Shinzen Young tells Stories of Yes & No
So.
There are.
Was famous?
Master in the Tang Dynasty that in Chinese is called John to his name is John to.
E Asia is a little confusing you know because there's four ways to pronounce.
Every kanji every Chinese character there's Chinese way and actually it varies depending on the part of China. Then there's a sign of Japanese aside of Korean assignment Vietnamese.
So if you want to look up Zen Masters. Sometimes you find the name under the Japanese pronunciation sometime under the Chinese so job Joe.
In Japanese is pronounced Joe shoe.
Lot of People think Oh that's the same as Sasaki Zhaoxu My teacher, but it's written with completely different characters.
Um just happened to sound the same in Japanese.
So John to or Joe Shoe in Japanese pronunciation was actually one of the major.
Zen Masters of the late Top Tom Dynasty on he was a disciple of master not read.
That's nonsense in Japanese burn ciation.
Um non trend was a disciple of one of the sort of founders of Zen mods.
Called fossil in Japanese.
Nontron is famous.
A rather horiffic piece of behavior if you were to take things literally. But you know, these Zen stories. You cannot take literally right remember. They point but they also hook OK. The whole idea is to see what they point to but not allow your?
Your fixations to get hooked by things so 'cause it when you hear this story. It's like Watt, so I don't know if it this story actually happened OK. It's a little hard to imagine that it actually did happen, but it does point to something.
Uh.
So this story involves Mount ran non sampled in Japanese pronunciation and John JoJo Jo was non trends the cycle.
So John to was out.
And.
A dispute developed among Naturals students the way that the temples were organized in those days is that there was Eastern Hall in a Western Hall.
So the monks in the Eastern Hall and in the Western Hall got into an argument about who owned a cat.
This is a pretty typical of The Tempest in the teapot kind of stuff that we humans are subject to you may have noticed things like this happening, sometimes little things become big things.
Uh.
So you may have noticed it during this retreat. We call it. Yogi mind right. We're all yogis in the Buddhist sense of the word. Yogi doesn't meet someone that can bend into a pretzel. It means meditators are called Yogis were Bill Gates so sort of weird things start to happen where you get.
It little idiosyncracies of your fellow meditators become sins, crying up to heaven for vengeance or you notice someone and you haven't talked to the you know you don't talk to them or anything, but you have this.
Entire scenario of how you found your spiritual soul mate and you know like this whole thing unfolds and then when you finally break silence and talk to them for about 3 minutes. It's like what was I thinking?
Not even wanna talk to this person anymore, so these kinds of sort of inflations of little things we learn to work with them. I highly recommend the poem by Robert Browning called soliloquy of a Spanish cloister. If you want to see Yogi mind to its Max. It's just a brilliant piece of work, how these monks or get.
One month in specific is like.
You know just lossed in these petty rage is OK. So you know, Easter W. It's the same. This kind of stuff happens, so the East and the West.
Monks were having this.
Dispute.
Over who owns the cat.
And so master not Tran heard the commotion came out.
And grab the cast held it up.
With a knife in another hand.
OK, now don't get hotel.
We'll take it, too, literally there's something being pointed too. That's really important, and he said.
If any of you can say a word.
It will save the cat.
Otherwise, I'm going to cut it into.
And they were all fixated in confusion and doubt.
So he cut the cat into.
Supposedly.
Um.
Now I'll give you a heads up. This is leading to a Co-op you're going to be asked a question.
Um.
Shall I give you a hint even before I asked the question.
I will give you a hint.
I will tell you at least in my interpretation.
What the answer to the koan is?
Oh, but maybe not as well. Yes, the answer to the koan is on my T shirt.
So this is like jeopardy, OK, so what's the question answer is an old T shirt. If you remember what I said about what this means OK. So then what's the question. So when job to returned non tradable told him the story of what happened during the day.
Um.
At which point.
Talk to took office samples.
Put them on Top of his head.
And walked out.
To which
Non travel said.
Job troll.
Could have saved by cat?
So the colon is.
Why?
Why was chapter of the person that could have saved the cat?
What do you think?
Are you fixated in confusion? There's nothing wrong with being confused? In fact being confused is really good?
Um being coagulate Ng when you're confused.
Not good.
The goal is not to be is not to avoid confusion.
Doubt disorientation the goal is not to avoid don't know.
The goal is to avoid the habitual coagulations.
Around don't know.
Une coagulate it don't know.
Is called?
Spontaneity when it.
Comes out of your body?
And wisdom.
When it turns in your mind.
I repeat.
Unko angulated don't know.
Is dynamic spontaneity when it comes out of your body and wisdom? When it turns in your mind?
So.
Remember, the story.
Um.
Not sure and ask the monks to.
Turn a word to say something to manifest and they were coagulate eed in don't know.
So they couldn't say anything.
So they lost the cat.
Um.
Don't go ahead and immediate response.
No fixation let so ever.
But what did it mean.
Does it mean to put your sandals on your head?
The part that's
Underneath.
Is now on Top?
But where are you?
And.
The person that lives there.
There are.
It would be the kind of person who could save the cat.
Zen master woman.
Commenting on Jojo's activity.
Um.
Said something to the effect ovw.
He grabbed the knife away from NACHA.
An now natural is begging for his life.
Praised him that highly.
So.
You don't understand right or maybe some of you do.
So not understanding is fine that's good.
As long as you're working through the habitual tendencies.
To coagulate as soon as don't know horizons.
It was a brilliant way to symbolize.
Without having to use words.
Um.
What it means to live?
Below.
Via risings of the world.
To live below open? What is born to live in 0?
Be ultimate humility.
Such a person could save the cat.
On.
So.
Total.
Is famous for his old coma? Maybe one of the most famous koans in the whole history of them?
An one that's a secure, Oh, she talks about a lot.
Thank God otherwise I wouldn't know how to discuss it for you, I've got, I've got the Cliff notes.
From an actual master.
Um it relates to exactly the same thing.
It's about exactly the same thing.
But from a little different perspective.
So.
A gentle lift in the Tang Dynasty.
And the time dynasty was roughly very roughly 600 to 980. It's the Golden Age of Chinese culture.
Interesting sort of corresponds to really the darkest period of European history.
But that was the Golden Age of Chinese culture.
Buddhism came into China before that considerably Buddhism came into China in the Han dynasty. Han dynasty is about 200 BC to 280, so roughly straddles the beginning of the Christian hero or you could think of the Han Dynasty's corresponding roughly to the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. So this sort of Roman period that 400 years. Approximately 200 on either side of the time of Jesus.
Was?
That was Han in China and Rome was ruling in the Western World and it was then that Buddhism came into China as a cookie foreign cult from it yet.
Um so Tang dynasty is much later, six 700 years later.
It took that many centuries for this cookie foreign cult from India to be fully metabolise UHD.
Into a form that was comfortable for the Chinese meaning an expression of enlightenment that was that fit the Chinese culture.
And.
That's Chung or is that so these Masters from the Tang Dynasty Matsu Non Tran.
Jump to
Um.
That was from that period.
It took all those hundreds of years.
Sort of interesting because.
I think it's only going to take not even 100 years.
For something similar to happen in the West, but then things move much faster now.
So.
Um.
Northern Chinese to this day.
Call themselves Han run.
Which Hun you even see it on the Internet right? Han Chinese that means as opposed to other ethnic groups that are in China.
But People from South China, Tonya right they like from Hong Kong can't, they call themselves.
A tongue People OK.
Um.
I guess because why it maybe it was that that I don't know, but in South China, then they usually.
In my correct usually use tongue instead of hot later right.
Yeah, it's just good, yeah, so for whatever reason, so.
The way Chinese was pronounced in the Tang dynasty is preserved in South China, whereas the Mandarin, which is spoken in North. China has gone through a lot of modifications because N China is where all the.
Well, it's just a lot of reasons that the language changed up there. So this is a famous story. I'm going to say it in Mandarin. It's a story about John Jewel.
But then I asked Phillip to say it in Cantonese, so you can be able to hear it. The weight job. Joe would have said it and heard it OK. There's a very different feeling tone to the language. So here's the and then I'm off I will translate also into English, but job to shop.
In some Watt.
Codes.
One you're forcing.
Yeah, whoo.
Draw.
You.
OK, so that's that's the story in in modern Mandarin pronunciation, so mass chowchow hushon so mastered auto in someone.
Happened to be asked by a monk a monk S mastered auto.
Goals.
When you're 4 shape, yeah, woo.
Codes means a dog a puppy.
Uh.
Apparently, as they were talking this little puppy was walking around or something so the monk pointed, in the puppy and said.
Golds white you're forcing Gamble does the dog have for ship the put down nature?
Are Yahoo or not so yo means have?
Woo means not have now, yeah makes it an exclusive order OK, yes or no.
Does the dog have to put the nature?
So that's the part you have to appreciate.
Oh, about this coin is that UM.
The monk is setting a trap.
For Master John troll.
OK.
Yes, or no exclusive or OK.
So literally in Chinese, it's dog have.
But our nature or
Not not have.
But.
Is a little different?
Language feeling to it if you hear it in the way it probably would have sounded to Zhaozhou. So why don't you manifest that this is the Cantonese pronunciation?
Choose a war so young young man, Cauchy one Yao Faxing Llamo.
So one Moe.
So.
Dow.
Mobile.
Sounds a little bit more like the English.
Yes, no that's why I like it in the Cantonese pronunciation.
Yes, or no.
Does the dog have Buddha nature Yao mold?
OK.
What do you think?
What's the right answer?
Hum.
Should I give you a hint?
The right answer depends depends on the context.
There's several right answers is but there are also those right answers are also wrong answers in a different context.
So let's start with the context of traditional Buddhism.
From the viewpoint of early Tera Vaada Buddhism.
Does the dog have opened the nature no?
Only a human being.
Can become a put down?
Animals are too stupid and gods are too blissed out the condition that's in between animals of gods is the human condition, smart enough.
To figure things out, but uncomfortable enough to be motivated to do something about it, so early Buddhist idea is human life is very special because only the human life has the right mixture of intelligence pleasure and pain.
To clue what person in.
To the need for enlightenment.
So from that point of view, Scholastic Lee, the answer is no dog doesn't have to put the nature.
Um, however, from the high so that's Hinayana that small vehicle POV.
However, from the Mahayana POV.
It is a philosophical item of belief.
That everything has the Buddha nature.
So the put that nature.
The actual
Characters in Chinese.
Would be written?
This way I don't know how much you can see at this is fall. It's pronounced fallen Mandarin.
But it would have been pronounced something like boot.
Along time ago, so that's from Blue Tower Buta.
So this means put up but the interesting character is this one. This means this side of the character means to be born and this is heart or mind.
So, your nature.
Is?
The consciousness.
Um or mind or heart that you're originally born with.
So this word it's pronounced show in Japanese.
Oh, she in Mandarin Chinese.
This is a very important word in East Asian Buddhism.
Enlightenment initial enlightenment, what roughly corresponds to stream entry in SE Asian Buddhism is often referred to in Japanese as Ken shall can means to see and show means nature.
When you see your nature.
But what's interesting is?
That.
There's another character again, which is very related to camp, they are actually the same word in archaic Chinese.
Anne get means to manifest.
So Ken is is the I see it OK again is the.
It manifests but they're actually the same word.
Um so.
Zen teacher that I studied with several of them, actually said that Ken show or to see your nature is really gential it's to manifest your nature.
So what is your nature? Well, your nature? Is there's only one nature, it's the boot that nature.
So how would a teacher interpret the put the nature well, you know how one teacher interprets it.
The activity of expansion contraction.
And that's the interpretation. We're going to use here that's The One I'm familiar with.
So.
From the viewpoint of Maya.
Does the dog have liquid in nature the answer is yes?
Scholastic Lee speaking the answer is yes.
So.
These are the answers that are correct.
Up.
From a
Intellectual point of view.
But you can be sure that.
The monk who is trying to set a trap for jotul.
Was not asking?
What's the Terra cotta part party line?
Dog and good and nature or what's the my on a party line on dog or put in nature.
The monk was no doubt.
Testing.
The Master's ability.
Not to explain as I just did.
The answer, but to manifest.
The answer.
So.
If you were mastered out to.
And someone set a trap for you.
That you recognize.
By asking you an exclusive or question.
OK.
Yahoo.
Mold.
Yes.
Or not.
Ah.
Dog have put an age.
What are you going to say?
What good?
That would definitely be.
On an acceptable answer.
Uh.
But maybe
Little bit more.
Go ahead and manifest.
That would be an acceptable answer.
No.
Let's go back to intellectual.
The problem with the question was the exclusive or.
So.
Uh.
The answer.
Would be to not get caught in the in the dichotomy of the exclusive or?
So the answer that we just gave going back now, too intellectual for a minute.
Was that?
What was that answer in terms of yes? Yes. No.
It's not yes.
It's not null.
Is it both or is it neither?
Can that happen with just yes or just now?
It takes yes animal right.
To mold anything.
To manifest any appearance.
Takes an interplay of Yes and Oh.
So that was the.
Answer both.
OK.
You're expanding and contracting.
Doing the doing called dog.
That's mixing yes or no.
To manifest the activity called dog.
So that's a good answer.
But that's not the one that Joshua.
Now.
Mobile.
OK.
Joshu said.
More.
No.
No.
So.
Joe shoes Mo.
Is it really?
NO.
Or is it?
The close if you live in a culture that does not have 0 as a number.
Um.
Then the closest thing that you can have to that which is neither positive nor negative.
The only only thing that you could do that.
Beyond pot beyond yes or no if you had if you have to choose either. Yes, or no to express' that which is neither. Yes, nor no neither movement from nor tordsson, either pass plus nor minus neither expansion or contraction.
Well, if you had to do one or the other, it's.
0 is more like no than it is like yes.
Um especially if you say it?
In a certain way OK.
So the answer to this Co op is.
In how you say the word no?
If you say the word no?
In a way that.
Cancels yes animal.
Which you can actually hear in the arcade Chinese?
In Japanese, it's
OK.
And a Cantonese mole.
So then.
It's 0.
The answer is 0.
OK.
Um.
The answer is.
That, which perceives.
The manifestation of the dog.
And that which follows the manifestation of the dog.
Except for the point.
The still point.
There would be no doubts.
And there is only the
TS Eliot.
So.
The both.
The polarization of Yes and Moe.
To make a dog or a flower or?
A life or a planet.
Um.
That is preceded by.
And followed by.
What is beyond yes and though?
So there in separate.
You could it would have been a correct answer to separate yes, and all.
An manifest dog in between.
But it's equally a correct answer to bring yes and no together.
Because that's what's before.
The both.
And that's what's after the both.
So it's a cycle.
Neither the Big No.
The RG home push over the.
The Alpha privative.
Of the unborn.
The place where job Joe.
Active from
Symbolized by having being below.
His sandals.
Below the earth below what is born?
That place.
Is half of what you need to know to be enlightened?
And.
The other half is.
When it's yes ammo.
Dancing together.
No yes, no no which is sort of the know with Big Capital No.
Bowling.
The way.
I personally like to point People.
To this just my own style because I like system.
Is well the place where things come from zero the source?
Is the place that they go to?
So you can train yourself gradually systematically to start to notice.
When things disappear.
And a sensitivity develops overtime.
Until you finally see what happens why things disappear. The reason things disappear is that the forces, a polar forces that mold them cancel.
And then they re polarize and then they cancelled it's a cycle.
There's another way.
Well, there's many other ways to come to this same knowledge.
One of the most powerful ways, is called Self Inquiry.
It's the flip side of just not gone.
Just the reversal.
In that practice you're constantly trying to look over your shoulder.
And see where the moment arose from.
The unborn whence things are born.
So that turning 180 degrees, turning consciousness back on itself asking who am I. What is this not as an intellectual question, but as an observing?
Um.
So, in that case, a has arisen.
And you ask where did they come from?
In this other practice, which.
I like because I can make it systematic and I can gradually training People to do it. There's no gradual training for self inquired you just do it.
There's no algorithm you just do it.
There's no instruction is always the same order, the teacher. That's just like well. Where did that come from or where did that come from?
So that could be very powerful. But since I like algorithms and system and Lo K. Let's see what's coming up with People and whatever I like something that I could teach step by step, so I sort of approach it from the other side OK. Let's let's see where things go too. But it's the same process the same process.
So.
Um.
So, in the just not God approach.
A has arisen and now let's stay with a until we notice the instant.
The advantages.
The instant that a vanish is is also the instant that be arises.
The very instant? What is BB is whatever came after a?
So if you want to be truly.
At the absolute now whence something rises.
Just want something pass.
And then you'll be either nothing will happen.
Which case?
Your job to.
Or.
Something will happen and you'll notice it coming from.
Yes.
And now
My 2 favorite words.
Riddle.
When I ask someone a question.
If they just say yes or just say no without any modifications.
An that's nice but usually there's modifications.
So.
Um.
As a parting gift.
I'm going to slip you the secret how's that sound?
Now slip in the secret.
With regards to yes and no.
The goal.
Is to have a clear and deep?
Experience of No.