Zen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice

Fourteen-Character Verses

Fourteen-Character Verses 14.1 ouoØeeÙ Aiõte aimite ka-ka to shite warai, a…Íw½}ú Yubi o kusshi kõbe o motagureba tsuki hanten. We meet and recognize each other laughing, “Ha ha!” A rare moment to raise our faces to the ✻moon✽ above! a… yubi o kusshi literally means “bend the ³ngers,” as is done in counting. It implies a very small number, and by extension, something rare or unusual (HYDCD 4.30). ZGS 14.1, ZGJI 595, ZRKS 14.388, HYDCD 4.30 14.2 oqH–ÀÔU Aiokutte mon ni atareba shðchiku ari,¤pèè˜#K Kimi ga tame ni yõ-yõ seifð o okosu. As I escort you to the gate, there are tall bamboo. Just for you, their leaves are raising a pure wind. ZGS 14.2, ZGJI 595, ZRKS 14.394, Shiba 370 14.3 “mê/“ê/ Ao wa ai yori idete ai yori mo aoshi, É´êvíêv Kõri wa mizu yori shõjite mizu yori mo samushi. The blue which comes from indigo is bluer than indigo, The ice made from water is colder than the water. Shiba 367: Kõri wa mizu yori shõjite mizu yori mo suzushi. KZS #1212, ZGS 14.3, ZGJT 245, ZGJI 640, ZRKS 14.299, Shiba 367 14.4 ,!{œEfÊ Akan no shijo gabi o egaki,°ù%îÊ«| Rankyõdaijõ hanashi chi ni nitari. Young maiden, hair done up, paints her arched ✻eyebrows✽, And to the phoenix mirror on its stand, prattles away like a fool.✉ ZGS 14.4, ZGJT 3(,), Shiba na. 14.5 Àß*‘ʲu Onozukara toku gyokugan hihei shigatashi to,
ZGî¼øh Kaette kajõ ni kitatte rae o tsuku. ✈She says to herself, “My beautiful face is hard to match.” Then coming to the clothes rack, she puts on a robe of sheer silk. ZGS 14.5, Shiba na 14.6 7ª*V‹
* Ashita ni gyokuhai o yurugashite kinden ni hashiri, Ï´ú–vñ9 Yðbe ni tensho o hõjite sai o hai su. In the mornings, his jade tassels swinging, he hurries to the Golden Palace. In the evenings, having received imperial edicts, he bows out by the blue gate. ZGS 14.6, Shiba na, TSSSTS 48 484 14.7 †ùRÐí²
Ashita ni ji su hakutei saiun no kan, æ=shsÕ› Senri no kõryõ ichi nichi ni kaeru. In the morning I left White King City in many-colored clouds And returned a thousand miles to Chiang-ling in a day.✉ White King City is in Szechuan, and Chiang Ling several hundred miles away in Hubei Province. ZGS 14.7, Shiba na, TSSSTS 74 14.8 ²MẪ#W Ryõgan no ensei naite todomarazu, ÞJLƒ©b[ Keishð sude ni sugu banjð no yama. ✈On both banks monkeys shrieked without cease, But my leaf boat’s already shot past those endless ranks of mountains. ZGS 14.8, Shiba 399 14.9 ˜_²á[6° Ame sanshi kumo osamatte sangaku arawaru, b@‹îÄ
‹ Sango shijõ kinku o kaku. Rains pass, the clouds recede, and mountains appear. In the branches, glistening like coral, hangs a golden crescent. ZGS 14.9, Shiba na 14.10 ˜ƒ²!F}ˆ Ame sugi kumo kotte akatsuki nakaba hiraku, ì¸ØE‚ü* Sðhõ egaku ga gotoku heki saikai. Rains pass, clouds recede, half breaks the dawn. So many mountains—as in a painting—with blue peaked crags. ZGS 14.10, ZGJI 596, Shiba 327 14.11 =œ[ï´‡^ Awaremubeshi kagiri naki ushio o rõ suru no hito, Ø‚›%‡_‘ Hikkyõ kaette chõchð ni ochite shi su. Pity him endlessly playing with the tide, In the end he will fall into it and die. Heki 79 Verse. ZGS 14.11, ZGJT 42, ZGJI 596, ZRKS 14.39, Shiba 330 14.12 s}
uêàú Ami o tõru kinrin ten o tsukan to yõsu, q²Ý_¢5É Kumo o hikotsurae kiri o tsukande honnen to shite saru. The golden ³sh jumps out of the net and leaps at the sky; Trailing a wake of mist and spray, suddenly it’s gone. ZGS 14.12, Shiba na 14.13 s“¡Ó˜×Z Ayashimietari kõkon no nagaku yume ni iru koto o, X´¿Ò¡TP Sanshõ no kotsuniku kore baika. How mysterious that fragrant spirits have long entered my dreams. My µesh and bones from three past lives are now these plum blossoms. ZGS 14.13, ZGJI 596, ZRKS 14.373, Shiba na 14.13 z e n s a n d | 485 14° 14.14 ]sâZü%, Ayashimu nakare zarai...