THE KOAN
factand pointingtothesametruth?Oraretheynotonlyin
wordsbutinfactandtruthcontradictingoneanother?Letus
examinemoremastersconcerningthestaff.
Suiryuonedayascendedthepulpitandbringingforthhisstaffmadethisconfession:"Mytwentyyears'residenceinthis
monasteryisduetothevirtueofthis."Amonksteppedforwardandasked,"Whatvirtuedidyou
gainoutofthat?"
"Supporting myselfwith this,I crossthe streams, I pass
overthemountains;indeed,withoutit,whatcanIdo?"
LaterShokei,anothermaster,hearingofthisremark,said,
"IfIwerehe,Iwouldnotsaythat."
"Whatwouldyousay?"camequicklyfromthemonk.
Shokeinowtookthestaff,camedowntotheground,and
walkedaway.
Ho-annowmakestheobservationaboutthesetwomasters:
"Suiryu'sstaffwasaprettygoodone,butwhatapity!ithasa
dragon'sheadwithasnake'stail.ItmakesShokeifollowhimup,
andtheresultisanotherpity:hiswaslikeputtingspecklesona
paintedtiger.Whenthemonkaskedwhatp>owerofthestaffhe
hadgot,whydidhenottakeitoutandthrowitawaybeforethe
congregation?Thentherewouldhave beena realdragon, a
realtiger,callingforthcloudsandmists."
Now letme ask, whyall this—shall we say—much ado
aboutnothing?IfmodemZenisasystem,whatkindofasystem
is it?Itseems chaotic, andhowconflicting arethemasters'
views! Yet from the Zenpoint ofview thereisone current
runningthroughailtheseconfusions,andeachmasterissup>-
portingtheothersin amost emphaticmanner. An apparent
contradictioninnowayhinderstherealendorsement.Inthus
mutuallycomplementingeachother, notindeedlogicallybut
inafashioncharacteristicallyZen,we findthelifeand truth
ofthekoan.Adeadstatementcannotbesoproductiveofresults.
Hakuin's "one hand", Joshu's "cypress-tree", or the Sixth
Patriarch's "original face",^ are all alive to the very core.
Oncetouchtheheartofitandthewholeuniversewillrisefrom
itsgravewherewehaveburieditwithourlogicandanalysis.
Forthebenefitofstudentswhowishtoknowmoreabout
'Thesearesomeofthe&ntkoaiuforZcoitudenU.