When Rinzai took depart of Obaku, the latter requested, “The place will you go?” Rinzai replied, “If it’s not to the south of the river, it is going to be to the north of the river.” When Obaku slapped him within the face, Rinzai stopped him and gave him a slap as an alternative. Obaku gave a shout of laughter and ordered his attendant, “Carry the armrest and stool of my late grasp Hyakujo!” Rinzai mentioned, “Attendant, fetch fireplace.” Obaku mentioned, “Although this can be so, you’d higher take them. In future they are going to serve you to close up all people.”
Commentary:
Obaku’s query ‘The place will you go?’ implies ‘Have you learnt that the true-Self by no means strikes in any respect; neither goes nor comes?’. Rinzai’s reply ‘If it’s not to the south of the river, it is going to be to the north of the river’ implies that wherever he goes, he’s nonetheless within the true-Self with none route. Obaku examined him once more to see if he was actually conscious of the true-Self by slapping him within the face. Rinzai revealed the true-Self by returning him a slap. Satisfied of Rinzai’s enlightenment, Obaku needed to provide him the armrest and stool of his late grasp Hyakujo as a token that his enlightenment was permitted by him, simply because the historic Buddha transmitted his gown and bowl to Mahakasyapa. That’s the reason he informed his attendant to carry them. Rinzai’s ‘Attendant, fetch fireplace’ means, ‘I do know that the whole lot is empty and that we shouldn’t be deluded by the illusions of secular issues such because the armrest and stool of Obaku’s late grasp Hyakujo.’
Obaku’s ‘Although this can be so, you’d higher take them. In future they are going to serve you to close up all people’ means ‘You might be proper in that the whole lot is the true-Self within the realm of Vacancy, however you’d higher take them within the realm of kinds since they are going to assist you to to show others’.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All pictures ©Simon Hathaway
