Читать книгу Pointing at the Moon - Alexander Holstein - Страница 24

How a Mosquito Bit the Iron Buffalo

ONE DAY, Ch'an master Shih T'ou was asked a question by Yao Shan. "Over the course of many years," said Yao Shan, "I have researched the Buddhist scriptures. I know a great deal of them by heart. But I can not understand the doctrine of the southern school which says, 'Only in appealing to one's mind directly can one see the nature of the self becoming a Buddha.' Now, I beg you to teach me, Master."

"The positive is not correct, and the negative is not correct. The unity of the positive and the negative is not correct, either. What is to be done?" asked the master, instead of replying.

Yao Shan could not find an answer for a long time. Then Shi T'ou said, "Your cause is not here. You'd better go to Master Ma Tsu and look for it there."

Following this advice, Yao Shan paid a visit to Ma Tsu. When asked the same question, Ma Tsu replied, "Sometimes, I ask this to raise its eyebrows and blink its eyes; sometimes, I don't ask this to raise its eyebrows and blink its eyes. From time to time, it is this itself that raises its eyebrows and blinks its eyes; but sometimes it is not this that does it. So, how are you going to realize what this is?"

After hearing this, Yao Shan became Enlightened. He knelt respectfully before the master, expressing his thanks to him.

"Why do you pay me so much respect?" wondered Ma Tsu.

"Because I can see, now," said Yao Shan, "that when I was asking Master Shi T'ou, it looked as if a mosquito had bitten the iron buffalo."

Commentary: Yao Shan's question was no more than a pet phrase, because he himself did not know the meaning of what he asked about. Who could answer such a question? This is why Shih T'ou replied with a contrary question that was too inexplicable for Yao Shan to understand. Actually, the answers of both Ch'an masters were different in form but identical in meaning. The "sometimes,

I ask this to raise its eyebrows and blink its eyes" was equivalent to the "positive"; the "... I don't ask this..." was equivalent to the "negative"; and ". . . it is this itself that ... it is not this" is representative of the unity of the positive and the negative. "This" means self-nature. "A mosquito biting the iron buffalo" referred to the poor kung-fu of Yao Shan during his conversation with Master Shih T'ou. It was Ma Tsu who opened Yao Shan's eyes, making him realize the fact that before, he'd merely tried to enter the doors that were "painted on the wall."