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The Show of a Novice in Charge

ONCE, when novice Yang Shan paid a visit to Ch'an master Wei Shan, the first question the celebrated master asked him was, "Are you a novice in charge, or are you not yet?"

"You are right, Master," was the reply. "I am a novice in charge."

"What place is in your charge?"

Hearing this, Yang Shan took several steps from west to east and then came to a dead stop. At this show, Wei Shan was very pleased.

Commentary: "In charge" refers to self-nature, and the true meaning of the master's first question was "Have you attained realization of the nature of the self, or not?" "Place" means Emptiness, the empty nature of all dharmas. Thus, Yang Shan risked losing this stance if he were to try to answer in spoken language. Once something is uttered, it is "off the track." The lesson here is that self-nature is something that cannot be talked about. It is everywhere, and cannot be differentiated through motion-motionlessness. The T'ang poet, Wei mo Chieh, once said:

It seems to be here yet not coming.

It seems to be there yet not going.

I wonder, what is it? And I answer myself:

It is here only because it never intends to come;

It is there only because it never intends to go.

It is the most invisible thing because everyone can see it.

Perhaps this is the clearest definition of self-nature humanly possible.