Zen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice

Eleven-Character Phrases

11° Eleven-Character Phrases 11.1 =œÞ±’ Awaremubeshi kontonshi, ÌÕ¾¤‘ð Shichinichi ni shite sore shi sen ka. Pity Mr. ✻Hun-tun✽. He died after seven days! ZGS 11.1 11.2 ‡“XYß Iiurumo sanjðbõ, ‡#“XYß Iiezarumo sanjðbõ. If you can speak, you get thirty blows; If you cannot speak, you get thirty blows. ZGS 11.2, ZGJI 566 11.3 p{îí¼¾ Kunshi no gen wa yð ni shite, ×Àßrg Kanarazu heimei ni shirushi ari. The superior person’s words are mysterious, But always prove clear. See also 21+.10. ZGS 11.3 11.4 Ysß‘ Kõippu no atsumono,¼²ŒQhë
Ryõka no sofun ni okyaku seraru. A potful of my best stew, Dirtied by two lumps of rat shit! This is Hakuin’s jakugo to “Form itself is emptiness, emptiness itself is form” in Dokugo shingyõ (Waddell 1996, 31). ZGS 11.4, ZGJI 564 11.5 2¡×¾Q] Goko itte shin yorokobi, pm¾àL Ki idete en osoru. When ✻Lord Five Ram-Skins✽ entered, Ch’in rejoiced; When General Yi left, Yen trembled in fear. For General Yi, see ✻Yüeh Yi✽. ZGS 11.5 11.6 ØEzî=ˆ Shðgõ no matsu o miru mono mo, #Àؤ½ Mizukara sono shõ o mizu. Though one may be able to see the tips of ✻autumn down✽, One cannot see one’s own eyelashes. ZGS 11.6, ZGJI 564 455 11.7 {$Ýlƒ Shi wa sei ni imashite shõ o kiku koto, X½#FÒI Sangatsu niku no aji o shirazu. When the Master was in Ch’i, he heard the Shao And for three months, he did not know the taste of meat. The Shao is music originally composed for an imperial dance performance, which Confucius considered both beautiful and good. Analects vii, 13. ZGS 11.7 11.8 ¦Y¾Àƒ Jin jippõ hokkai,¦¡À÷Mg Kotogotoku kore jiko no kõmyõ. All dharma worlds in the ✻ten directions✽ Are the luminous brilliance of the self. ZGS 11.8 11.9 Q´/óÚ Shinji no takurakusan, qTØ7ç: Dai shokkokuri ni henkõ su. That useless tool from the Ch’in era, Dump it in the land of the Saracens. Takurakusan /óÚ, a now useless tool used long ago in the time of the First Emperor of Ch’in when he built the ✻O-pang Palace✽ ( ZGJI 247). ZGS 11.9, ZGJI 564 11.10 Êæ}îbˆ Senkin no omoki o aguru mono mo, #ÀʤX Mizukara sono mi o agezu. One who can lift a thousand-pound weight Still cannot lift his own body. ZGS 11.10, ZGJI 565 11.11 éPºÀ8 Taku wa sei o motte mizukara kobotare, Š2PgÀÒ Kõshoku mei o motte mizukara torakasu. To produce sound, the bell cracks itself; To produce light, the candle consumes itself. The ZGS 11.11 reading for Ò is torakasu. The usual reading is tokeru. ZGS 11.11 11.12 Œ’–4sz#„øW] Nõsõmonka ichigõ mo jõjð no mono o nusumazu. A ✻patch-robed monk✽ does not steal even a hair from the ✻permanent things✽. ZGS 11.12 11.13 òFM§– Busshõ no gi o shiran to hosseba HÖ´´ƒŠ Masa ni jisetsu innen o kan zubeshi. To understand the principle of Buddha-nature Contemplate [the nature of] time and causality. 456 | z e n s a n d 11.7 11.15 z e n s a n d | 457 11° Heki 14 Main Case Comm., 39 Intro., 48 Main Case Comm. See also 12.114. ZGS 11.13 11.14 ©¥Ê†ÀO– Mangõ aigataki mitsugi ari, #ß#ß Fusetsu, fusetsu. This secret—so rarely met even in ten thousand ages— I will not tell, I will not tell. ZGS 11.14, ZGJI 566 11.15 4´¼· Ran no yðkyð ni shõzu, #¤]R¾#Æ Oburu nashi to nashite hõ arazumba aran. Orchids grow in the hidden quarters of the palace. Though never displayed, they never cease emitting their fragrance. ZGS 11.15, ZGJI 566 ...