Monday, January 27, 2014

Big Dirty Belly Bag Blues


When Tozan came to Ummon for instruction, he was asked, “Where have you come from?” “From Sato,” he replied. “Where were you during the summer?” “I was at Hoji Temple in Konan Province.” “When did you leave there?” “On the twenty fifth of August.” Ummon burst out, “I'll spare you the beating that you deserve!”
All night long, Tozan wallowed in the waves of the sea of Yes and No until he could get nowhere, and the next day he came and knelt before Ummon and said, “Yesterday I was to be beaten by you, but I did and said nothing that I shouldn’t. What did I do wrong?” Ummon said, “You big dirty belly bag! What did you come from Sato  and Konan for?” Suddenly Tozan came to a realization.

Commentary
If at first Ummon had given Tozan the essential food of Zen and awakened him to an active Zen spirit, his lineage would not have become extinct. When the long-awaited dawn broke, Tozan went to Ummon and had his eyes opened by him and was suddenly enlightened, although he was still not yet a seasoned man. Now I ask all of you: Did Tozan deserve to be beaten? If it was right, then everything in the universe should be beaten; if it was wrong, then Ummon was a swindler. If you understand this clearly, then you and Tozan breathe the same air.

The Closing Verse
The lion has a round-about-way of teaching her cubs.
Intending to urge them on she kicks them away.
And they soon redress themselves and charge back.
Heedlessly he came back to Ummon but was checkmated.
The first arrow was only a scratch, but the second one went deep.

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