Zen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice

Twenty-Character Phrases

Twenty-Character Phrases 20.1 †m96_ Ashita ni fuyõ no moto o idete, Ïb96_ Yðbe ni fuyõ no moto ni kaeru. ffÌXf Shuku shuku ni san shuku, J?96_ Imada fuyõ no moto o hanarezu. In the morning I leave the foot of the mountain, In the evening I return to the foot of the mountain. Two, three lodgings away, And still I have not left the foot of the mountain. In classical Chinese, 96 referred to the lotus µower. The term was also used of mountain peaks, and in Japan 96¸ referred to Mount Fuji, since the eight high points surrounding Fuji’s volcanic mouth were said to resemble the eight petals of a lotus (Mochizuki 30694.10). ZGS 20.1, Shiba 415 20.2 «ÍL*#F*î[é Ishi no tama o fukunde tama no kizu naki koto o shirazaru ni nitari, ØG™[#F[îöq Chi no yama o sasagete yama no shun naru koto o shirazaru ga gotoshi. It is like the stone—unaware of the µawless perfection of the jewel that it possesses within itself. It resembles the earth—unaware of the solitary grandeur of the mountain that it supports. ZGS 20.2, Shiba 413, ZGJI 709 20.3 ñˆ×v Oboruru mono mizu ni ireba, ‡ˆ8×v Sukuu mono mo mata mizu ni iru. ×v|¾ Mizu ni iru koto wa onajiushite, šP×vˆ’b Mizu ni iru yuen [no] wa sunawachi kotonaru. The drowning person is in the water, The rescuer is also in the water. Their being in the water is the same, But their reason for being in the water is different. ZGS 20.3, Shiba na, ZGJI 709 20.4 +oµ“G Kanpei sude ni chi o u, vsCHº Shimen soka no koe. Ø÷[‡¦ Taiõ iki tsuki, t²7°´ Sensho nanzo sei o rõzen. The soldiers of Han already hold the land, From all four sides come voices singing the songs of Ch’u. The great king has exhausted all his strength. But how can I, a lowly concubine, go on living? 618 See ✻Hsiang Yü✽. ZGS 20.4, Shiba na 20.5 W#û£w Kðshu ni shite jotõ o tori, Ÿ‘„vÈ Hokõ ni shite suigyð ni noru, ^˜ïîƒ Hito kyõjõ yori sugureba, ïHv#H Hashi wa nagarete mizu wa nagarezu. Empty-handed, grasp the spade; While walking on foot, ride the water buffalo; When a person walks over the bridge, The bridge µows, the water doesn’t. ✻Fu Daishi’s✽ verse ‡Øw†. Heki 96 Verse 1 Comm. See also 10.123-4. ZGS 20.4, Shiba na, ZGJI 709 20.6 G÷Yëª Goõ kenkaku o kononde, ߥ−rq hyakusei hansõ õku. C÷Yú» Soõ saiyõ o kononde,·_−¬‘ kyðchð gashi õshi. Because the King of Wu liked swordsmen, many common people were cut and slashed. Because the King of Ch’u liked narrow waists, many in the palace died of starvation. ZGS 20.6, Shiba 412 20.7 XÕ4p4 Sanjitsu chðka ni kudari, ó#6Œ_ Te o aratte kõtõ o tsukuru, Jþõ7§ Imada ko no shokusei o soranzezu, åq·õ5 Mazu shõko o shite nameshimu. On the third day, she goes down to the kitchen And washes her hands to make the stew. She hasn’t yet learned her mother-in-law’s taste in food And asks her sister-in-law to check the µavor. ZGS 20.7 (variant): ×p4 instead of 4p4, Ü instead of q. ZGS 20.7, Shiba 413, ZGJI 709 20.8 nöæÕÏ$s† Shikan senjitsu shitsu itchõ ni ari, %#F“?KH8ú¾[O Koto ni shirazu Jõshð no fðryð mata rõ shite kõ naki o. Ah! To serve as an of³cial for thousands of days and then to lose it all in one morning. Not known at all is Jõshð’s way—to labor away, all to no avail. The ³rst line occurs in Heki 48 Main Case. ZGS 20.8, Shiba na, ZGJI 710 20.8 z e n s a n d | 619 20° 20.9 œ_ˆiîœ Jin o sokonau mono kore o zoku to iu, œ–ˆiîi Gi o sokonau mono kore o zan to iu, iœî^iîs& Zanzoku no hito kore o ippu to iu. A man who mutilates benevolence is a mutilator, While one who cripples rightness is a crippler. He who is both a mutilator and a crippler is an “outcast.” Trans. from Lau 1970, 66. Mencius i...