Rinzai: Master of the Irrational
Discourses
Table of Contents
The Master of the shouts
The Master of the shouts. Rinzai became known as the master of the shouts. A monk asked about the cardinal principle—Rinzai shouted, the monk bowed. 'Was that a good shout?' 'The thief in the grass has met complete defeat.' Three great transmissions: Buddha to Mahakashyapa (a flower), Bodhidharma to China, Rinzai to Japan. The shout is not anger—it's a thunderbolt shattering the mind. Rinzai is one of the most loved masters—the master of the irrational because truth cannot be approached through reason.
Empty heart, empty mind
Empty heart, empty mind. 'Whoever comes to me, I do not fail him—I know exactly where he comes from.' Understanding and not understanding are both wrong. Each statement must comprise the three mysteries and three essentials. Enlightenment is existential—it transforms your total being. The way you walk, talk, sit—all gestures indicate your inner reality. The enlightened man is choiceless—whatever comes from spontaneity is bound to be good. Empty heart, empty mind: enlightenment is not intellectual but existential.
Either experience or just go home
Either experience or just go home. 'You seize upon words from old masters and take them to be the true way—blind idiots! Only the great master dares disparage Buddhas and patriarchs. The lion's one roar splits the jackals' skulls.' Zen is a revolution—all other religions serve vested interests. The rich and powerful dominate all religions; priests are servants of criminals. Reagan against Darwin's evolution—politicians deciding what students can learn. Either experience or just go home: don't collect borrowed words.
How coarse
How coarse. Rinzai and Pu'hua at dinner: 'A hair swallows the great sea, a mustard seed contains Mount Sumeru.' Pu'hua kicked over the table. 'How coarse!' 'What place is this—talking about coarse and fine?' Next day, same thing. 'Blind man! What has Buddha-dharma got to do with coarse and fine?' Rinzai stuck out his tongue. American traffic shootings—people stuck for hours, shooting strangers. How coarse: Zen goes beyond all distinctions of fine and coarse. The kicked table is the answer.
Relax and disappear
Relax and disappear. 'What is the white cow of the dewy ground?' 'Moo! Moo!' 'You are dumb!' 'How about you?' 'You animal!' A nun shouted—Rinzai hit her. 'Which comes closer—stick or shout?' Lo'pu shouted—Rinzai hit him. Zen has no ritual, no mantra, no sacrifice—not even God. All religions look like entertainment compared to Zen. Relax and disappear: the shout and the stick both cut through the ego. The white cow is your original nature—don't conceptualize it, just be it.
All you can do is drop your mind
All you can do is drop your mind. Horin: 'Into the sea, moonlight falls clear and shadowless, but the wanton fish deceive themselves.' Rinzai: 'If moonlight is without shadows, how can fish be deceived?' 'When you meet a master swordsman, show him your sword. When you meet a man who is not a poet, do not show him your poem.' Zen is not theology but being-to-being communion. The disciple must rise to the master's height. All you can do is drop your mind: truth is not achieved by effort but by dropping.
There is no final destination
There is no final destination. Kingyu held his stick crosswise—Rinzai struck it three times and sat in the first seat. Kingyu: 'Where are you from, and why so rude?' Rinzai struck him. Kingyu pretended to fall. 'Today things were not to my advantage.' Isan asked Kyozan: 'Was either winner or loser?' 'When one wins, one wins unconditionally. When one loses, one loses unconditionally.' Everything in life is conditioned—Zen wants you to approach life unconditionally. There is no final destination: the journey itself is the goal.
Holidays are not for saints
Holidays are not for saints. Rinzai: 'Grasp and use, but never name—this is the mysterious principle.' Dying, he said: 'After I am gone, do not destroy my treasury of the true eye of the law.' Sansho: 'Who would have the cheek?' 'If someone asks about the true eye, how will you reply?' 'Kwatz!' 'Who would have thought a blind donkey would destroy it?' The dragon in the Museum of Gods: East sees it as benevolent, West as the devil. Grasp and use, but never name: truth is beyond all labels. Holidays are not for saints—enlightenment is for every day.