Non-Male, Non-Female

The daughter of an official named Mu-jung was very interested in Buddhist teaching. She came to Wu-hsiang and said, "As a woman, I am not free in that I have the obstacles and The Five Hindrances. I am restricted by the female body. Now I come to you for the purpose of cutting of the source of transmigration [in the cycle of life and death]."

Wu-shiang then said, "Since you have the aspiration [to seek liberation], you are already a great 'man.' Non-thought is non-male; non-thought is non-female."

Commentary
Wu-shiang, a Korean Zen monk, was one of the first teachers of Great Master Mazu. The above dialogue is reflected in our times by this story involving the Korean teacher, Zen Master Seung Sahn, and Barbara Rhodes, who is now known as Zen Master Seong Hyang and serves as Zen Master Seung Sahn's successor:

When Zen Master Seung Sahn, my teacher, had been in this country for six or eight months, everybody was always asking him questions about Korea, Buddhism, and enlightenment. Somebody asked him if there were any women Zen Masters in Korea. He said, "No, women can't get enlightenment."

I just looked at him. He gave these wonderful dharma talks about "don't make man, don't make woman, don't make anything." So I said, "Soen Sa Nim, you always say originally there is nothing. Don't make distinctions. Don't make good and bad or man and woman. What do you mean women can't get enlightenment?" I wasn't angry, I was just shocked that he was saying that. He looked at me and said, "So you're a woman!"

When we don't make anything - man/woman, life/death, good/bad, me/you - then we get everything.

Source: Women in Zen Buddhism
Photo by Mary Harrsch

Comments

[Uku]

Barry,

thank you for this wonderful story and especially the commentary! Your teacher's answer was amazing! :)

Take care,
Uku