to anchor a vessael," said Joshu, and went away. he then came to another hermit and called out, "Are you in? Are you in?" This hermit also held up his fist. "You are free either to give or to take away, either to killl or to give life," said Joshu, bowing to him.
12. Zuigan Calls "Master"
KOAN
Every day Master Zuigan Shigen used to call out to himself, "Oh, Master!" and would answer himself, "Yes?" "Are you awake?" he would ask, and would answer, "Yes, I am." "Never be decieved by others, any day, any time." "No, I will not."
13. Tokusan Carried His Bowls
Koan
Tokusan one day came down to the dining room carrying his bolws. Seppo said, "Old Master, the bell has not rung and the drum has not yet been struck. Where are you going wiht your bowls?" Tokusan at once turned back to his room. Seppo told this incident to Ganto, who remarked, "Great Master though he is, Tokusan has not yet grasped the last word of Zen." Hearing of it. Tokusan sent his attendant to call Ganto in, and asked, "Do you not approve of me?" Ganto whispered his reply to him, Tokusan was satisfied and was different from the usual ones. Gato came in front of the monastery, laughed heartily, calpping his hands, and said, "What a great joy it is! The old Master has now grasped the last word fo Zen. From now on enobdoy in the world can ever make light of him."
14. Nansen Kills a Cat
KOAN
Once the monks of the Eastern Hall and the Western Hall were disputing about a cat. Nansen, holding up the cat, said, "Monks, if you can say a word fo Zen, I will spare the cat. If you cannot, I will kill it!" No monk could answer. Nansen finaly killed the cat. In the evening when Joshu came back, Nansen told him of the incident. Joshu took off his sandal, put it on his head, and walked off. Nanseen said, "If you had been there, I could have saved the cat!"
15. Tozan Gets Sixty Blows
KOAN
When Tozan came to have an interview wiht Ummon, Ummon asked, "Where have you been recently?" "At Sado, Master." Tozan replied. "Where did you stay during the last period?" "At Hozu of Konan," replied Tozan. "When did you leave there?" "On the twenty-fifth of August," Tozan answered. Ummon excalimed, "I give you sixty blows wiht my stick!" The next day Tozan came up again and asked the Master, "Yesterday you give me sixty blows with your stick. I do not know where my fault was." Ummon cried out, "You nice-bag! Have you been prowling about like that from Kosei to Konan?" At this Tozan was enlightened.
16. Bell-Sounds and Priest's Robe
KOAN
Ummon said, "Look! This world is vast and wide. Why do you put on your priest's robe at the sound of the bell?"
17. The National Teachers Calls Three Times
KOAN
The National Teacher called to his attendant three times, and the attendant answered three times. The National Teacher said, "I thought I had transgressed against you, but you too had transgressed against me."
18. Tozan's Three Pounds of Flax
KOAN
A monk asked Master toza, "What is Buddha?" Tozan said, "Three pounds of flax."
19. Ordinary Mind Is Tao
KOAN
Joshu once asked Nansen, "What is Tao?" nansen answered, "Ordinary mind is Tao." "Then we direct ourselves toward it or not/" asked Joshu. "If you try ot direct yourself toward it,you go away from it," answered Nansen. Joshu continued, "If we do not try, how can we know th tit is Tao?" Jansen replied, "Tao does not belong ot knowing or to not-knowing. Knowing is illusiton; not-knowing is blankness. If you really attain to Tao of no-doubt, it si like the great void, so vast and boundless. How, then, can there right and wrong in the Tao?" At these words, Joshu was suddenly enlightened.
20. A Man of Great Strength
KOAN
Master Shogen said, "Why is it that a man of great strength cannot lift his leg?" Again he said, "It is not with his tongue that he speaks."
21. Unmon's Shit-Stick
KOAN
A monk asked Unmon, "What is Buddha?" Unmon siad, "A shit-stick!" (Kan-shiketsu!)
22. Kasho and a Flagpole
KOAN
Ananda once said to Kasho, "The World-Honored One trasmitted to you the brocade robe. What else did he trasmit to you?" Kasho called out, "Ananda!" Ananda answered, "Yes,sir." Kasho said, "Pull down the flagpole at the gate."
23. Thoink Neither Good Nor Evil
KOAN
The Sixth Patriarch was once pursued by teh Monk Myo to Daiyurei. The Patriarch, seeing Myo coming, laid the robe and bowl on a stone, and said, "This robe symbolizes faith; how can it be fought for by force? I will leave it to you to take it." Myo tried to take up the robe, but it was as immovable as the mountain. Myo was terrifed and hesitated. he said, "I have come for Dharma, nto for the robe. I beg you, please teach me, O lay brother!" The Sixth Patriarch said, "Think neigher good nor evil. At such a moment, what is the True Self of Monnk Myo?" At this, Myo was at once enlightened. His whole body was dripping with sweat. With tears he made a bow and asked, "Beside these secret words and meanings, is there any further significance or not?" The Patriarch said, "What I have just told you is not secret. If you will realize your True Self, what is secret is inyou-yourself." Myo said, "Although at Obai I followed other monks in training, I did not awaken to my True Self. Thanks to your instruction, which is to the point, I am like one who has drunk water and actually experienced himself whether it is cold or warm. You are really my teacher, lay brother!" The Patriarch said, "If you are so awakened, both you and I have Obai as our teacher. Live up to your attainment wiht care."
24. Abandon Words and Spekaing
KOAN
A monk once asked Master Fuketsu, "Both speaking and silence
are concerned wiht ri-bi relativity. How can we be free and nontransgressing?"
Fuketsu said.
"How fonldy I remember Koman in March!
The patridges are calling, and the flowers are fragrant."
25. Talk by the Monk of the Third Seat
KOAN
Master Gyozoan had a dream. He went to Maitreya's place and was given the third seat. A venerable monk there struck the table with a gavel and announced, "Today the talk will be given by the monk of the third seat." Gyozan strukc the table with the gavel and said, "The Dharma fo Mahayana goes beyond the Four Propositions and transcends the One Hundred Negations. Listen carefully!"
26. Two Monks Rolled Up the Bamboo Blinds
KOAN
The monks gathered in the hall to hear the Great Hogen of Seriryo give teisho before the midday meal. Hogen pointed ot the bamboo blinds. At this two monks went to the blinds and roled them up alike. Hogen said, "One has it; the other has not."
27. Neither Mind Nor Buddha
KOAN
A monk once asked Master Nansen, "Is there any Dharma that has not yet been taught to the popele?" Nansen said, "Yes, there is." The monk asked, "What is the Dharma that has not been taught to the people?" Nansen said, "It is neither mind, nor Buddha, nor beings."
28. Well-Known Ryutan
KOAN
Tokusan once called on Ryutan to ask for instruction and stayed
until night fell. Ryutan said, "It is getting late; you had better leave."
At last Tokusan said goodbye, lifted up the door curtain, and went out. Noticing
that it was dark, he turned back and said, "It is dark outside." Ryutan thereupon
lit a candle and handed it to him. Tokusand was about ot take it when Ryutan
blew it out. At this Tokusan was all of a sudden enlightened. He made a bow.
Ryutan asked, "What realization do you have?" Tokusan replied, "From now
on I will not doubt the sayings of any of the great Zen Masters in the world."
The next day Ryutan mounted the rostrum and declared,"Among the monks here
there is a fellow whose fangs are like swords, and whose mouth is like a
bowl of blood. Youmay striem him with a stick but he will not turn his head.
Some day in the future, he will establish his way on a steep and lofty peak."
Tokusan then took out his notes and commentaries on the Doamond Sutra, and
in front of hte monastery hall he held up a burning torch and said, "even
though one master various profound philosophies, it is like placing a single
strand of hair in the great sky; even if one gains all the essential knowledge
in the world, it is like throwing a drop of water into a deep ravine. "Taking
up his notes and commentaries, he burned them all. Then he left with gratitude."
29. Neither the Wind Nor the Flag
KOAN
The wind was flapping a temple falg. Two monks were arguing about it. One said the flag was moving; the other said the wind wasmoving. Arguing back and fourth they culd come to no agreement. The Sixth Patriarch said, "It is neither the wind nor the flag that is moving. It is your mind that is moving." The two monks were struck with awe.
30. Mind Is Buddha
KOAN
Taibai once asked Baso, "What is Buddha?" Baso answered, "Mind is Buddha."
31. Joshu Saw Through the Old Woman
KOAN
A monk asked an old woman, "Whihc way should I take to Mount Gotai?" The old woman said, "Go straight on!" When the monk had taken a few steps, she remarked, "He may look like a fine monk, but he too goes off like that!" Later, a monk told Joshu about it. Joshu said, "Wait a while. I will go and see through tht old woman for you." The next day off he went, and asked her the same question. The old woman, too gave him the same reply. When he returned, Joshu announced to the monks, "I have seen through the old woman of Mount Gotai for you."
32. A Non-Buddhist Questions the Buddha
Koan
A non-Buddhist once asked the World-Honred One, "I do not ask for words, nor do I ask for no-words." The World-Honored One remained seated. The non-Buddhist praised him, saying, "The great compassion of the World-Honored One has dispelled the clouds of my ignorance and enabled me to be enlightened. Making a bow of gratitude, he departed. Ananda then asked Buddha, "What realization did the non-Buddhist have that made him praise you like that?" The World-Honored One replied, "He is like a high-mettled horse whihc starts at even the shadow of the whip."
33. No Mind, No Buddha
KOAN
A monk once asked Baso, "What is Buddha?" Baso answered, "No mind, no Buddha."
34. Wisdom Is Not Tao
KOAN
Nansen said, "Mind is not Buddha; wisdom is not Tao."
35. Sen-jo and Her Soul Are Separated
KOAN
Goso asked a monk, "Sen-jo and her sould are separated: which is the true one?"
36. Meeting a Man of Tao on the Way
KOAN
Goso said, "If you meet a man of Tao on the way, greet him neither wiht words nor with silence. Now tell me, how will you greet him?"
37. The Oak Tree in the Front Garden
KOAN
A monk once asked Joshu, "What is the meaning of the Patriarch coming from the West?" Joshu answered, "The oak tree in the front garden."
38. A Buffalo Passes Through a Window
KOAN
Goso said, "To give an example, it is like a buffalo passing through a window. Its head, horns, and foru legs have all passed through. Why is it that its tail cannot?"
39 Unmon Says "You Have Missed It"
KOAN
A monk once wanted to ask Unmon a question and started to say, "The light serenly shines over the whole universe." Befoer he had even finished the first line, Unmon suddenly interrupted, "Isn't that the poem of Chosetsu Shusai?" The monk answered , "Yes, it is." Unmon said, "You have missed it!" Later Master Shishin took up this koan and said, "Now tell me, why has this monk missed it?"
40. Kicking Over the Pitcher
KOAN
When Master Isan was studying under Huakujo, he worked as a tenzo at the monastery. Hyakujo wanted to choose an abbot for Daii Monastery. He told the head monk and al the rest of his disciples to make their Zen presentations, and the ablest one would be sent to found the monastery. Then Hyakujo took a pitcher, placed in on the floor, and asked the question: "This must not be called a pitcher. What do you call it?" The head monk said, "It cannot be called a wooden sandal." Huakujo then asked Isan. Isan walked up, kicked over the pitcher, and left. Hyakujo said, "The head monk has been defeated by Isan." So Isan was ordered to start he monastery.
41. Bodhidharma and Peace of Mind
KOAN
Bodhidharma sat in zazen facing the wall. The Second Patriarch who had been stanidng in the snow, cut off his arm and said, "Your disciple's mind is not yet at peace. I beg you, my teacher, please give it peace." Bodhidharma said, "Bring the mind to me, and I will set it at rest." The Second Patriarch said, "I have searched for the mind and it is finally unattainable." Bodhidharma said, 'I have thoroughly set it at rest for you."
42. A Woman Comes Out of Meditation
KOAN
Once long long ago, the World-Honred One came to the place where many Buddhas were assembled. When Majusri arrived there, the Buddhas all returned to their orignal places. Only a woman remained, close ot the Buddha seat in deep meditation. Majusri spoke to the Buddha, "Why can a woman be close to the Buddha seat, and I cannot/" The Buddha told Manjusri , "You awaken this woman from her meditation and ask her yourself." Manjusri walked around the woman three times, snapped his fingers once, then took her up to the Brahma Heaven and tried all his supernatural powers, but he was unable to bring her out of meditation. The Wolrd-Honored One said, "Even hundreds of thousands of Manjusris would be unable to bring her out of her meditatioin. Down below, past one billion, two hundred million countries, as innumerable as the sands of the Ganges, there is a Bodhisattva called Momyo. He willl be able to awaken her from meditation." In an instant Momyo emerged from the earth and worshiped the World-Honored One. The World-Honored One gave him the order. Momyo then walked to the woman and snapped his finger only once. At this the woman came out of her meditation.
43. Shuzan and a Staff
KOAN
Master Shuzan held up his staff, and showing it to the assembled disciples said, "You monks, if you call this a staff, you are committed to the name. If you call it not-a-staff, you negate the fact. Tell me, you monks, what do you call it?"
44. Basho and a Stick
KOAn
Master Basho said to the monks, "If you have a stick, I shall give one to you. If you do not have a stick, I shall take it away from you."