ED, This koan, as is the case with all koans, do not 'teach' in the sense that they do not impart knowledge. There is no 'meaning' to this koan. Koans REVEAL BUDDHA NATURE. That's what they do. That's their job.
This and all koans are used to assist YOU in revealing, uncovering, discovering, sharpening your view of, etc..., Buddha Nature - which you already have. When koans are presented to you by a teacher they are presented with a question or challenge. In this case the challenge might be 'Bring me the barbarian's beard!'. To pass this koan you must satisfy your teacher's challenge. ...Bill! --- In [email protected], "ED" <seacrofter001@...> wrote: > > > > Bill, Mike and All, > > What is the teaching of this story? > > --ED > > > > --- In [email protected], "ED" <seacrofter001@> wrote: > > > > > Hyakujo's Fox > > When Hyakujo Osho delivered a certain series of sermons, an old man > always followed the monks to the main hall and listened to him. When the > monks left the hall, the old man would also leave. One day, however, he > remained behind, and Hyakujo asked him, "Who are you, standing here > before me?" > The old man replied, "I am not a human being. In the old days of > Kashyapa Buddha, I was a head monk, living here on this mountain. One > day a student asked me, 'Does a man of enlightenment fall under the yoke > of causation or not?' I answered, 'No, he does not.' > Since then I have been doomed to undergo five hundred rebirths as a fox. > I beg you now to give the turning word to release me from my life as a > fox. Tell me, does a man of enlightenment fall under the yoke of > causation or not?" > Hyakujo answered, "He does not ignore causation." > No sooner had the old man heard these words than he was enlightened. > Making his bows, he said, "I am emancipated from my life as a fox. I > shall remain on this mountain. I have a favour to ask of you: would you > please bury my body as that of a dead monk." > Hyakujo had the director of the monks strike with the gavel and inform > everyone that after the midday meal there would be a funeral service for > a dead monk. The monks wondered at this, saying, "Everyone is in good > health; nobody is in the sick ward. What does this mean?" > After the meal Hyakujo led the monks to the foot of a rock on the far > side of the mountain and with his staff poked out the dead body of a fox > and performed the ceremony of cremation. > That evening he ascended the rostrum and told the monks the whole story. > obaku thereupon asked him, "The old man gave the wrong answer and was > doomed to be a fox for five hundred rebirths. Now, suppose he had given > the right answer, what would have happened then?" > Hyakujo said, "You come here to me, and I will tell you." > Obaku went up to Hyakujo and boxed his ears. Hyakujo clapped his hands > with a laugh and exclaimed, "I was thinking that the barbarian had a red > beard, but now I see before me the red-bearded barbarian himself." > > http://oaks.nvg.org/gate-struggles.html#2 > <http://oaks.nvg.org/gate-struggles.html#2> > > > > > > --- In [email protected], Jue Miao Jing Ming wrote: > > > > Hi Bill, > > > > Sorry to admit that I have not read any English book about Zen. > > > > Please send me something. > > > > Thank you, > > JM > ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
