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

Comments

[Uku]

Inspiring, Barry! "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? " That's what this all is about. Thank you.

[Barry]

Thanks, Uku. I hope you enjoy your feast!

Barry

[Uku]

Thank you, Barry. I'm enjoying. I hope you're too?

[Taru Sharma]

Good one, Barry. I had read this somewhere else a few months back and was completely puzzeled. I was like - what does she mean that she wants the old monk to go with her? Now, after several months, it stands in a completely different light...:-) No coming, no going, there is no need even to move an inch from your place. Everything is right here.

[Ted Biringer]

Hello Barry,

Thanks for this post. One of my fav's from the Blue Cliff - and one of the few Zen koans portraying the truth that women adherents are no less enlightened and creative than men.

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

--Kuei Shan wants to see if Iron Grindstone is truly paying attention--

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

--Ha, ha! She easily turns the tables on the old guy. What are you saying, Kuie Shan, with all this nonsense about 'coming' and 'going'?--

Kuei Shan relaxed his body and lay down.

--Good thing Kuei Shan had this move or he might have tasted the Iron Grindstone's scorn--

The Grinder immediately left.

--All members in the same nose-hole family. Seeing that everything was in order, Iron Grindstone continued on with the task at hand.--

Peace,
Ted Biringer

[Barry]

Hi Ted, Thank you for your delightful comments on this old story.