Mo-shan Opens Her Mouth

Chih-hsien was sent by his master, Lin-chi, to study with Mo-shan. On their first meeting, she asked, "Where have you come from?" Chih-hsien answered, "The mouth of the road" [the literal meaning of the name of his village].

Mo-shan retorted, "Then why didn't you close your mouth when you came here?" Chih-hsien prostrated himself and became her disciple.

Some time later he challenged her by asking, "What is the summit of the mountain [the literal meaning of the name 'Mo-shan']?" She replied, "The summit of the mountain cannot be seen."

"Then who is the person on the mountain," he demanded. "I am neither male nor a female form," she replied.

"Then," he asked, "why not transfigure into some other form?" Mo-shan replied, "Since I am not a fox spirit, I cannot transfigure."

Once again Chih-hsien bowed and decided to serve as the supervisor of Mo-shan's temple garden for three years, proclaiming her teaching the equal of Lin-chi.

Commentary

Mo-shan's complete name is Mo-shan Liao-jan. She is the first known female Zen teacher of a male student. 

When Chih-hsien became abbot of a monastery, he instructed the assembly by saying, "I attained a half ladle of dharma-water at the venerable father Lin-chi's place and another half at the venerable mother Mo-shan's. The two together making a full ladle, I drank it up and have been thoroughly full ever since."

Source: Opening A Mountain: Koans of the Zen Masters by Steven Heine

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