Zen Koan

Jeffrey

This is from zenguide forum today:

When a monk was traveling on the road, he met an old woman, and asked:
-I would like to know which way that leads to Chao-chou, would you please give me the direction?
The old waman replied:
-Just go straight, don't make any left turn or right turn.
When the monk met Chao-chou, he said:
On the road comming here, I met an old woman, it seemed that she understood Ch'an very well.
Chao-chou said:
-Let me see the old woman and test her for you.
Chao-chou then went to see the old woman. When he met her, he asked:
-I would like to know which way that leads to Chao-chou, would you please give me the direction?
She replied:
-Just go straight, don't make any left turn or right turn.
When Chao-chou was back to his place, he said to the monk:
-The old woman did not know at all. It was that Chao-chou stood right in front of her, wasn't it?

weighted

@Jeffrey thanks so much for posting this.

Lady_Alison

Ikkyu, the Zen master, was very clever even as a boy. His teacher had a precious teacup, a rare antique. Ikkyu happened to break this cup and was greatly perplexed. Hearing the footsteps of his teacher, he held the pieces of the cup behind him. When the master appeared, Ikkyu asked: "Why do people have to die?"

"This is natural," explained the older man. "Everything has to die and has just so long to live."

Ikkyu, producing the shattered cup, added: "It was time for your cup to die."

person

This is from zenguide forum today:

When a monk was traveling on the road, he met an old woman, and asked:
-I would like to know which way that leads to Chao-chou, would you please give me the direction?
The old waman replied:
-Just go straight, don't make any left turn or right turn.
When the monk met Chao-chou, he said:
On the road comming here, I met an old woman, it seemed that she understood Ch'an very well.
Chao-chou said:
-Let me see the old woman and test her for you.
Chao-chou then went to see the old woman. When he met her, he asked:
-I would like to know which way that leads to Chao-chou, would you please give me the direction?
She replied:
-Just go straight, don't make any left turn or right turn.
When Chao-chou was back to his place, he said to the monk:
-The old woman did not know at all. It was that Chao-chou stood right in front of her, wasn't it?

Can someone explain this to me? I read this and I think, doesn't this guy have oranges where he comes from? @Lady_Alison's story makes sense. I've heard that koans aren't supposed to make sense to help one gain insight or something but I clearly don't get how. The last sentence just reads like someone with poor english skills got their grammar all wrong.

Seriously, help me understand.

Jeffrey

@person, I understood it that the lady is pointing out a method and I understood that as analogous to learning dharma principles. But then in the second case the lady did not recognize that the dharma was right here in the here and now. So it is like a call to work with our life and really appreciate it.

A second thought was that it is like the difference between only studying wisdom - seeing into the three marks (prajna) as opposed to studying right action - compassion etc in conjunction.

Maybe @Cinorjer has thoughts or recollections?

person

Ahhh, ok that interpretation makes sense. I still find the language in the last sentence a bit confusing. Maybe that's what threw me off. Thanks @Jeffrey.

DharmaField

@Jeffrey has the right understanding, the first answer was not only a good description of practice, it is the way to Chao Chou. But the second response was just a repetition; when Chao Chou is before you, what is the way to Chao Chou? This requires a presentation. What if you had read the answer in a book, would you fool old Chao Chou? I don't think so, because he would see into it. If so, how?

Lady_Alison

Perhaps the woman did know and was pointing the way home for him...perhaps she thought he was lost...lol

Jeffrey

I heard another one similar. Shunryu Suzuki was going to be giving a talk at a Zen center as a visitor. He arrived a day early and greeted the man who appeared to be in charge. "We didn't expect you to be here today!" the monk said in response, "see we are wiping down the floor to get ready".

Shunryu Suzuki walked over to a bucket and started cleaning the floor. When asked "what are you doing?" he said "Shunryu Suzuki is visiting tomorrow! I am cleaning this floor to prepare for him."

Spaceless

Zen might make sense and might also make no sense

DaltheJigsaw

I love Zenguide.com!:) Their questions and their responses is pure poetry! It's beautiful! Their answers alone is a Koan of it's own accord!:0

DaltheJigsaw

Zen might make sense and might also make no sense

What about Taoism/Tao/Dao? It makes sense! Check out tao http://www.leonbasin.net/2012/01/tao-of-physics-by-fritjof-capra.html