Gateless Gate 38

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Gateless Gate (Mumonkan, Wumenguan) #38
A Buffalo Passes through a Window

Personnel and Date

• WUZU "Qingyuan" Fayan (Goso Hôen, 1024-1104, 20th gen), disciple of Baiyun Shouduan
Date guess: ca. 1086

Case

Wuzu said, “For example, it's just like a great cow passing through a latticed window. Her head, horns, and four legs have passed through. Why is it that her tail can't pass through?”

Wumen's Comment

If in regard to this you are able to turn yourself upside down, attain one single eye, and utter a turning word, you will be able to repay the four obligations above and help the living beings of the three realms below. If you are still unable to do this, reflect again on the tail; then you will be able to grasp it for the first time.

Wumen's Verse

If it passes through, it will fall into a ditch;
If it turns back, it will be destroyed.
This tiny little tail –
What a strange and marvelous thing it is!

Hotetsu's Verse Hotetsu's Verses on Koans

Appendix: Alternate Translations

Case

Wuzu said, “For example, it's just like a great cow passing through a latticed window. Her head, horns, and four legs have passed through. Why is it that her tail can't pass through?”

Aitken: Wu-tsu said, “It is like a buffalo that passes through a latticed window. Its head, horns, and four legs all pass through. Why can’t its tail pass through as well?”

Cleary: Wuzu said, "It is as if an ox had passed through a window screen: Its head, horns, and four hooves have all passed through; why can't the tail pass through?"

Guo Gu: Wuzu said, “It is like a water buffalo passing through a window frame. Its horns and hooves have all passed through. Why can’t the tail pass through?”

Hinton: Fifth-Patriarch Mountain said: “It’s like a water buffalo passing your window. Nose, horns, four hooves: they all lumber slowly by. But then, how is it the tail never goes past?”

Low: Goso said, “A buffalo passes through the window. His head, horns, four legs all go through. But why can’t the tail go through also?”

Sekida: Goso said, “A buffalo passes by the window. His head, horns, and four legs all go past. But why can’t the tail pass too?”

Senzaki: Goso said, “It is like a buffalo that gets out of his enclosure. His horns, his head, and his hoofs all pass through. Why can't his tail also pass through?”

Shibayama: Goso said, “To give an example, it is like a buffalo passing through a window. Its head, horns, and four legs have all passed through. Why is it that its tail cannot?”

Verse

If it passes through, it will fall into a ditch; /If it turns back, it will be destroyed. /This tiny little tail – /What a strange and marvelous thing it is!

Aitken: Passing through, falling in a ditch; /turning beyond, all is lost. /This tiny little tail — /what a wonderful thing it is!

Cleary: If it goes on past, it falls into a pit; /If it comes back, then it is spoiled. /This little tail /Is very strange indeed.

Guo Gu: Passing through, it falls into a pit. /Turning back, it dies./This tail /Is indeed very strange!

Hinton: If it goes past, it falls into a ditch. /If it comes back, it’s all shambles. /A wisp of tail: seen with absolute /clarity, what strange wonder it is

Low: Passing through, it falls into a ditch; /Going back, it is lost. /This tiny tail, /What a strange thing it is!

Sekida: Passing by, it falls into a ditch; /Coming back, all the worse, it is lost. /This tiny little tail, /What a strange thing it is!

Senzaki: If the buffalo gets out, he will fall into the trench. /If he turns back, he will be butchered. /That little tail /Is a very strange thing.

Shibayama: If it passes through, it falls into a ditch; /If it turns back, it is destroyed. /This tiny tail, /How extremely marvelous!