Mumonkan / Wumenguan · CASE 35
Seijo's Soul Leaves Her Body
The Gateless Gate
Case
Wuzu asked a monk, “Seijo's soul left her body. Which one was the real Seijo?”1
Verse
Cloud and moon are the same; streams and mountains each differ. Every blessing, every blessing— is it one, or is it two?
Footnotes 1
- In the Tang tale, Seijo's spirit departs with her beloved while a body-like Seijo remains ill at home; the two later reunite. The case's question depends on that duplication. ↩
About this version and its sources
- Full source citation
- 倩女離魂 — CBETA T2005: T48n2005_p0297b16–p0297b24.
- 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
- dbc53f9cf980
Wumen's commentary
If you realize the real one here, you will know that leaving a shell and entering a shell are like lodging at an inn. If not, do not run about wildly. When earth, water, fire, and wind suddenly disperse, you will be like a crab dropped into boiling water, flailing seven hands and eight legs. Do not say then that I did not warn you.