Mumonkan / Wumenguan · CASE 11
Jōshū Examines Two Hermits
The Gateless Gate
Case
Jōshū went to a hermit's dwelling and asked, “Is it here? Is it here?” The hermit raised his fist. Jōshū said, “The water is shallow—not a place to moor a boat.” Then he left. He went to another hermit's dwelling and again asked, “Is it here? Is it here?” This hermit also raised his fist. Jōshū said, “You can release and seize, kill and give life.” Then he bowed.
Verse
Eyes like shooting stars, response like lightning— the knife that kills, the sword that gives life.
Footnotes 1
About this version and its sources
- Full source citation
- CBETA T2005: T48n2005_p0294b05–p0294b17.
- Method
- Direct critical-edition translation from the cited received base text. Source claims, hagiography, uncertainty, and unresolved readings remain identified in the notes and project record.
- Editorial uncertainty
- Independent philological and reader review remain pending.
- Rights
- Project translation © Tulsa Zen Center Critical Edition contributors. Source text is cited by edition; redistribution policy requires final organizational approval.
- Revision identifier
- 5cf226660a74
Mumon's commentary
Mumon said: The raised fists were exactly alike. Why did Jōshū approve one and reject the other? Tell me: where is the snag? If you can give a turning word here, you will see that Jōshū's tongue has no bone: he has complete freedom to prop up or knock down. Even so, there is no getting around the fact that the two hermits saw through Jōshū. If you say the hermits were better or worse than one another, you do not yet have the eye of study. If you say there was no difference between them, you do not yet have the eye of study either.1