Tōzan, Where There Is No Grass

Banshō's commentary on the case

Sekisō encountered the Huichang calamity and, wearing lay clothing, lived in the potters' quarter of Liuyang in Tanzhou. At the beginning of the Dazhong era, when summer was complete, a monk arrived from Tōzan. Sekisō asked, “Where have you recently left?” The monk said, “Tōzan.” Sekisō asked, “What words did the venerable use to instruct his followers?” The monk said, “Recently, on the day the summer retreat was released, the venerable ascended the hall and told the assembly, ‘Brothers, at the beginning of autumn and end of summer, some of you go east, some west. You must go where for ten thousand li there is not an inch of grass.’ “After a long pause he said, ‘But how does one go where for ten thousand li there is not an inch of grass?’” Sekisō said, “Outside the gate is immediately grass.” The monk returned and reported this to Tōzan. Tōzan said, “This is a saying of a spiritual friend capable of guiding fifteen hundred people. How many such people can there be in the Great Tang?”³ Thereafter the awl began to emerge from the bag and the ripe fruit released its fragrance. The assembly invited Sekisō to put on monastic robes again and reside at the Mount Sekisō practice place, fulfilling Wuben's prediction. Through this case Sekisō's practice of the Way spread beneath heaven.² Later Zen Master Yan of Dayang said, “Today I would simply say: even without leaving the gate, grass spreads endlessly. Now say: where should one proceed?” After a long pause he said: Do not guard the cold cliff where strange grass grows green; sitting attached to white clouds does not make the lineage wondrous. National Teacher Shan of Yuantong said: “Now say: how do you speak one phrase directly beneath your heels? “If you say, ‘For ten thousand li, not an inch of grass,’ I permit you to visit Tōzan. “If you say, ‘Outside the gate is immediately grass,’ I permit you to visit Sekisō. “If you say, ‘Without leaving the gate, grass spreads endlessly,’ I permit you to visit Dayang. “If you cannot say any of them, I permit you to visit Yansheng. Why? Only a fine wind comes to the mat; no idle speech falls into the human world.” Banshō says: If you want to speak all three phrases completely, you must further visit Tendō. Dayang said, “I would simply say: even without leaving the gate, grass spreads endlessly.” Tendō immediately says, “Grass spreads endlessly. Inside the gate and outside the gate—you look for yourself.” It is just like speaking without deliberate intention and roaming playfully within it. “Outside the gate is grass” is easy for everyone to know and also easy to turn within. “Without leaving the gate, there is grass” is difficult to know and difficult to turn within. Therefore it is said, “Countless people die on level ground; one who passes through the thorn forest is a skilled hand.” Tendō says instead: In the thorn forest, setting down the foot is easy. On level, clean ground, without leaving the gate and courtyard, turning beyond the night-bright curtain is extremely difficult.⁴ Each person must put an eye to it; no one can substitute for another. He also says, “How many kinds?” Yansheng has four kinds; Banshō has five. Inspect them and they do not go beyond the final two lines. Do you want to recognize Tendō's place after the palm? Though the tiger is lean, its fierce heart remains; though a person is poor, resolve remains.⁵