In 536, when he [Bodhidharma] felt that the day of his departure was drawing near, he called his four disciples to come and ordered them to state their original insights.
Tao-fu was the first to respond: "According to my view, we should neither cling to words and letters nor dispense with them altogether, but only use them as an instrument of the Tao." "You have got my skin," said the master.
Then the nun, Ts'ung-Ch'ih, came forward, saying, "In the light of my present comprehension, it is like Anada's viewing of the Buddha-land of Akshobhya, seeing it once and never again." "You have got my flesh," said the master.
Tao-yu said, "The four elements are all empty; the five skandhas are all unreal. Looking from where I stand, there is not a thing that can be grasped." "You have got my bone," the master commented.
Finally, it was Hui-k'o's turn to show his insight. But he did not open his mouth. Bowing reverently to the master, he kept standing in one place. The master remarked, "You have got my marrow;" and Hui-k'o came to be recognized as the second Patriarch.
Commentary
Dogen Zenji commented, "You should investigate these words of Boddhidharma: 'You have attained my skin, flesh, bones, and marrow.' These are the ancestor's words. All four students had attainment and understanding. Each one's attainment and understanding is skin, flesh, bones, and marrow dropping away body and mind. You should not see or hear the ancestor with limited understanding of these statements. Otherwise what was spoken and heard will not be fully grasped.
Source: The Golden Age of Zen by John C.h. Wu
Source: Moon in a Dewdrop by Zen Master Dogen
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