Rinzai got here to Horin, who remarked, “Because it occurs, I wish to ask you one thing, could I?” Rinzai stated, “Why gouge out wholesome flesh to make a wound?” Horin stated, “Sensible shines the moon over the ocean casting no shade. A fish that performs is just fooling itself.” Rinzai stated, “Because the moon over the ocean casts no shade anyway, how can the fish taking part in there be deluded?” Horin stated, “Observing wind, I do know waves will blow up; Measuring the water, I increase a sail on the small boat.” Rinzai stated, “Alone shines the solitary moon, rivers and mountains are quiet. The sound of laughing alone startles heaven and earth.” Horin stated, “Your tongue could brighten heaven and earth, however say a phrase to disclose the true-Self precisely.” Rinzai stated, “Whenever you probability upon a swordsman, present him your sword. Don’t give your poem to a person who shouldn’t be a poet.” Horin retired, and Rinzai made this verse: “The Nice Manner surpasses equality, free to go West or East. A spark from flint can’t meet up with it, nor can a flash of lightning get via it.”
Commentary:
Rinzai’s ‘Why gouge out wholesome flesh to make a wound?’ implies that the true-Self is so excellent that describing it in a technique or one other isn’t any higher than including filth to it. Horin’s ‘Sensible shines the moon over the ocean casting no shade. A fish that performs is just fooling itself.’ implies that the moon that symbolises the true-Self is so excellent that it by no means casts any shade to delude folks and {that a} silly man makes the true-Self soiled by being deceived by phrases, illusions. In different phrases, Horin meant, “If gouging out wholesome flesh to make a wound occurs, it is just since you don’t know higher than to be deluded by phrases, illusions.” Rinzai’s response ‘Because the moon over the ocean casts no shade anyway, how can the fish taking part in there be deluded?’ means, ‘I’m not deluded by your phrases as a result of I’m clearly conscious of the true-Self’. Horin’s ‘Observing wind, I do know waves will blow up; Measuring the water, I increase sail a on the small boat’ means ‘Observing a person coming, I do know that he’s revealing the true-Self, and measuring how deep his observe is, I reveal the true-Self in response to the depth of his observe’. Rinzai’s ‘Alone shines the solitary moon, rivers and mountains are quiet. The sound of laughing alone startles heaven and earth’ means ‘When the true-Self is revealing itself alone, every thing in sight, rivers and mountains included, is the true-Self. The sound of my laughing is that of heaven and earth’. Horin’s ‘Your tongue could brighten heaven and earth, however say a phrase to disclose the true-Self precisely’ means ‘You appear to explain the true-Self superbly. Then, are you able to say phrases to disclose it precisely another time?’. Rinzai’s response ‘Whenever you probability upon a swordsman, present him your sword. Don’t give your poem to a person who shouldn’t be a poet’ means ‘Reveal the true-Self solely to an enlightened man. Should you reveal it to a person who shouldn’t be enlightened, he can’t recognise it, and your efforts will transform as futile and fruitless as when you have been to offer your poem to a person who can’t perceive poetry’. By this reply, Rinzai implied ‘In case you are enlightened, you’ll recognise what I meant, simply as a swordsman recognises a sword and a poet understands a poem’. Then, Horin accepted Rinzai’s enlightenment, and Rinzai made a lovely poem that describes the true-Self.
‘The Nice Manner surpasses equality, free to go West or East’ implies that the Nice Manner, the true-Self is past even the idea equality meaning vacancy as a result of it’s the state freed from discrimination. It, actually, is free to go in any path since there is no such thing as a path akin to West or East. ‘A spark from flint can’t meet up with it’ implies that the true-Self is in all places and there’s no place that isn’t the true-Self. Regardless of how briskly mild akin to a spark from flint could attain a spot, it can’t surpass the true-Self, as a result of it’s already there. ‘Nor can a flash of lightning get via it’ implies that the true-Self is so big and huge, that’s, boundless, that nothing can get via it.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All photos ©Simon Hathaway
