Jizō's “Most Intimate”

Banshō's commentary on the case

Yang Wuwei asked Master Fuyō Kai, “How many years has it been since we parted?” Fuyō said, “Seven years.” Yang asked, “Have you been studying the Way or investigating Zen?” Fuyō said, “I do not beat that drum or play that flute.” Yang said, “Then you have wandered mountains and waters in vain and are capable of nothing at all.” Fuyō said, “Though we have not been apart long, you have become quite skilled at lofty discernment.” Yang laughed loudly. Nansen said, “The Way does not belong to knowing and does not belong to not knowing. Knowing is deluded awareness; not knowing is indeterminacy.”³ People today see the saying “Not knowing is most intimate,” and further that this was Hōgen's point of awakening, and then remain altogether in not knowing and not understanding, declaring only this to be it. They do not realize that one phrase of the ancients covers universally like heaven and supports universally like earth. If “not knowing is most intimate,” what about Heze's statement, “The single word knowing is the gate of the myriad wonders”? When it is, everything is; do not sit in the place of “is.” When it is not, everything is not; do not sit in the place of “is not.” Penetrating together the five positions of straight and partial, how could one die beneath a phrase? Even this place where Hōgen awakened was a pattern formed by chance. Master Dayin of Boshan said, “It was turning misfortune into blessing.” Jizō's method of receiving people placed the hook in the place of no doubt and suddenly dropped the line. Hōgen sharply came to his senses: originally it was right here. The old teacher of Cizhou said, “While walking or sitting, at the moment before a mental thought arises, sharply raise it and look. Whether you see or do not see, put that too to one side. Practicing this way, resting does not obstruct investigation, and investigation does not obstruct resting.” Master Qing of Touzi said, “Once the golden dragon loses the water, the Garuda swiftly lifts it.” Jizō's time, conditions, causes, and circumstances left not a hairsbreadth of space. Tendō has a tongue at the tip of his brush and proclaims it again. The Source Mirror says, “From the beginning, delusion and awakening resembled delusion; today, awakening to delusion is not awakening.” Thus it is said: “After awakening, one is still the same as a person who has not awakened.” When Jizō asked, he wanted to know the principle on which Hōgen had set out. Hōgen's answer was neither modesty nor evasion. Jizō took the opportunity and lifted him once: “Not knowing is most intimate.” Hōgen greatly awakened: originally this not-knowing was intimate. Rinzai asked Rakuho, “Where have you come from?” Rakuho said, “From Luancheng.” Rinzai asked, “May I borrow your attention for a question?” Rakuho said, “I do not understand.” Rinzai said, “Break apart the whole Great Tang and you still cannot find a person who does not understand.” Rinzai regularly used the knife that kills and also had the sword that gives life. He was unlike Jizō, who killed a person and showed blood, working for the person through to completion. This not-knowing and not-understanding is wholly and distinctly different. One must directly shed every fine filament before reaching the place of not-knowing and not-understanding.⁴ When Isan called the community to open fields, Kyōzan asked, “Why is this end so low and that end so high?” Isan said, “Water can level things. Simply level it with water.” Kyōzan said, “Water too is no basis. Abbot, simply level the high place as high and the low place as low.” Isan assented. Master Sengzhao's Treatise on Prajna's Not-Knowing says, “When dharmas are not different, does that mean lengthening a duck's legs, cutting a crane's, leveling mountains, and filling [the place represented by the source gaiji], and only then making them undifferentiated?” Thus it says, “Let short be short and long be long; stop cutting and patching. Following high and low, each levels itself.”² Zhang Wujin said, “A thousand kinds of propping and adjusting expend effort; following everything becomes skillful means.” Just speak as the mouth trusts, use as the hand trusts, walk as the foot trusts. Flowers open in spring; leaves fall in autumn. If you understand it this way, what donkey legs are you walking on? Thus Gensha did not leave the mountain ridge, Baoshou did not cross the river, and without leaving the gate they knew affairs under heaven. Juefan versified: One face is only as large as a small dish; eyes, ears, nose, and tongue divide their borders. Inside the skull, altogether nothing is known; let those outside compete to fabricate marvels. The mouth asked the nose, “Food and drink lie with me; speech lies with me. What merit do you have that you stand above me?” The nose said, “Among the Five Peaks, the central peak occupies the honored place.” The nose then asked the eyes, “Why are you above me?” The eyes said, “I am like sun and moon and truly possess the function of illumination and reflection.” They dared ask the eyebrows, “What merit do you have that you are placed above us?” The eyebrows said, “I truly have no merit and am ashamed to occupy the upper position. If you allow me below, with the eyes looking down from above the eyebrows, what kind of face would you have?”⁵ Thus Zen Master Ming of Baoyue ascended the hall and said, “An ancient said: in the eye it is called seeing; in the ear it is called hearing. Tell me: in the eyebrows, what is it called?” After a long pause he said, “In sorrow they grieve together; in joy they rejoice together. Everyone knows the use of the useful; no one knows the great use of the useless.” Tell me: what was the intention when Venerable Pindola parted his eyebrows with both hands? Banshō parted his eyebrows and said, “Cat.”