Blue Cliff Record 14

148
Blue Cliff Record (Hekiganroku, Biyan Lu) #14
Yunmen's "Preaching Facing Oneness"

Personnel

• YUNMEN Wenyan (Ummon Bunen, 864-949, 13th gen), disciple of Xuefeng
• An unnamed monk

Case (Sekida)

A monk asked Yunmen, "What is the teaching of the Buddha's lifetime?
Yunmen said, "Preaching facing oneness."[1]

[1] Or "An appropriate statement" (Cleary); "One preaches accordingly (Tai-issetsu. Literally: 'In accordance [with the occasion/disciple] – one preaching'" (Sato).

Xuedou's Verse (Sekida, italics Cleary)

Facing oneness! There is no parallel!
He fitted the holeless hammer with a handle.

An appropriate statement -- totally inaccessible.
He refits a handle in a holeless iron hammer.

From under the Jambu tree, laughter rings out: Ha! Ha! Ha!
Last night the dragon got his horns broken.

Under the Jambu Tree I'm laughing out loud;
Last night the black dragon had a horn wrenched off.

Remarkable, the old man of Shoyo;
He has one tally here.

Exceptional, exceptional -- Yunmen found a handle.

KOAN INDEX
Hotetsu's Verses on Koans