Zen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice

Nineteen-Character Phrases

Nineteen-Character Phrases 19.1 Ù˜ˆîï˜ Ashi o wasururu wa kutsu no kanaeru, Ù»Jîr˜ Koshi o wasururu wa obi no kanaeru, Ù¡À
îr˜ Zehi o wasururu wa kokoro no kanaeru. You forget your feet when your shoes are comfortable. You forget your waist when your belt is comfortable. You forget right and wrong when your mind is comfortable. Trans. from Watson 1968, 206. Chuang-tzu , ch. 19. Variant: Ashi o wasururu wa kutsu no teki nari, Koshi o wasururu wa obi no teki nari, Zehi o wasururu wa kokoro no teki nari. ZGS 19.1, Shiba na, ZGJI 708 19.2 [kI#k I itarite ku itarazu, Ik[#k Ku itarite i itarazu. [IH#k I ku tomo ni itarazu, [IHk I ku tomo ni itaru. Got the meaning but not the words, Got the words but not the meaning. Got neither the meaning nor the words, Got both the meaning and the words. ZGS 19.2, Shiba na, ZGJI 708 19.3 p{[F7î
¾_ Kunshi wa shoku o owasuru no aida mo jin ni tagau koto nashi. ‹µ×ê¡ Zõji ni mo kanarazu koko ni oite shi, 7”×ê¡ tenpai ni mo kanarazu koko ni oite su. The superior person does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. In moments of haste, he cleaves to it. In seasons of danger, he cleaves to it. Trans. from Legge 1985. Analects iv, 5. ZGS 19.3, Shiba na 19.4 ö㾑´¤Ñ›îb Kohyõ hõgai shõse no tõ nari, æjþí^úî}Ä Zõga sõkõ ninden no kitaku. In solitary splendor beyond the mundane, a lamp to illumine the world; Astride an elephant resplendent on high, in the tracks of mortals and gods. ZGS 19.4, Shiba na 19.5 ;Ù#QM/”À[ Sashu o nobashite busshu o kaku koto wa sunawachi naki ni arazu, a“#ÜKw7Õo“ Ushu o magete kutõ ni fururu koto wa izure no hi ni ka manukareen. Extend your left hand, you may be scratching a Buddha’s head; Crook your right arm, no way you’ll miss feeling a dog’s head. 616 This verse has been corrected according to the original in the Dokugo shingyõ šB
÷, Hakuin’s commentary on the Heart Sutra. In ZGS 19.5, ZGJI 708, the ³rst character of the ³rst line is 2 “grasp,” instead of ; “extend,” and the ³rst character of the second line is û “extend,” instead of a “crook.” See Waddell 1996, 16; Shibayama 1980. ZGS 19.5, Shiba na, ZGJI 708 19.6 Í–ÀUñ Sekimon ni tõsen ari, Ébæ4¢qVÝW nanjð senkin kokoromi ni isei o shite nomashimuru mo, FH#^
tsui ni masa ni kokoro o kaezaru beshi. At Stonegate there is Stolen Spring. If you try to coax or pressure ✻Po Yi✽ or ✻Shu Ch’i✽ to drink from it, To the end they will not waver in their determination. A well at Ssu-shui ¡v in Shantung Province is called Stolen Spring. Legend says that Confucius, though thirsty, refused to drink from this well because of its name. Since then, refusal to drink the water of Stolen Spring implies that the person is strict and upright in behavior. ZGS 19.6, Shiba na 19.7 †,4Ø&íëëؘ Chõ ni shite ataifu to iu toki wa kan-kanjotari, ,îØ&í77ؘ Jõdaifu to iu toki wa gin-ginjotari. At court, when conversing with the Under Ministers, his attitude is friendly and affable; When conversing with the Upper Ministers, it is restrained and formal. Trans. from Waley 1936, 146. Analects x, 2. ZGS 19.7, Shiba na 19.8 z7’Ü^îšË˜ Mõshõ riki wa hito no bi to suru tokoro nari. ÖØîLךØî¢Á Uo wa kore o mite fukaku iri, tori wa kore o mite takaku tobu. Mao-ch’iang and Lady Li—people consider them beautiful, But when ³sh see them, they dive to the bottom, and when birds see them, they µy away. Chuang-tzu, ch. 2. ZGS 19.8, Shiba na, ZGJI 708 19.9 P=½úˆ˜ Ryð wa kõzõ subeki mono nari, 5V4À¡u–ñ Shikaredomo kõka ni gyakurin no keishaku naru mono ari, ^¸î’N Hito kore ni kakareba korosaru. The dragon can be tamed, But on the underside of its throat it has scales a foot in diameter that curl back from the body, And anyone who chances to brush against them is sure to die. Watson 1964, Han Fei Tzu, 79. ZGS 19.9, Shiba na 19.9 z e n s a n d | 617 19° ...