Hyakujo: The Everest of Zen, with Basho's Haikus - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 4. LIE DOWN AND WITNESSTHIS POOR MONK... how can he have any dharma, any teaching by which to liberate others? Itis difficult on the surface to understand Zen. But just a more deeper insight into it, and it blossomsinto beautiful flowers. The ”poor monk” means one who has become part of the universe. He hasbecome so much part of the universe that he himself is the dharma. He cannot have dharma. Hecannot have dharma as an object. His very soul radiates the truth, he cannot have it. Because he isno more, only truth radiates in utter silence, in utter nothingness. And the idea of liberating others isabsolutely stupid. You cannot liberate anyone. You can liberate only yourself.THEY EXCLAIMED, ”ALL ZEN MASTERS ARE OF THE SAME STUFF!” Disappointed they couldnot understand what this fellow was talking about. They said all Zen masters are of the same stuff;they are all strange fellows. You ask something and they will answer something so far-fetched, thatyou could have never imagined before. AT THIS, HYAKUJO ASKED THEM, ”WHAT DHARMAS DOyou VIRTUOUS ONES EXPOUND FOR LIBERATING OTHERS?”THE MONKS REPLIED, ”OH, WE EXPOUND THE DIAMOND SUTRA.” This is one of the mostbeautiful sutras of Buddha. HYAKUJO ASKED, ”HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU EXPOUNDED IT?”It is a very big voluminous scripture. It takes years to finish one reading. Read the sutra, explain it,explain the commentaries made upon it and sometimes commentaries upon commentaries. TheDiamond Sutra has in itself a whole library. It itself is a very long scripture. Then there arecommentaries, but the commentaries are also so difficult that more commentaries are needed.Sometimes you will find a fifth or sixth commentary, and if you are really teaching, you have to takeaccount of all the commentaries and make your point. Perhaps that may be a new commentary.THEY ANSWERED, ”MORE THAN TWENTY TIMES.”HYAKUJO CONTINUED, ”BY WHOM WAS IT SPOKEN?” TO THIS THE MONKS ANSWEREDINDIGNANTLY – obviously angry because they know that Hyakujo at least must know, thatThe Diamond Sutra was spoken by Gautam Buddha. TO THIS THE MONKS ANSWEREDINDIGNANTLY: ”MASTER, YOU MUST BE JOKING! OF COURSE YOU KNOW THAT IT WASSPOKEN BY THE BUDDHA.” HYAKUJO SAID: ”WELL, THAT SUTRA STATES...” In The DiamondSutra itself there are statements which will be very difficult for teachers to understand or make othersunderstand.HYAKUJO SAID: ”WELL, THAT SUTRA STATES: ‘IF SOMEONE SAYS THE TATHAGATAEXPOUNDS THE DHARMA, HE THEREBY SLANDERS THE BUDDHA!” Tathagata is anothername for Buddha, very significant, very meaningful. It comes from the root tathata, suchness,thusness, thisness – always this moment, from everywhere pointing suchness, thisness. BecauseBuddha devoted his whole life to the present moment, people started calling him Tathagata, the manwho teaches tathata.IF SOMEONE SAYS THAT THE BUDDHA EXPOUNDS THE DHARMA, HE THEREBY SLANDERSTHE BUDDHA – a very strange statement, but very beautiful and very meaningful. He is saying,that there is no way to expound the truth. You can only make statements pointing to the truth butthose statements don’t contain the truth. Just like the finger pointing to the moon, the finger doesnot contain the moon.So Buddha says that if anybody says that Buddha expounds the dharma, he thereby slanders theBuddha and you, those dharma masters were doing the same thing – teaching, expounding. AndHyakujo: The Everest of Zen, with Basho’s Haikus 64 Osho