Mayu Baoche
Jap., Mayoku Hotetsu
Hemp Yu (a clan in old China) Precious Throughout
| born: c. 750 died: c. 830 place: China |
| Chan master: Mazu (J., Baso) Chan disciples: Shouzhou (J. Jushu), ... Chan elder fellow students: Nanquan (J. Nansen), Zhangqing (J. Shokei) |
| stories: Transmission of the Lamp, Case 115 Osho No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity, ch. 9 Zen: The Solitary Bird, Cuckoo of the Forest, ch. 15 Zen: The Diamond Thunderbolt, ch. 2 The Zen Manifesto: Freedom from Oneself, ch. 5 |
| oshobob The Living Workshop |
| Zen Masters |
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| Mayoku came to Shokei carrying his bell staff with him. He circumnavigated Shokei’s seat three times, shook his staff, ringing the bells, stuck the staff in the ground, and then stood up straight. Shokei said, “Good.” Mayoku then went to Nansen. He walked around Nansen’s seat, shook his staff, ringing the bells, stuck the staff in the ground and stood up straight. Nansen said, “Wrong.” Mayoku said, “Shokei said, `Good’; why do you say, `Wrong’?” Nansen said, “Shokei is `good,’ but you are wrong. You are blown about by the wind. That will lead to destruction.” What does Nansen mean? For the same act another master, Shokei, has said “Good.” Nansen, to the same act, says “Wrong.” Repetition is wrong. Whatever he had done to Shokei was fresh, spontaneous; now repeating it is stale and stinking of death. It is no more the fresh breeze of the morning, no more the fresh opening of a rose. You will find dry roses in strange places like the Bible. But a dry rose is only a memory, a remembrance, a faraway echo of the real rose who was dancing in the wind, in the rain, in the sun. Whenever anything becomes stale, repetitive, a man of understanding is going to call it wrong. Not only that, if you continue like this you are moving towards destruction, not towards enlightenment, awakening, a rebirth. Hence, both are right. Shokei is right – Nansen said, “Shokei is `good,’ but you are wrong. You have become wrong just because you are repeating the same act, which has become non- spontaneous...” --Osho No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity, ch. 9 |