Zen Women

Off to Somewhere

The Master [Lin-chi] went to see Feng-lin. On the way, he met an old woman.

"Off somewhere?" she asked.

"Off to Feng-lin," the Master said.

"I think you'll find that Feng-lin isn't in right now," the old woman said.

"Off somewhere?" said the Master.

The old woman walked away.

The Master called after her. She turned her head, whereupon the Master walked away.

Commentary
How often are we "off somewhere?" Lin-chi returned from his journey just in the nick of time.

Source: Zen Teachings of Master Lin-chi, translated by Burton Watson
Photo by Tim Samoff

The Iron Grinder Turns

Tzu Hu studied under Nan Ch'uan. He was a fellow student of Chao-chou and Tiger Ts'en [Ch'ang Sha]. At that time, Iron Grinder Liu had set up a hut on Mt. Keui. People from all over couldn't cope with her.

One day Tzu Hu came proudly to call on her. He asked, "You're Iron Grinder Liu, aren't you?"

The Grinder said, "I don't presume to say so."

Tzu Hu said, "Do you turn to the left or turn to the right?"

The Grinder said, "Don't tip over, Teacher."

Hu struck her while her words were still in the air.

Commentary
Hseuh Tou comments, in part:

Turning to the left, turning to the right, following up behind;

You still can't let yourself go. Reflections upon reflections, echoes upon echoes. I strike!

Tzu Hu had to hit Iron Grindstone Liu.

I'd break the staff and no longer carry out this order. He draws his bow after the thief has gone, so I strike. Danger!

Source: Blue Cliff Record, translated by Thomas Cleary and J.C. Cleary
Photo by Old Onliner

Iron Grinder Liu Visits Kuei Shan

Iron Grinder Liu arrived at Kuei Shan's place. Kuei Shan said, "Old cow, so you've come?"

The Grinder said, "Tomorrow there's a great communal feast on T'ai Shan. Are you going to go, Teacher?"

Kuei Shan relaxed his body and lay down.

The Grinder immediately left.

Commentary
Iron Grinder Liu’s name is thought to have been Liu Tiemo. Some translations refer to her as “Grinder,” others use the name, “Grindstone.”

Hsüeh Tou [the compiler of The Blue Cliff Record] comments: “The nun ‘Iron Grindstone’ Liu was like a stone-struck spark, like a lightening flash; hesitate and you lose your body and your life...[she] had studied for a long time; her active edge was sharp and dangerous...Kuei Shan is over six hundred miles from Mt. T’ai; how then did Iron Grindstone Liu want to have Kuei Shan go to the feast? Tell me, what was her meaning? This old lady understands Kuei Shan’s conversation: fiber coming, thread going, one letting go, one gathering in; they answer back to each other like two mirrors reflecting each other, without any reflecting image to be seen. Action to action, they complement each other; phrase to phrase, they accord. People these days can be poked three times and not turn their heads, but this old lady couldn’t be fooled one little bit.”

 

Source: Blue Cliff Record, translated by Thomas Cleary and J.C. Cleary
Photo by Jerrold Bennett

What Is It?

Fan Hsien-chien used to sit constantly, never lying down. When she heard that Yuan-we was at Chao-cheuh temple in Ch'eng-tu [the province where she lived], she went to pay her respects to him and asked for guidance in the Way. Yuan-wu told her to contemplate the saying, "It's not mind, it's not Buddha, it's not a thing."

She contemplated it for a long time without sucess. Finally, in frustration, she asked Yuan-wu, "What expedient method do you have to make it easier for me to understand?"

Yuan-wu said, "There is a method," and he had her contemplate simply, "What is it?"

Later she had an awakening and said, "After all, it was always so close!"

Commentary
As with the last post, Chiao-an Awakens, this is a Song Dynasty story involving Yuan-wu. Both stories are notable because the woman practitioner is recognized with a name. In the stories from the earlier Tang Dynasty, most women are simply known as "a nun," "a woman," or a "grandmother."

As Fan Hsien-chien says, it is always so close. Why do we need a method?

Source: The Roaring Stream, edited by Nelson Foster and Jack Shoemaker
Photo by ex.libris