Bos. Koan 25 from the Book of Serenity One day Yanguan called to his attendant, “Bring me the rhinoceros fan.” The attendant said, “The fan is broken.” Yanguan said, “If the … Continue reading BOS. 25 Yanguan’s Rhinoceros Fan
Tag: form and emptiness
What is your original face?
Usually we answer the koan, “What is your original face?” with an emptiness response. It is a koan used to help Zen practitioners drop the stories and structures they believe … Continue reading What is your original face?
Raising his eyebrows and blinking his eyes
Sometimes to understand a koan or a passage from Dogen, it’s necessary to understand the language or a phrase. The phrases often have a symbolic or metaphorical meaning. Part of … Continue reading Raising his eyebrows and blinking his eyes
Addendum to the 5 Ranks
After doing another lecture on the 5 Ranks of Dongshan, I found some good language to describe it. I talked about the 5 Ranks being the landscape of enlightenment that … Continue reading Addendum to the 5 Ranks
Dongshan’s Five Ranks
There is some disagreements over the 5 Ranks of Dongshan within the Soto School. Some people say that it is too much of a developmental step-ladder and loses the “nowness” … Continue reading Dongshan’s Five Ranks