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The Gateless Gate
This Seedbox Classics edition of The Gateless Gate includes illustrations.
The Gateless Gate is a collection of 49 zen koans that were compiled and explained by Zen master Mumon. Koans are a fundamental part of the history and lure of Zen Buddhism. They consist of a story, dialogue, question, or statement, which cannot be understood through rational thinking alone.
The Gateless Gate is a collection of 49 zen koans that were compiled and explained by Zen master Mumon. Koans are a fundamental part of the history and lure of Zen Buddhism. They consist of a story, dialogue, question, or statement, which cannot be understood through rational thinking alone.
66 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1228
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2981 people want to read
About the author
Wumen Huikai
5 books23 followersWumen Huikai (simplified Chinese: 无门慧开; traditional Chinese: 無門慧開; pinyin: Wúmén Huìkāi; Wade-Giles: Wu-men Hui-k'ai; Japanese: Mumon Ekai) (1183–1260) is a Song period Chán (Japanese: Zen) master most famous as the compiler of and commentator on the 48-koan collection The Gateless Gate (Japanese: Mumonkan). Wumen was at that time the head monk of Longxiang (Wade-Giles: Lung-hsiang; Japanese: Ryusho) monastery.
Wumen was born in Hangzhou and his first master was Gong Heshang. However, it was Zen master Yuelin Shiguan (月林師觀; Japanese: Gatsurin Shikan) (1143–1217) who gave Wumen the koan "Zhaozhou’s dog", with which Wu-men struggled for six years before he finally attained realization. After his understanding had been confirmed by Yuelin, Wumen wrote his enlightenment poem:
A thunderclap under the clear blue sky
All beings on earth open their eyes;
Everything under heaven bows together;
Mount Sumeru leaps up and dances. (Aitken, p4)
He received Dharma transmission in the Linji line (Japanese: Rinzai) of Zen from his master, Yuelin.
In many respects, Wumen was the classical eccentric Chan master. He wandered for many years from temple to temple, wore old and dirty robes, grew his hair and beard long and worked in the temple fields. He was nicknamed "Huikai the Lay Monk". (Aitken, p4) At age 64, he founded Gokoku-ninno temple near West Lake where he hoped to retire quietly, but visitors constantly came looking for instruction.
His teachings, as revealed in his comments in The Gateless Gate, closely followed the teachings of Dahui Zonggao (大慧宗杲; Wade-Giles: Ta-hui Tsung-kao; Japanese: Daei Sōkō) (1089–1163). The importance of "Great Doubt" was one of his central teaching devices. Wumen said, "...[understanding Zen is] just a matter of rousing the mass of doubt throughout your body, day and night, and never letting up." (Yamada p xlii) In his comment on Case 1, Zhaozhou's dog, he called mu (無) "a red-hot iron ball which you have gulped down and which you try to vomit up, but cannot". (Yamada, p 14) Wumen believed in blocking all avenues of escape for the student, hence the "gateless barrier". Whatever activity the student proposed, Wumen rejected: "If you follow regulations, keeping the rules, you tie yourself without rope but if you act any which way without inhibition you're a heretical demon. ... Clear alertness is wearing chains and stocks. Thinking good and bad is hell and heaven. ... Neither progressing nor retreating, you're a dead man with breath. So tell me, ultimately how do you practice?" (Yamada, p xliii)
Wumen was born in Hangzhou and his first master was Gong Heshang. However, it was Zen master Yuelin Shiguan (月林師觀; Japanese: Gatsurin Shikan) (1143–1217) who gave Wumen the koan "Zhaozhou’s dog", with which Wu-men struggled for six years before he finally attained realization. After his understanding had been confirmed by Yuelin, Wumen wrote his enlightenment poem:
A thunderclap under the clear blue sky
All beings on earth open their eyes;
Everything under heaven bows together;
Mount Sumeru leaps up and dances. (Aitken, p4)
He received Dharma transmission in the Linji line (Japanese: Rinzai) of Zen from his master, Yuelin.
In many respects, Wumen was the classical eccentric Chan master. He wandered for many years from temple to temple, wore old and dirty robes, grew his hair and beard long and worked in the temple fields. He was nicknamed "Huikai the Lay Monk". (Aitken, p4) At age 64, he founded Gokoku-ninno temple near West Lake where he hoped to retire quietly, but visitors constantly came looking for instruction.
His teachings, as revealed in his comments in The Gateless Gate, closely followed the teachings of Dahui Zonggao (大慧宗杲; Wade-Giles: Ta-hui Tsung-kao; Japanese: Daei Sōkō) (1089–1163). The importance of "Great Doubt" was one of his central teaching devices. Wumen said, "...[understanding Zen is] just a matter of rousing the mass of doubt throughout your body, day and night, and never letting up." (Yamada p xlii) In his comment on Case 1, Zhaozhou's dog, he called mu (無) "a red-hot iron ball which you have gulped down and which you try to vomit up, but cannot". (Yamada, p 14) Wumen believed in blocking all avenues of escape for the student, hence the "gateless barrier". Whatever activity the student proposed, Wumen rejected: "If you follow regulations, keeping the rules, you tie yourself without rope but if you act any which way without inhibition you're a heretical demon. ... Clear alertness is wearing chains and stocks. Thinking good and bad is hell and heaven. ... Neither progressing nor retreating, you're a dead man with breath. So tell me, ultimately how do you practice?" (Yamada, p xliii)
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March 24, 2025
Have you noticed that nowadays people are afraid to think INTUITIVELY? They shouldn't be! Spinoza said many, many years ago that it's the only way to truly UNDERSTAND.
‘Our brains aren’t hats to pull rabbits from, endlessly trying to be clever,’ says the ancient philosopher Mumon (or would say, if he saw the world now) - no, the only way to see ourselves is to look inward intuitively, and see ourselves as a child.
A Rose is a Rose is a Rose -
But once we’ve forever scrambled our thoughts into complex channels of nonstop entertainment, we may NEVER appreciate simple reality again!
That simple environment is the only place to understand ourselves, too.
Want to know a secret? We and our world have erected impenetrable barriers to this self-knowledge.
But they ALL come from our knee-jerk reactions to reality as a child. We all wanted MORE!
That's why Mumon calls the barriers a gateless gate - the gate is a shadow among our own endless mind shadows. Those shadows are our own illusions about simple, unadorned truth.
Our truths have become badly tarnished silver trophies, glowering blackly down on us from our mantelpiece!
You see, all these ancient masters wanted to do was NOT to preach, NOT to manufacture a new religion called Zen, but to help us resolve our own dualities and conflicts - the barriers to self-knowledge that don't exist, because WE made them up in the twists and turns of our endless self-serving thoughts and self-justifications.
But faith helps a lot - these masters, in fact, stressed the fact that unshakeable faith is a PREREQUISITE for undertaking the quest for your Self.
You know, even Carlos Castaneda, for all his incongruities, used to say the only thing that matters is a Path with Heart. For whatever you think in your Heart is YOU.
And a Good Heart can only be created by:
The purification of the motive
In the ground of our beseeching.
And THAT’s the final Goal: a peaceful Heart, built on the foundation of its own radically purified motives.
The Way of masters like Mumon, or of practitioners of any creed, is not easy.
So Mumon dreamt up these koans, gate crashers, to help us to suddenly uncover our Hearts - our real Selves - as an instant incentive.
Most of them seem at best to be insoluble puzzles, or at worst nonsensical mind-games.
But they're not.
They've helped millions of ordinary people all over the world recover their full human potential, their sense of childlike wonder and delight in ordinary things!
And that's saying a lot.
Five full stars because, for me, it's one of my Vade Mecums - I could never go without owning a copy!
‘Our brains aren’t hats to pull rabbits from, endlessly trying to be clever,’ says the ancient philosopher Mumon (or would say, if he saw the world now) - no, the only way to see ourselves is to look inward intuitively, and see ourselves as a child.
A Rose is a Rose is a Rose -
But once we’ve forever scrambled our thoughts into complex channels of nonstop entertainment, we may NEVER appreciate simple reality again!
That simple environment is the only place to understand ourselves, too.
Want to know a secret? We and our world have erected impenetrable barriers to this self-knowledge.
But they ALL come from our knee-jerk reactions to reality as a child. We all wanted MORE!
That's why Mumon calls the barriers a gateless gate - the gate is a shadow among our own endless mind shadows. Those shadows are our own illusions about simple, unadorned truth.
Our truths have become badly tarnished silver trophies, glowering blackly down on us from our mantelpiece!
You see, all these ancient masters wanted to do was NOT to preach, NOT to manufacture a new religion called Zen, but to help us resolve our own dualities and conflicts - the barriers to self-knowledge that don't exist, because WE made them up in the twists and turns of our endless self-serving thoughts and self-justifications.
But faith helps a lot - these masters, in fact, stressed the fact that unshakeable faith is a PREREQUISITE for undertaking the quest for your Self.
You know, even Carlos Castaneda, for all his incongruities, used to say the only thing that matters is a Path with Heart. For whatever you think in your Heart is YOU.
And a Good Heart can only be created by:
The purification of the motive
In the ground of our beseeching.
And THAT’s the final Goal: a peaceful Heart, built on the foundation of its own radically purified motives.
The Way of masters like Mumon, or of practitioners of any creed, is not easy.
So Mumon dreamt up these koans, gate crashers, to help us to suddenly uncover our Hearts - our real Selves - as an instant incentive.
Most of them seem at best to be insoluble puzzles, or at worst nonsensical mind-games.
But they're not.
They've helped millions of ordinary people all over the world recover their full human potential, their sense of childlike wonder and delight in ordinary things!
And that's saying a lot.
Five full stars because, for me, it's one of my Vade Mecums - I could never go without owning a copy!
May 3, 2021
Koan čisti um.
Kroz preplet negacija postaje uteha utehe dovodeći duše na čistinu blagosti ništavila. A čovek teško da se igde samopotvrđuje bolje nego u paradoksima. Volja da se paradoksi premoste može voditi u još veće paradokse, ali opet je tajna u putu, ne u odredištu. Odredište nam je svima jasno i već poznato – klica smrti ne greši.
Koan je poziv za put. Sve religije su neka vrsta poziva. Jedan poziv može da promeni sve, a može da prestavlja samo pečatiranje vode.
Koane kao nad-zagonetke ne rešavamo, već nas svojom nerešivošću vraćaju sebi. Razjasnice učitelja Mumona samo dodatno zamršuju ono što je nerazmrsivo, odvraćajući nas od krivog puta. Svaka vrsta uopštavanja i diskurzivnog razumevanja obmanjujuća je. Zen je ono što nemam i što sve više nemam a na dnu nemanja krije se moje temeljno, duboko osećanje – nasmejano ništa koje titra.
Nema ga i ima. Nema me i ima.
I ništa nije puno kao ništa.
Kroz preplet negacija postaje uteha utehe dovodeći duše na čistinu blagosti ništavila. A čovek teško da se igde samopotvrđuje bolje nego u paradoksima. Volja da se paradoksi premoste može voditi u još veće paradokse, ali opet je tajna u putu, ne u odredištu. Odredište nam je svima jasno i već poznato – klica smrti ne greši.
Koan je poziv za put. Sve religije su neka vrsta poziva. Jedan poziv može da promeni sve, a može da prestavlja samo pečatiranje vode.
Koane kao nad-zagonetke ne rešavamo, već nas svojom nerešivošću vraćaju sebi. Razjasnice učitelja Mumona samo dodatno zamršuju ono što je nerazmrsivo, odvraćajući nas od krivog puta. Svaka vrsta uopštavanja i diskurzivnog razumevanja obmanjujuća je. Zen je ono što nemam i što sve više nemam a na dnu nemanja krije se moje temeljno, duboko osećanje – nasmejano ništa koje titra.
Nema ga i ima. Nema me i ima.
I ništa nije puno kao ništa.
February 28, 2013
One can never finish reading The Gateless Gate.
August 14, 2019
"The worst enemy of Zen experience, at least in the beginning, is the intellect, which consists in discriminating subject from object. The discriminating intellect, therefore, must be cut short if Zen consciousness is to unfold itself, and the koan is constructed to serve this end." -- D.T. Suzuki,
Zen Buddhism: Selected Writings of D. T. Suzuki
I read this book after a series of discussions I had with a friend on the basic ideas of Zen Buddhism. I'm not a Buddhist myself, but I find the ideas of Zen fairly interesting. On the one hand, Zen Buddhism looks as far from Western philosophy and religion as possible--but looks can be deceiving. The more I have read and learned of Zen Buddhism over the years the more familiar it is to Western philosophy. To me, Zen is one of many forms of trying to advance the overall Buddhist practice of alleviating the suffering and attachments of the material world. The name "Zen" is the Japanese rendering of the Chinese name Chan. Zen is a Chinese sect of the Mahayana denomination of Buddhism and has established itself in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Within Zen you have two schools of thought that I will give both the Chinese and Japanese names respectively and will afterwords refer to them by their Japanese names (Japan follows the Chinese-lines of Zen up to the point where the Zen schools became established in their country). The Caodong\Soto school wants you to get to enlightenment gradually by meditation; The Linji\Rinzai school believes in study and more literary exercise to attain sudden-insight/enlightenment followed by gradual cultivation--the koan plays a big part in this. In the West we call it by its Japanese name because the it was two Japanese monks (Suzuki, who I quoted above & Nyogen Senzaki who translated this particular book) that initially brought it to the West. Zen is a very complex idea to explain in a few lines, but I'll recommend the works of people like D. T. Suzuki if you want to know it all, but I'll try my best to explain some of the concepts that are important to the book I'm here to discuss.
One of the most essential and possibly hardest parts for people to grasp in Zen is 無 which roughly translates as "mu" or nothingness/emptiness. This trips a lot of folks outside of East Asia up because they consider it some sort of expression of nihilism, which it is not. Here is where having an intermediate knowledge of Western philosophy can help. As I understand it, 無 simply means that nothing in the material world can be trusted and nothing outside of it is of any concern since we only perceive phenomena in this world. Plato's Phaedo talks about the Theory of the Forms and that there was a physical world and a meta-physical plane of existence. Plotinus took this and introduced the idea of "The One" that Zen has a corresponding idea. René Descartes postulated that the only real thing that we can perceive is our own existence. Immanuel Kant states in his Critique of Pure Reason that everything has a "ding-an-sich" or "thing-in-itself" that we cannot penetrate in the empirical world. Since we can never penetrate "ding-an-sich" we should ignore them and not concern ourselves too much with the study of meta-physics. Zen goes a step further and says that there is no "sich" or "self" to perceive--but neither is there a lack of "self." That leaves us only "no-self" or none-self a.k.a. 無 (mu). The Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh gives an example of looking at a flower and seeing it, touching it, smelling it. But when you take away it's touch, scent, physical structure, and it's look then you have nothing. Because it can not exist independently of it's material attributes it is 無. Buddhism believes the whole of existence to be like this. Something that does not exist can exist and something that does exist can suddenly not exist; the inability for anything in the universe to be constant is why everything is 無, nothing exist of itself. Now I'm not saying I believe this to be right or wrong--I'm just telling you how I interpret it.
Following from this, and going back to the introductory quote, all attempts to perceive things from conventional, deductive reasoning will not bring you to any real understanding of anything concerning Zen. So the first step to a beginner of Zen is to break this cycle. The job of the koan is to present a mental exercise that breaks the mind from trying to find an established absolutist reasoning. Koans are mental exercises that have no answer and make no real sense. They are meant to be struggled over and to snap the mind into sudden insight and perfect one's wisdom (instead of one's intellect). The koans in this book were gathered by a Chinese Buddhist monk named Wumen Huikai who gathered these mental exercises and supplemented them with his own equally mystifying commentary and some lines of poetry. His commentary is like nothing you find in the great commentators of the West like Avicenna or Averroes. He is as likely to mock or disagree with these koans as he is to praise them--despite being the one who chose to include them! The people who appear in them include earlier Zen Buddhist teachers, Bodidharma the legendary founder of Zen, and even the Buddha himself. No one is above being mocked or used as pawns in the koans. Just for kicks I'll leave this koan complete with Wumen's prose and poetic commentary:
I read this book after a series of discussions I had with a friend on the basic ideas of Zen Buddhism. I'm not a Buddhist myself, but I find the ideas of Zen fairly interesting. On the one hand, Zen Buddhism looks as far from Western philosophy and religion as possible--but looks can be deceiving. The more I have read and learned of Zen Buddhism over the years the more familiar it is to Western philosophy. To me, Zen is one of many forms of trying to advance the overall Buddhist practice of alleviating the suffering and attachments of the material world. The name "Zen" is the Japanese rendering of the Chinese name Chan. Zen is a Chinese sect of the Mahayana denomination of Buddhism and has established itself in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Within Zen you have two schools of thought that I will give both the Chinese and Japanese names respectively and will afterwords refer to them by their Japanese names (Japan follows the Chinese-lines of Zen up to the point where the Zen schools became established in their country). The Caodong\Soto school wants you to get to enlightenment gradually by meditation; The Linji\Rinzai school believes in study and more literary exercise to attain sudden-insight/enlightenment followed by gradual cultivation--the koan plays a big part in this. In the West we call it by its Japanese name because the it was two Japanese monks (Suzuki, who I quoted above & Nyogen Senzaki who translated this particular book) that initially brought it to the West. Zen is a very complex idea to explain in a few lines, but I'll recommend the works of people like D. T. Suzuki if you want to know it all, but I'll try my best to explain some of the concepts that are important to the book I'm here to discuss.
One of the most essential and possibly hardest parts for people to grasp in Zen is 無 which roughly translates as "mu" or nothingness/emptiness. This trips a lot of folks outside of East Asia up because they consider it some sort of expression of nihilism, which it is not. Here is where having an intermediate knowledge of Western philosophy can help. As I understand it, 無 simply means that nothing in the material world can be trusted and nothing outside of it is of any concern since we only perceive phenomena in this world. Plato's Phaedo talks about the Theory of the Forms and that there was a physical world and a meta-physical plane of existence. Plotinus took this and introduced the idea of "The One" that Zen has a corresponding idea. René Descartes postulated that the only real thing that we can perceive is our own existence. Immanuel Kant states in his Critique of Pure Reason that everything has a "ding-an-sich" or "thing-in-itself" that we cannot penetrate in the empirical world. Since we can never penetrate "ding-an-sich" we should ignore them and not concern ourselves too much with the study of meta-physics. Zen goes a step further and says that there is no "sich" or "self" to perceive--but neither is there a lack of "self." That leaves us only "no-self" or none-self a.k.a. 無 (mu). The Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh gives an example of looking at a flower and seeing it, touching it, smelling it. But when you take away it's touch, scent, physical structure, and it's look then you have nothing. Because it can not exist independently of it's material attributes it is 無. Buddhism believes the whole of existence to be like this. Something that does not exist can exist and something that does exist can suddenly not exist; the inability for anything in the universe to be constant is why everything is 無, nothing exist of itself. Now I'm not saying I believe this to be right or wrong--I'm just telling you how I interpret it.
Following from this, and going back to the introductory quote, all attempts to perceive things from conventional, deductive reasoning will not bring you to any real understanding of anything concerning Zen. So the first step to a beginner of Zen is to break this cycle. The job of the koan is to present a mental exercise that breaks the mind from trying to find an established absolutist reasoning. Koans are mental exercises that have no answer and make no real sense. They are meant to be struggled over and to snap the mind into sudden insight and perfect one's wisdom (instead of one's intellect). The koans in this book were gathered by a Chinese Buddhist monk named Wumen Huikai who gathered these mental exercises and supplemented them with his own equally mystifying commentary and some lines of poetry. His commentary is like nothing you find in the great commentators of the West like Avicenna or Averroes. He is as likely to mock or disagree with these koans as he is to praise them--despite being the one who chose to include them! The people who appear in them include earlier Zen Buddhist teachers, Bodidharma the legendary founder of Zen, and even the Buddha himself. No one is above being mocked or used as pawns in the koans. Just for kicks I'll leave this koan complete with Wumen's prose and poetic commentary:
A monk asked Tozan when he was weighing some flax: “What is Buddha?” Tozan said: “This flax weighs three pounds.”In Zen Buddhism: Selected Writings of D. T. Suzuki, Suzuki devotes two pages of commentary on just the above koan and says this about koans generally:
WUMEN’S COMMENT: Old Tozan’s Zen is like a clam. The minute the shell opens you see the whole inside. However, I want to ask you: Do you see the real Tozan?
Three pounds of flax in front of your nose,
Close enough, and mind is still closer.
Whoever talks about affirmation and negation
Lives in the right and wrong region.
"Technically speaking, the koan given to the uninitiated is intended 'to destroy the root of life', 'to make the calculating mind die', 'to root out the entire mind that has been at work since eternity', etc. This may sound murderous, but the ultimate intent is to go beyond the limits of intellection[sic], and these limits can be crossed over only by exhausting oneself once for all, by using up all the psychic powers at one's command. Logic then turns to psychology, intellection into conation[sic] and intuition. What could not be solved on the plane of empirical consciousness is now transferred to the deeper recesses of the mind."Besides the Western philosophers, reading these koans also took me back to my childhood reading of Paul Sloane's lateral-thinking puzzles. Those books contained mental puzzles that, while having answers, required you to think in a way that defied any easy, straight-forward analysis. The lateral-thinking puzzles are hard, but the Zen koans are impossible because they intentionally have no actual way of being "solved." All I can say is that if you plan to really go into Zen the Rinzai way, this book will keep you busy long-enough to make you really decide if Zen Buddhism is for you.
April 20, 2019
Excellent first introduction to koans. Requires a slow reading.
My recommendation: One koan per week.
Day 1: read the koan & reflect on it.
Day 3: read the commentary & continue reflecting on it with this extra information.
Day 5: Search the internet about the koan & continue reflecting on it with this extra information.
This will set the base for an enlightening year!
My recommendation: One koan per week.
Day 1: read the koan & reflect on it.
Day 3: read the commentary & continue reflecting on it with this extra information.
Day 5: Search the internet about the koan & continue reflecting on it with this extra information.
This will set the base for an enlightening year!
July 3, 2020
I am not sure if I should be rating the book itself or its contents. I feel quite ambivalent towards both.
On one hand, the koans themselves are interesting pieces—I do not dare classify them as stories or identify them with anything close to a genre. They are short texts, intellectually preposterous; yet as the title of the anthology suggests, there is only a gate if the reader is obstructed by this logical enigma, for if they are not, there is no gate, and one can interpret them instantly. Even as a non-Buddhist with a background in philosophy, I believe the koans, and the skill that is needed to see through them, to have value. In a world in which many of us are compulsive overthinkers, we may need to take the time to learn how to tame our rational thinking, lest it tames us—I believe the koans can help in this regard. Buddhist thought differs greatly from traditional Western philosophy, and though the koans may not be able to be of much use analytically, they may still be able to positively contribute to the journey to emotional wellbeing.
The layout of the book, on the other hand, is strange, and the commentaries repetitive. Pieces of the koans, Mumon’s commentaries and the verses are copied and pasted where it is unnecessary, the structure of Yamada’s explanations are occasionally quite a scramble, and though his writing is not convoluted, it is anything but elegant. The entire book aims at teaching the reader to understand the koans by learning to experience the world without divides or opposites, leaving intellect and logical thinking aside to allow intuition to take the wheel (…of Dharma… git it?). Nevertheless, reading a book is an intellectual activity as it is… and writing that lacks structure and flow even in the slightest degree will make the reader have to make an effort to understand in the very way the book is trying to prevent.
Overall, I am glad to have read it; but whether I would recommend this particular collection… I still cannot say.
On one hand, the koans themselves are interesting pieces—I do not dare classify them as stories or identify them with anything close to a genre. They are short texts, intellectually preposterous; yet as the title of the anthology suggests, there is only a gate if the reader is obstructed by this logical enigma, for if they are not, there is no gate, and one can interpret them instantly. Even as a non-Buddhist with a background in philosophy, I believe the koans, and the skill that is needed to see through them, to have value. In a world in which many of us are compulsive overthinkers, we may need to take the time to learn how to tame our rational thinking, lest it tames us—I believe the koans can help in this regard. Buddhist thought differs greatly from traditional Western philosophy, and though the koans may not be able to be of much use analytically, they may still be able to positively contribute to the journey to emotional wellbeing.
The layout of the book, on the other hand, is strange, and the commentaries repetitive. Pieces of the koans, Mumon’s commentaries and the verses are copied and pasted where it is unnecessary, the structure of Yamada’s explanations are occasionally quite a scramble, and though his writing is not convoluted, it is anything but elegant. The entire book aims at teaching the reader to understand the koans by learning to experience the world without divides or opposites, leaving intellect and logical thinking aside to allow intuition to take the wheel (…of Dharma… git it?). Nevertheless, reading a book is an intellectual activity as it is… and writing that lacks structure and flow even in the slightest degree will make the reader have to make an effort to understand in the very way the book is trying to prevent.
Overall, I am glad to have read it; but whether I would recommend this particular collection… I still cannot say.
August 11, 2019
Aitken's explanations and elucidations are so clear you almost think you understand...
August 24, 2014
Excellent translation of this collection of classic Zen Koans.
The commentary is very helpful.
Recommended for study of Zen koans
Also recommended as five star rating:
- Zenkei Shibayama, The Gateless Barrier - Zen comments on the Mumonkan, Boston: Shambhala, 1974
- Yamada Koun Roshi, Gateless Gate - Translated with Commentary. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1979
The commentary is very helpful.
Recommended for study of Zen koans
Also recommended as five star rating:
- Zenkei Shibayama, The Gateless Barrier - Zen comments on the Mumonkan, Boston: Shambhala, 1974
- Yamada Koun Roshi, Gateless Gate - Translated with Commentary. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1979
March 20, 2020
Read in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones
Read
January 5, 2019Lo pneumatico e la fioriera.
Un giorno un uomo prese uno pneumatico, lo poggiò sul vialetto d’ingresso alla sua dimora, lo riempì di terra, vi gettò dei semi e lo utilizzò come fioriera.
Tempo dopo giunse a lui un viaggiatore che, forata la ruota del proprio mezzo, era arrivato a piedi alla prima abitazione incontrata lungo il percorso. Vedendo lo pneumatico utilizzato come fioriera, raccontò le sue vicissitudini al proprietario, concludendo: “Questo è ciò che mi servirebbe per poter rimettere in funzione il mio mezzo e riprendere il viaggio.”
Il proprietario svuotò allora lo pneumatico e lo consegnò al viaggiatore, il quale tornò al mezzo, sostituì la ruota e ripartì. Ma, dopo poco, anche questa ruota si forò. L’esposizione alle intemperie aveva logorato lo pneumatico rendendolo inutilizzabile per lo scopo che gli era proprio.
Commento: Perché raccontare questa storia? La risposta è la storia stessa.
Lo pneumatico-fioriera sempre pneumatico resta.
Ma usereste una fioriera come pneumatico?
Consigliato a chi nutre interesse/passione per la "materia" e ai curiosi in genere. Alcuni punti della lettura sono molto suggestivi.
Un giorno un uomo prese uno pneumatico, lo poggiò sul vialetto d’ingresso alla sua dimora, lo riempì di terra, vi gettò dei semi e lo utilizzò come fioriera.
Tempo dopo giunse a lui un viaggiatore che, forata la ruota del proprio mezzo, era arrivato a piedi alla prima abitazione incontrata lungo il percorso. Vedendo lo pneumatico utilizzato come fioriera, raccontò le sue vicissitudini al proprietario, concludendo: “Questo è ciò che mi servirebbe per poter rimettere in funzione il mio mezzo e riprendere il viaggio.”
Il proprietario svuotò allora lo pneumatico e lo consegnò al viaggiatore, il quale tornò al mezzo, sostituì la ruota e ripartì. Ma, dopo poco, anche questa ruota si forò. L’esposizione alle intemperie aveva logorato lo pneumatico rendendolo inutilizzabile per lo scopo che gli era proprio.
Commento: Perché raccontare questa storia? La risposta è la storia stessa.
Lo pneumatico-fioriera sempre pneumatico resta.
Ma usereste una fioriera come pneumatico?
Consigliato a chi nutre interesse/passione per la "materia" e ai curiosi in genere. Alcuni punti della lettura sono molto suggestivi.
April 9, 2020
What a complete fucking crock of shit. The Zen assholes who wrote these bullshit Koans are full of shit.
Don't believe a single word written in this book.
Don't believe a single word written in this book.
May 18, 2020
Las palabras no expresan hechos,
Las frases no revelan el espíritu.
El que acepta palabras está perdido,
Bloqueado por frases se está ilusionando.
Las frases no revelan el espíritu.
El que acepta palabras está perdido,
Bloqueado por frases se está ilusionando.
July 22, 2022
Funny
Read
February 19, 2023I have read this book, with my eyes, with my mind.. and I also haven’t read it. You can start it but you can never finish it. You can only feel it under your zen flesh and bones.
June 3, 2022
"Why does the enlightened man not stand on his feet and explain himself?"
"It is not necessary for speech to come from the tongue."
"It is not necessary for speech to come from the tongue."
May 20, 2008
I've read a number of Koan collections and most leave me baffled. This is simply the best koan book I have come across. The essays on each koan are meticulously written and give the reader a solid background on the teachers involved in each case and place each koan within a historical and cultural context. I've done a number of Zen retreats and never got anywhere with koan study, but the level of insight Aitken brings to these essays ensures that isnt'a barrier to my getting something from this book. I dip into it often and always get something useful out of it.
September 3, 2018
This is a book that I plan to return to in the future.....koans obviously take lots of time to sink in.
My rating is not based so much on the koans as the design and layout of this book. I would have preferred a smaller book that could be carried in a pocket. I found many of the commentaries repetitive. The layout is also somewhat obscure....preface upon preface. Some pictures and a dictionary/list of terms would be quite helpful too.
Mu!
My rating is not based so much on the koans as the design and layout of this book. I would have preferred a smaller book that could be carried in a pocket. I found many of the commentaries repetitive. The layout is also somewhat obscure....preface upon preface. Some pictures and a dictionary/list of terms would be quite helpful too.
Mu!
January 1, 2013
When I was first exploring Zen, Aitken Roshi's books became my guide, and this translation with commentary of the Mumonkan pushed me over the edge into practice. Aitken Roshi's teachings are especially wonderful because he doesn't play around with jargon, he presents the Dharma direct, in Western terms and examples, in language that is easy to appreciate.
May 28, 2017
3 to 4 stars. I have not read other koan books, and it took planning on my part to read this everyday. I liked it better the further I read, and found certain teachers' koans made more sense to me than others. I am happy that I have a basis in the modes of expression and thought in Zen for future reading.
March 31, 2023
I cant believe i made it through this, as it took a lot longer than expected while i was derailed by the Covid pandemic trauma. Eventually a teacher who could point me to my true nature immensely helped to get back in track. I passed koan 48 today, and yet i will be working on all these koans for the rest of my life, deepening my understanding.
May 16, 2014
There is not enough stars in observable Universe and beyond to rate this book. This is not actually a book. This is probably the only title that holds to be the "Revelation". Not for everyone. You gotta be ready for it.
January 23, 2013
Excellent, and the modern commentary steers clear of any mushy new-age thinking. Fascinating
April 25, 2014
Tóm lại là chưa đủ trình độ để hiểu, nên khó mà đánh giá rating được. Sẽ là nguồn tham khảo khi rèn luyện thiền tập thôi.
February 21, 2017
Chắc chắn hay nhưng mình chưa đủ trình độ để hiểu. Hi vọng lần sau đọc lại sẽ ngộ ra được nhiều thứ.
December 23, 2019
I will probably come back to this book every 7 years and increase the rating by a 1/2 star every time. Until then, the inner journey of the spirit continues.
March 15, 2021
What a shame, I understand nothing.
October 4, 2021
I could never be a buddhist. I understand nothing.
June 24, 2023
No point reviewing a book that emphasises the futility of words.
October 31, 2023
আমার শরীরে তিনটা উল্কি আছে। একটা হচ্ছে প্রাচীন মিশরীয় জাদু (আর পরবর্তীতে অ্যালকেমি)-তে ব্যবহৃত চিরন্তন চক্রের প্রতীক: ওরোবোরোস। দ্বিতীয়টা হচ্ছে নজরুলের বিদ্রোহী কবিতার লাইন, যে লাইনের একটা শব্দের সাথে আমার ডাকনাম মিলে যায়। তৃতীয় উল্কিটা একটা পাতাঝরা ওক গাছের। সেটা একটা জেন কোয়ান থেকে অনুপ্রাণিত। কোয়ানটা এমন:
”একবার এক ভিক্ষু জোশুর কাছে জানতে চাইলেন: আমাদ���র চিন্তারীতির প্রতিষ্ঠাতা বোধিধর্ম কেন পশ্চিম থেকে যাত্রা করেছিলেন?
জোশু জবাব দেন: বাগানের ওই ওক গাছ।”
আমার জীবনে যে দুটো দর্শন বা চিন্তাপদ্ধতি সবথেকে বেশি প্রভাব ফেলেছে, সেগুলোর মধ্যে একটা হচ্ছে অস্তিত্ববাদ। অন্যটা হচ্ছে জেন। জেন হচ্ছে বৌদ্ধধর্মের উপশাখা। কিংবদন্তী অনুযায়ী ভারতীয় ভিক্ষু বোধিধর্ম এই চিন্তাপদ্ধতি ছড়িয়ে দেবার জন্য নিজের রাজ্য থেকে পূর্বদিকে, মানে চিনদেশ অবধি যাত্রা করেন। সেখানে পৌঁছানোর পর স্বয়ং সম্রাট উ তাকে স্বাগত জানান। সম্রাট ভিক্ষুকে জিজ্ঞেস করেন—”আমি বহু মঠ আর মন্দির স্থাপন করেছি। বুদ্ধের শাস্ত্রের অনেকগুলো সংস্করণ লিখিয়েছি। আমার যোগ্যতা কতোটুকু?” বোধিধর্ম জবাব দেন: “একটুও না।” এ জবাব শুনে সম্রাট তাকে তাড়িয়ে দেন। বোধিধর্ম চিনের এক পাহাড়ী মঠে আশ্রয় নেবার চেষ্টা করেন। মঠের ভিক্ষুরা ভয়ে তাকে ঢুকতে নিষেধ করে। তারপর বোধিধর্ম সেই মঠের সামনে টানা নয় বছর ধ্যান করেন। অবশেষে ভিক্ষুরা তাকে প্রবেশাধিকার দেয়। তারা দেখতে পায় বোধিধর্ম যেখানে বসে ধ্যান করছিলেন, তার উলটোদিকের পাথরে দুটো গর্ত হয়ে গেছে। বোধিধর্মের দৃষ্টি এতোই তীব্র, পাথরও তার সামনে হার মানতে বাধ্য হয়।
’ধ্যান’ শব্দটাই চিনদেশে এসে ‘চেন’ হয়ে যায়, তারপর জাপানে এসে হয় ’জেন’। তবে জেনের ইতিহাস বা কিংবদন্তী নিয়ে বেশি মাথা ঘামালে আসলে এই দর্শনের মূল শিক্ষাটাই এড়িয়ে যাওয়া হয়। জেন ধর্মের দুটো ব্যাপার আমার খুব পছন্দ। একটা হচ্ছে মানুষের সত্তা বা ব্যক্তিত্ব সম্পর্কে তাদের যে ধারণা, সেটা। মূলতঃ জেনবাদীরা মনে করে মানুষ এবং মহাবিশ্বের মধ্যে, বস্তু এবং আত্মার মধ্যে কোনো বিভেদ নেই। এই বিষয়টা নিয়ে পরে লেখার ইচ্ছা আছে, হয় গল্প বা প্রবন্ধ। তাই এখানে কথা বাড়ালাম না। যারা এ বিষয়ে আরও জানতে চান, তাদের জন্য শিগেনোরি নাগামোতোর লেখা ‘জাপানিজ জেন বুদ্ধিস্ট ফিলোসফি’ প্রবন্ধটা পড়ার অনুরোধ রইলো। স্ট্যানফোর্ড এনসাইক্লোপিডিয়া অফ ফিলোসফিতে লেখাটা বিনামূল্যে পড়া যাবে। এই প্রবন্ধের ’ওভারকামিং ডুয়ালিজম’ অংশটায় ওপরের প্রসঙ্গের সুন্দর ব্যাখ্যা আছে।
জেন চিন্তায় দ্বিতীয় যে বিষয়টা আমার পছন্দ, সেটা হচ্ছে ভাষার দুর্বলতা। মানুষ যতোরকম ভাষা ব্যবহার করে, তা মৌখিক হোক বা লিখিত, গল্প হোক বা ইতিহাস, কোনোকিছুই আসলে পুরো সত্যকে ধরতে পারে না। বাস্তবকে পুরোপুরি বর্ণনা করতে পারে না। বিশেষ করে যুক্তি অতিরিক্ত জটিলতা সৃষ্টি করে। প্যারাডক্স জন্ম দেয়। বাস্তব জগতে প্যারাডক্স বলে কিছু নেই। সেটা শুধু যুক্তি আর ভাষার অসম্পূর্ণতার ফলাফল। জেনের অনুসারীরা তাই বারবার মনে করিয়ে দেন—সত্যিকারের এনলাইটেনমেন্ট হয় মনের ভেতরে। মুখের কথায় নয়। আলোকিত হওয়া মানে কোনোকিছু উপলব্দি করা, সেটা ঘটে মনের জগতে। এ বিষয়ে আরেকটা বিখ্যাত জেন কোয়ানের উদাহরণ দেওয়া যেতে পারে। সেটা এমন: “যদি গভীর জঙ্গলে একটা গাছ মাটিতে পড়ে যায়, আর সেটার শব্দ শোনার জন্য আশেপাশে কোনো মানুষ না থাকে, তাহলে কি আসলে শব্দ হয়েছে?” যদি মনে করেন শব্দ হয়েছে, তাহলে বুঝতে হবে বাস্তবতা আসলে অন্য মানুষের সাক্ষ্যের ওপর নির্ভর করে না। তার মানে আপনার যখন বোধোদয় হবে (এখানে শব্দটা আক্ষরিক অর্থে, ‘বোধির উদয়’ হিসেবে ব্যবহার করছি), সেটার সত্যতা বোঝার জন্য অন্য কারও ওপর নির্ভর করার দরকার নেই। স্বয়ং গৌতমেরও সেই দরকার পড়েনি।
জেনের অনুসারীরা বারবার বর্তমানের ওপর মনোযোগ দিতে বলেন। কারণ অতীত আর ভবিষ্যৎ আসলে বাস্তব নয়। সেগুলোর অস্তিত্ব শুধু মানুষের ভাষায়, আর স্মৃতিতে। যে ভাষা আর স্মৃতি দুটোই বিশ্বাসঘাতক। তাই জেনবাদীরা ইতিহাস, শাস্ত্র, নিয়ম-রীতি-সংস্কৃতি, যা কিছু অতীতের ওপর নির্ভর করে, এসবের দাসত্ব থেকে বেরিয়ে নিজস্ব, ব্যক্তিগত উপলব্ধির ওপর জোর দেন। বেশিরভাগ বরেণ্য হাইকু কবি জেনের অনুসারী ছিলেন। তাই তাদের কবিতায় বর্তমান মুহূর্তকে ধরার চেষ্টা থাকে, সবকিছুর ক্ষণস্থায়ীত্ব ধরার চেষ্টা থাকে। কোয়ানের উদ্দেশ্যটাও কাছাকাছি। কোয়ান হচ্ছে এমন ধাঁধা, যেটার কোনো উত্তর ভাষা দিয়ে দেওয়া সম্ভব নয়। ভাষার সীমা পরীক্ষা করার জন্য কোয়ানের জন্ম। কোয়ান নিয়ে ধ্যান করতে করতে একসময় ব্যক্তিগত এনলাইটেনমেন্ট হওয়ার সম্ভাবনা থাকে।
আমার কাছে গেইটলেস গেইট বইয়ের যে সংস্করণ আছে, সেটায় এমন ৪৮টা কোয়ান আছে। প্রত্যেক কোয়ানের সাথে আছে দুই জেন মাস্টার মুমন এবং কৌন ইয়ামাদার মন্তব্য। একদম শুরুতে ওক গাছ নিয়ে যে কোয়ান বললাম, ইয়ামাদা সেটার ব্যাখ্যা দিয়েছেন এভাবে—”জোশু ওক গাছ দিয়ে আসলে সম্পূর্ণ মহাবিশ্বকে বুঝিয়েছেন। মহাবিশ্বের একটা ভগ্নাংশকে পুরোটার প্রতীক হিসেবে ব্যবহার করেছেন।” অর্থাৎ ভিক্ষুকে জোশু বলছেন, ইতিহাস আর শাস্ত্রে তোমার নির্বাণ পাবে না, পাবে মহাবিশ্বের একক অস্তিত্বে। বোধিধর্মের ইতিহাসে নয়, বর্তমানে মনোনিবেশ করো।
মার্কিন সাহিত্যিক উইলিয়াম বারোজ বলেছিলেন: “ল্যাঙ্গুয়েজ ইজ আ ভাইরাস।” অস্ট্রিয়ান দার্শনিক উইটগেনস্টাইন বলেছিলেন ভাষার জটিলতা সরিয়ে দিলে দর্শনের অধিকাংশ সমস্যার সমাধান হয়ে যাবে। জেন চিন্তায় এই উপলব্ধিগুলো বহু আগেই ধরা পড়েছে। আমি ওপরে দুটো কোয়ানের ব্যাখ্যা দিয়েছি। আসলে এগুলোর ব্যাখ্যা বলে কিছু নেই। আছে শুধু চিন্তা। কোয়ান মানুষকে শুধু চিন্তার ধাপ চিনতে সাহায্য করে, যেগুলো বেয়ে পৌঁছানো যায় উপলব্ধি অবধি।
”একবার এক ভিক্ষু জোশুর কাছে জানতে চাইলেন: আমাদ���র চিন্তারীতির প্রতিষ্ঠাতা বোধিধর্ম কেন পশ্চিম থেকে যাত্রা করেছিলেন?
জোশু জবাব দেন: বাগানের ওই ওক গাছ।”
আমার জীবনে যে দুটো দর্শন বা চিন্তাপদ্ধতি সবথেকে বেশি প্রভাব ফেলেছে, সেগুলোর মধ্যে একটা হচ্ছে অস্তিত্ববাদ। অন্যটা হচ্ছে জেন। জেন হচ্ছে বৌদ্ধধর্মের উপশাখা। কিংবদন্তী অনুযায়ী ভারতীয় ভিক্ষু বোধিধর্ম এই চিন্তাপদ্ধতি ছড়িয়ে দেবার জন্য নিজের রাজ্য থেকে পূর্বদিকে, মানে চিনদেশ অবধি যাত্রা করেন। সেখানে পৌঁছানোর পর স্বয়ং সম্রাট উ তাকে স্বাগত জানান। সম্রাট ভিক্ষুকে জিজ্ঞেস করেন—”আমি বহু মঠ আর মন্দির স্থাপন করেছি। বুদ্ধের শাস্ত্রের অনেকগুলো সংস্করণ লিখিয়েছি। আমার যোগ্যতা কতোটুকু?” বোধিধর্ম জবাব দেন: “একটুও না।” এ জবাব শুনে সম্রাট তাকে তাড়িয়ে দেন। বোধিধর্ম চিনের এক পাহাড়ী মঠে আশ্রয় নেবার চেষ্টা করেন। মঠের ভিক্ষুরা ভয়ে তাকে ঢুকতে নিষেধ করে। তারপর বোধিধর্ম সেই মঠের সামনে টানা নয় বছর ধ্যান করেন। অবশেষে ভিক্ষুরা তাকে প্রবেশাধিকার দেয়। তারা দেখতে পায় বোধিধর্ম যেখানে বসে ধ্যান করছিলেন, তার উলটোদিকের পাথরে দুটো গর্ত হয়ে গেছে। বোধিধর্মের দৃষ্টি এতোই তীব্র, পাথরও তার সামনে হার মানতে বাধ্য হয়।
’ধ্যান’ শব্দটাই চিনদেশে এসে ‘চেন’ হয়ে যায়, তারপর জাপানে এসে হয় ’জেন’। তবে জেনের ইতিহাস বা কিংবদন্তী নিয়ে বেশি মাথা ঘামালে আসলে এই দর্শনের মূল শিক্ষাটাই এড়িয়ে যাওয়া হয়। জেন ধর্মের দুটো ব্যাপার আমার খুব পছন্দ। একটা হচ্ছে মানুষের সত্তা বা ব্যক্তিত্ব সম্পর্কে তাদের যে ধারণা, সেটা। মূলতঃ জেনবাদীরা মনে করে মানুষ এবং মহাবিশ্বের মধ্যে, বস্তু এবং আত্মার মধ্যে কোনো বিভেদ নেই। এই বিষয়টা নিয়ে পরে লেখার ইচ্ছা আছে, হয় গল্প বা প্রবন্ধ। তাই এখানে কথা বাড়ালাম না। যারা এ বিষয়ে আরও জানতে চান, তাদের জন্য শিগেনোরি নাগামোতোর লেখা ‘জাপানিজ জেন বুদ্ধিস্ট ফিলোসফি’ প্রবন্ধটা পড়ার অনুরোধ রইলো। স্ট্যানফোর্ড এনসাইক্লোপিডিয়া অফ ফিলোসফিতে লেখাটা বিনামূল্যে পড়া যাবে। এই প্রবন্ধের ’ওভারকামিং ডুয়ালিজম’ অংশটায় ওপরের প্রসঙ্গের সুন্দর ব্যাখ্যা আছে।
জেন চিন্তায় দ্বিতীয় যে বিষয়টা আমার পছন্দ, সেটা হচ্ছে ভাষার দুর্বলতা। মানুষ যতোরকম ভাষা ব্যবহার করে, তা মৌখিক হোক বা লিখিত, গল্প হোক বা ইতিহাস, কোনোকিছুই আসলে পুরো সত্যকে ধরতে পারে না। বাস্তবকে পুরোপুরি বর্ণনা করতে পারে না। বিশেষ করে যুক্তি অতিরিক্ত জটিলতা সৃষ্টি করে। প্যারাডক্স জন্ম দেয়। বাস্তব জগতে প্যারাডক্স বলে কিছু নেই। সেটা শুধু যুক্তি আর ভাষার অসম্পূর্ণতার ফলাফল। জেনের অনুসারীরা তাই বারবার মনে করিয়ে দেন—সত্যিকারের এনলাইটেনমেন্ট হয় মনের ভেতরে। মুখের কথায় নয়। আলোকিত হওয়া মানে কোনোকিছু উপলব্দি করা, সেটা ঘটে মনের জগতে। এ বিষয়ে আরেকটা বিখ্যাত জেন কোয়ানের উদাহরণ দেওয়া যেতে পারে। সেটা এমন: “যদি গভীর জঙ্গলে একটা গাছ মাটিতে পড়ে যায়, আর সেটার শব্দ শোনার জন্য আশেপাশে কোনো মানুষ না থাকে, তাহলে কি আসলে শব্দ হয়েছে?” যদি মনে করেন শব্দ হয়েছে, তাহলে বুঝতে হবে বাস্তবতা আসলে অন্য মানুষের সাক্ষ্যের ওপর নির্ভর করে না। তার মানে আপনার যখন বোধোদয় হবে (এখানে শব্দটা আক্ষরিক অর্থে, ‘বোধির উদয়’ হিসেবে ব্যবহার করছি), সেটার সত্যতা বোঝার জন্য অন্য কারও ওপর নির্ভর করার দরকার নেই। স্বয়ং গৌতমেরও সেই দরকার পড়েনি।
জেনের অনুসারীরা বারবার বর্তমানের ওপর মনোযোগ দিতে বলেন। কারণ অতীত আর ভবিষ্যৎ আসলে বাস্তব নয়। সেগুলোর অস্তিত্ব শুধু মানুষের ভাষায়, আর স্মৃতিতে। যে ভাষা আর স্মৃতি দুটোই বিশ্বাসঘাতক। তাই জেনবাদীরা ইতিহাস, শাস্ত্র, নিয়ম-রীতি-সংস্কৃতি, যা কিছু অতীতের ওপর নির্ভর করে, এসবের দাসত্ব থেকে বেরিয়ে নিজস্ব, ব্যক্তিগত উপলব্ধির ওপর জোর দেন। বেশিরভাগ বরেণ্য হাইকু কবি জেনের অনুসারী ছিলেন। তাই তাদের কবিতায় বর্তমান মুহূর্তকে ধরার চেষ্টা থাকে, সবকিছুর ক্ষণস্থায়ীত্ব ধরার চেষ্টা থাকে। কোয়ানের উদ্দেশ্যটাও কাছাকাছি। কোয়ান হচ্ছে এমন ধাঁধা, যেটার কোনো উত্তর ভাষা দিয়ে দেওয়া সম্ভব নয়। ভাষার সীমা পরীক্ষা করার জন্য কোয়ানের জন্ম। কোয়ান নিয়ে ধ্যান করতে করতে একসময় ব্যক্তিগত এনলাইটেনমেন্ট হওয়ার সম্ভাবনা থাকে।
আমার কাছে গেইটলেস গেইট বইয়ের যে সংস্করণ আছে, সেটায় এমন ৪৮টা কোয়ান আছে। প্রত্যেক কোয়ানের সাথে আছে দুই জেন মাস্টার মুমন এবং কৌন ইয়ামাদার মন্তব্য। একদম শুরুতে ওক গাছ নিয়ে যে কোয়ান বললাম, ইয়ামাদা সেটার ব্যাখ্যা দিয়েছেন এভাবে—”জোশু ওক গাছ দিয়ে আসলে সম্পূর্ণ মহাবিশ্বকে বুঝিয়েছেন। মহাবিশ্বের একটা ভগ্নাংশকে পুরোটার প্রতীক হিসেবে ব্যবহার করেছেন।” অর্থাৎ ভিক্ষুকে জোশু বলছেন, ইতিহাস আর শাস্ত্রে তোমার নির্বাণ পাবে না, পাবে মহাবিশ্বের একক অস্তিত্বে। বোধিধর্মের ইতিহাসে নয়, বর্তমানে মনোনিবেশ করো।
মার্কিন সাহিত্যিক উইলিয়াম বারোজ বলেছিলেন: “ল্যাঙ্গুয়েজ ইজ আ ভাইরাস।” অস্ট্রিয়ান দার্শনিক উইটগেনস্টাইন বলেছিলেন ভাষার জটিলতা সরিয়ে দিলে দর্শনের অধিকাংশ সমস্যার সমাধান হয়ে যাবে। জেন চিন্তায় এই উপলব্ধিগুলো বহু আগেই ধরা পড়েছে। আমি ওপরে দুটো কোয়ানের ব্যাখ্যা দিয়েছি। আসলে এগুলোর ব্যাখ্যা বলে কিছু নেই। আছে শুধু চিন্তা। কোয়ান মানুষকে শুধু চিন্তার ধাপ চিনতে সাহায্য করে, যেগুলো বেয়ে পৌঁছানো যায় উপলব্ধি অবধি।
December 13, 2024
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Narrated by: Peter Coyote
The Gateless Gate (The Gateless Barrier), is a collection of 48 Zen koans compiled in the early 13th century by the Chinese Zen master Wumen Huikai. The title has a double meaning and can also be understood as Wumen's Barrier; the compiler's name, which literally means "No Gate", is the same as the title's first two characters. Wumen's preface indicates that the volume was published in 1228. Each koan is accompanied by a commentary and verse by Wumen. A classic edition includes a 49th case composed by Anwan in 1246. Wu-liang Tsung-shou also supplemented the volume with a verse of four stanzas composed in 1230 about the three checkpoints of Zen master Huanglong. These three checkpoints of Huanglong should not be confused with Doushuai's Three Checkpoints found in Case 47.
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~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
* -:}|{}|{: =EXPERIENCES=&=DISCERNMENTS= :}|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{: = ? = }|{}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~
Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”
Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind
A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}--- :}|{:-:}|{:- * FOLLOW 4 FOLLOW * -:}|{:-:}|{: ---{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}--------:}|{:-:}|{:- * LINKS * -:}|{:-:}|{:----------{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
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***********************************************
~} * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * - * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * {~
* -} https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qxEB... {- *
~} * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * - * -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- * {~
* -:}|{}|{:=:}|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{:- THE GATELESS GATE: Compilation of Zen Koans -:}|{}|{:- *
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~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
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* -:}|{}|{:- * SUMMARY * -:}|{}|{:- *
Narrated by: Peter Coyote
The Gateless Gate (The Gateless Barrier), is a collection of 48 Zen koans compiled in the early 13th century by the Chinese Zen master Wumen Huikai. The title has a double meaning and can also be understood as Wumen's Barrier; the compiler's name, which literally means "No Gate", is the same as the title's first two characters. Wumen's preface indicates that the volume was published in 1228. Each koan is accompanied by a commentary and verse by Wumen. A classic edition includes a 49th case composed by Anwan in 1246. Wu-liang Tsung-shou also supplemented the volume with a verse of four stanzas composed in 1230 about the three checkpoints of Zen master Huanglong. These three checkpoints of Huanglong should not be confused with Doushuai's Three Checkpoints found in Case 47.
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
* -:}|{:- * RATING * -:}|{:- * 8.5/10 * -:}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
* -:}|{}|{: =EXPERIENCES=&=DISCERNMENTS= :}|{}|{:- *
* -:}|{}|{: = ? = }|{}|{:- *
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~
Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”
Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind
A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through
~}- - - - - - - - - - - - - -:}|{:- - - - - - - - - - - - - -{~
~}-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-:}|{:-{~
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