Deshan Xuanjian
Japanese: Tokusan Senkan
Mt. Deshan (Virtue Mountain) Declaration Mirror
| born: 780 died: 865 83 years place: China |
| Note: There are at least two Chan masters named Deshan--Deshan Xuanjian, and Deshan Yuanmi. This is the name of a mountain--Virtue Mountain. aka: "Diamond" Zhou, Master Zhou, Master Chou (old W.G.), Te Shan (old W.G.) |
Deshan was studying Chan under Longtan.
One night Deshan came to Longtan and
asked many questions.
The teacher said, "The night is getting old –
why don't you retire?"
So Deshan bowed, and as he opened the
screen to go out he observed, "It is very dark
outside."
Longtan offered Deshan a lighted candle to
find his way, but just as Deshan received it,
Longtan blew it out.
At that moment the mind of Deshan was
opened.
One night Deshan came to Longtan and
asked many questions.
The teacher said, "The night is getting old –
why don't you retire?"
So Deshan bowed, and as he opened the
screen to go out he observed, "It is very dark
outside."
Longtan offered Deshan a lighted candle to
find his way, but just as Deshan received it,
Longtan blew it out.
At that moment the mind of Deshan was
opened.
| stories: Osho This. This. A Thousand Times This: The Very Essence of Zen, ch. 9 No Water, No Moon, ch. 6 Zen: The Solitary Bird, Cuckoo of the Forest, ch. 8 Zen: The Diamond Thunderbolt, ch. 2, ch. 7 No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity, ch. 5 The Great Zen Master Ta Hui, ch. 5, ch. 7 |
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| Before he had realized his own enlightenment, Tokusan planned to visit the famous Zen master, Soshin, who lived on a mountain in Ryotan. When he arrived at the foot of the mountain, Tokusan found a tea house by the roadside, and thought that he might have a snack before climbing the mountain. He ordered it from an old woman at the tea house. "Snack" in the Chinese language is tenjin – which means literally "to light up the mind." The old woman asked Tokusan, "What do you have in the box on your shoulders?" "I have a most valuable sutra called The Diamond Sutra in it," Tokusan said. "Is that so!" she said. "Then I have a question to ask you. If you can answer my question,Ii will provide you with a snack. If, however, you should fail to give me a satisfactory answer, I am sorry, but you will have to go without a snack." Tokusan was a proud and confident scholar. He replied, "All right. You may ask me any question." At this the woman said, "In the diamond sutra it is written that past mind is unattainable; present mind is unattainable; and future mind is unattainable." The old woman continued, "You say you are going to light up your mind. Which mind, now, are you going to light up?" Tokusan was not able to answer the old woman's question. He had to admit his inability to give the answer, and at the suggestion of the old woman of the tea house, he was determined to study Zen under master Ryotan. Some time later master Ryotan and Tokusan were spending the evening together. Ryotan said, "It is getting dark. You had better return to your place." Tokusan said, "Good night" to the master, and stepped outside. A few moments later, he returned to the master saying, "It is so dark outside!" The master lit a candle to give to Tokusan, but just as Tokusan held out his hand and was about to get hold of the candle, Ryotan vehemently blew out the flame. At this very moment Tokusan was awakened and made a bow to the master. There are many important things to be noted as deeply in you as possible. One is that light does not come from outside. Nobody can give it to you. Ryotan was very kind to make it clear by blowing out the candle. Outside is darkness and inside – where light is – you are not. The only way to have light is to enter into your innermost being. Hence it is called enlightenment. You have become the candle which nobody can blow out. You have found the fire that is eternal, the very flame of existence. You are all flames. It is just a question of seeing within yourselves... --Osho This. This. A Thousand Times This, The Very Essence of Zen, ch. 9 |