..續本文上一頁Be not surprised at Emptiness so thoroughly empty,

　　For Emptiness is the seat of all the Buddhas;

　　And Emptiness is not understood by the men of the world,

　　But Emptiness is the real treasure:

　　If you say there”s no Emptiness,

　　You commit grave offence against the Buddhas.

　　P”ang (Essays in Zen Buddhism – Second Series 341)

　　"Who flourished in the Yüan-ho period (806-821) and thereabout, and was a younger contemporary of Ma-tsu." (Essays in Zen Buddhism – Second Series 341 n.1)

　　Cutting the Spring Breeze

　　乾坤無地卓孤筇

　　喜得人空法亦空

　　珍重大元叁尺剣

　　電光影裡斬春風

　　Throughout heaven and earth there is not a piece of ground where a single stick could be inserted;

　　I am glad that all things are void, myself and the world:

　　Honored be the sword, three feet long, wielded by the great Yüan swordsmen;

　　For it is like cutting a spring breeze in a flash of lightning.

　　(Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 255 n.2)

　　"Tsu-yüan (1226-1286) came to Japan when the Hõjõ family was in power at Kamakura. He established the Engakuji monastery, which is one of the chief Zen monasteries in Japan. While still in China his temple was invaded by soldiers of the Yüan dynasty, who threatened to kill him, but Bukkõ was immovable and quietly uttered the following verse:" (Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 255 n.2)

　　Wu-hsüeh Tsu-yüan (無學祖元 Mugaku Sogen; also known as Fo-kuang Kuo-shih 佛光國師/Bukkõ Kokushi, 1226-1286)

　　Variant character in the last line 電光影裏斬春風 (裏 instead of 裡)

　　There is not a room in the whole universe where one can insert even a single stick;

　　I see the emptiness of all things—no objects, no persons.

　　I admire the sword of the Great Yüan⁴⁰ three feet in length:

　　[When it cuts at all,] it is like cutting the spring breeze with a flash of lightning.

　　(Zen and Japanese Culture 201-2)

　　⁴⁰The Mongolian dynasty (1260-1367) that invaded China and replaced the Sung dynasty. (Zen and Japanese Culture 202) [元 Yüan; 宋 Sung]

　　The heaven and earth afford me no shelter at all;

　　I”m glad, unreal are body and soul.

　　Welcome thy weapon, O warrior of Yuan! Thy trusty steel,

　　That flashes lightning, cuts the wind of Spring, I feel. (The Spirit of Zen 95)

　　Wu-hsüeh Tsu-yüan”s poem is reminiscent of a poem by Seng-chao (僧肇 Sõjõ), a disciple of Kumarajiva, the founder of the San-lun (叁論 Sanron) Sect of Buddhism. On the verge of death by a vagabond”s sword, Seng-chao expressed his feelings in the following verse:

　　In body there exists no soul.

　　The mind is not real at all.

　　Now try on me thy flashing steel,

　　As if it cuts the wind of Spring, I feel. (file ZenHistory)

　　Even the Fire is Cool

　　叁伏閉門披一衲 In the midsummer heat, the gate is closed and we”re wearing monk”s robes,

　　兼無蔭松竹房廊 In addition, there are no pines or bamboos shading the rooms and corridors,

　　安禅必不須山水 For a peaceful meditation, we need not to go to the mountains and streams;

　　滅卻心頭火亦涼 When thoughts are quieted down, fire itself is cool and refreshing.

　　Ch”an monk Tu Kou-hao (杜苟鶴 To Junkaku)

　　Famous poem of T”ang monk and poet Tu Kou-hao, known as 題夏日悟空上人院詩.

　　(Suzuki quotes only the last two verses of the poem, as the words of Zen master Kaisen (快川), abbot of Erinji (恵林寺) in Japan”s Kai province. These were Kaisen”s words prior to being burned alive in his temple by soldiers. Zen and Japanese Culture 79)

　　The last verse is used as a saying in Japan. (心頭を滅卻すれば火も亦涼し Shintõ o mekkyaku sureba, hi mo mata suzushi.)

　　Immovable Mind

　　欲識永明旨 You wish to know the spirit of Yung-ming Zen

　　門前一湖水 Look at the lake in front of the gate.

　　日照光明至 When the sun shines, it radiates light and brightness,

　　波夾波浪起 When the wind comes, there arise ripples and waves.

　　Yung-ming Yen-shou (永明延壽 Yõmyõ Enju; 904-…

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