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Kong-ans
Kong-on practice is a method that allows us to test the fruits of our practice of no-mind. Wrestiling with these conundrums shows us the shape of our mind, and reveals our condition, as does calligraphy, martial arts, and Zen practice. Here is a famous example:
First Gate: Jo Ju's Dog
A monk once asked Jo Ju, "Does a dog have
Buddha-nature?"
Jo Ju answered, "Mu!" (No)
1. Buddha said everything has Buddha-nature.
Jo Ju
said a dog has no Buddha-nature. Which one is correct?
2. Jo Ju said, "Mu!" What does this mean?
3. I ask you, does a dog have Buddha-nature?
Commentary: Silence is better than holiness, so
opening your mouth is a big mistake. But if you use
this mistake to save all beings, this is Zen.
Once you understand the purpose and method of kong-an practice, you can move through the wheel of Zen from 0 degrees to 360 degrees. The mind of Kwan Um Do Kwang is 270 Zen mind. In sword practice, the sword can control the whole circle from 270 degrees, thus one can reclaim one's mastery and attain to freedom.
Hair Grows on Wide Teeth
Zen Master Seung Sahn
Zen Master Jun Kang always posed the following kong-an to his students: "A long time ago, someone asked Zen Master Joju, 'Why did Bodhidharma come to China?' Joju replied, 'Hair grows on wide teeth.' If you attain this, you can see Bodhidharma's true face. If you don't understand this, you don't know Joju or Bodhidharma."
That's a famous story. Jun Kang Zen Master always used this kong-an. This is a 270 degree style kong-an. We sometimes use a circle to explain Zen. The circle can be separated into 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees and 360 degrees. Each of these four points has a meaning. At 0 degrees people are attached to name and form. That means they are attached to their bodies, attached to I-my-me, attached to everything. If you are attached to something, then you will suffer because everything is always changing, changing, changing. So if I am attached to somebody, attached to my house, attached to money or attached to fame, then when these things change my attached mind will suffer. Oh.... I lose everything! So that's 0 degrees.
90 degrees means form is emptiness, emptiness form.
Mountain is water, water is mountain. Everything is
always changing, changing. So Buddha teaches us that
everything is impermanent. Around and around Next is 270 degrees; we say "magic." Magic means you
can do anything. You can change, no problem. So any
kind of thinking, no problem. That's 270 degrees.
So today's kong-an is a 270 degree kong-an. Hair grows
on wide teeth. What are wide teeth? If you go to China
or India, they have enshrined Buddha's teeth. But when
Buddha died they cremated him, so how can we have
Buddha's teeth? That's not correct! That means a
mistake. Actually, that's Buddha's magic teeth. We are
Zen students, not so attached to name and form. Also,
"hair grows on teeth"?not possible! But possible, very
possible.
That's 270 degree style; it's like a child's mind or a
cartoon, anything is possible. A child's mind is very
wide, not so attached to time and space. But when we
grow up, time is very important?space too, is very
important. Time and space start to control us; that's
adult style thinking. But originally, time and space
do not control us. Who makes time and space? Our
thinking makes time and space. If you cut off
thinking, then there is no time and no space. So
everything is impermanent. Everything's impermanent
means time and space go by non-stop, always around,
around, changing, changing. Non-stop means not
existent. Not existent means: you can't catch it, OK?
That's our thinking.
Take for example, "now." If you say "now," it has
already passed. So you have no "now." The Diamond
Sutra says, present mind cannot get enlightenment,
past mind cannot get enlightenment, and future mind
also cannot get enlightenment, right? That's what gave
Dok Sahn Zen Master such a big problem. So past mind,
present mind, future mind cannot get enlightenment.
Original mind doesn't have present, past or future.
Our thinking makes present, past and future. If you
cut off thinking, then there's no time or space. We
have just this moment. This moment means infinite
time, infinite space?one point. If you get this one
point, you get everything. If you get everything, then
you can do anything. That's the point.
Why did Bodhidharma come to China? Joju said, "Hair
grows on wide teeth." But when someone else asked Joju
the same question he said, "The cypress tree in the
garden." Why are the answers different? Joju, like any
great Zen Master, gets many different kinds of
students. Because of this there are different kinds of
teaching. It's the same with taste?everybody has
slightly different taste. Some like ko chi chang, some
catsup; some like sweet and some like salty. That's
our tongue; our tongues decide. Everyone is a little
bit different. When thinking appears, then like and
dislike appear. When like and dislike appear, action
appears. So, if you cut off all thinking, then
everything is no problem. But if you are attached to
your thinking, then you are attached to like and
dislike. I like this, I don't like that. Then you will
have a problem. Then suffering will appear. Originally
there is no suffering, but you make like and dislike
so... suffering. Your thinking makes that. So, if you
cut off your thinking, then any place, any time...no
problem! Try that, put it all down. Only action is
very important. Most people are only thinking,
thinking, thinking, but Zen means not attached to name
and form. Completely put it down, everything, then...
Boom! One point appears. Then correct function
appears. Correct function is a correct human being.
Seung Sahn, Only Don't Know, Primary Point Press,
Bibliography
originally published in 1982, latest edition 1999.
Copyright © Providence Zen Center. Appendix I, "Mind
Meal."
ORDER THIS BOOK NOW through our association
with Amazon.com
Seung Sahn, Ten Gates, Primary Point Press. This
title is currently out of print.
Seung Sahn, The Whole World is a Single Flower - 365
Kong-ans for Everyday Life,
edited by Jane McLaughlin,
JDPSN, (now Zen Master Bon Yeon) and Paul Muenzen,
Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1992. Copyright ©
Providence Zen Center. Cases #280 (gate 1), #286 (gate
2), #291 (gate 3), #283 (gate 4), #284 (gate 5), #362
(gate 6), #46(gate 7), #292 (gate 8), #293 (gate 9),
#363 (gate 10), #364 (gate 11), and #12 (gate 12).
ORDER THIS BOOK NOW through our association with
Amazon.com