| Danxia Tianran |
| Mt. Danxia (Red Glow) Natural |
| Japanese: Tanka Tennen |
| born: 739 died: 824 85 years place: China |
Danxia Tianran was a scholar studying to be a
government official in China, when he was diverted
to the path of Chan. He had encounters with
masters Mazu and Shitou, and ended up teaching
on Mount Danxia in Guangdong Province.
government official in China, when he was diverted
to the path of Chan. He had encounters with
masters Mazu and Shitou, and ended up teaching
on Mount Danxia in Guangdong Province.
| stories: Osho Live Zen, ch. 16, Zen: The Solitary Bird, Cuckoo of the Forest, ch. 10 I Celebrate Myself: God is No Where, Life is Now Here, ch. 7 The Zen Manifesto: Freedom from Oneself, ch. 1, ch. 2, ch. 3, ch. 4, ch. 5, ch. 9 |
| Danxia asked a monk, “Where are you from?” The monk replied, “From the foot of the mountain.” Danxia said, “Have you had your dinner?” The monk said, “I have had it.” Danxia said, “Is he open-eyed who brings food to a fellow like you and lets you eat it?” The monk could make no reply. Later Changqing asked Baofu, “To give food to others is surely worthy. How could he fail to be open-eyed?” Baofu said, “Both giver and receiver are blind.” Changqing said, “Are you still blind, even though you exhaust every means?” Baofu said, “How can you call me blind?” |
| oshobob The Living Workshop |
| Zen Masters |
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| One day, Sekito announced to everybody that the next day they would weed the grass in front of the Buddha Hall. The following day, all the monks gathered with sickles in their hands, but only Tanka came with a tray filled with water. Before coming there he had washed his hair, but it was not yet shaven. Now he kneeled down in front of Sekito, and seeing him, Sekito laughed, and shaved Tanka's head. As the master usually did, Sekito gave Tanka some specific commandments, but as he did so, Tanka walked away covering his ears with his hands. Tanka then left for Kosei to see Ma Tzu. Arriving at the monastery, he went into the hall and, climbing on the statue of Manjushri, sat there. The other monks were astonished and told Ma Tzu, who came in, looked at him and said, "My son is Tennen." Tanka came down, made a bow and said, "Thank you for giving me a dharma name." Ma Tzu then asked, "Where do you come from?" Tanka said, I come from Sekito." Ma Tzu said, "The path on the stonehead is slippery. Did you fall over?" Tanka replied, "If I had fallen over, I wouldn't have come here." I would have waited. I have not fallen over, I have risen above. That's why he was sitting on the head of Manjushri – declaring, "I am another Manjushri and I have not fallen over; otherwise I would not be here. I would not have come to show my face to you again without becoming a buddha." This man, Tanka Tennen, became a master in his own right. But his whole teaching was just to be natural... --Osho I Celebrate Myself: God is No Where, Life is Now Here, ch. 7 |