Senior Jō's Great Awakening

Engo's commentary on the case

Look at this direct exiting and entering, direct going and coming: the true Rinzai lineage has such function. Penetrate it and you can overturn heaven and earth and function freely. Senior Jō was this kind of person. Slapped by Rinzai, he bowed, rose, and knew where the matter came down. A straightforward northerner, after attaining he did not teach publicly, but later used Rinzai's working completely and with outstanding freedom. On the road he met Gantō, Seppō, and Kinzan. Gantō asked where he came from. “Rinzai.” “How is the master?” “He has passed away.” Gantō said they had intended to bow to Rinzai but lacked the fortune. He asked for a saying. Jō related Rinzai's instruction: “On the lump of red flesh is a true person of no rank, constantly entering and leaving through your face. Those who have not verified it—look!” A monk asked for that person. Rinzai seized him and demanded, “Speak!” When he deliberated, Rinzai pushed him away: “The true person of no rank—what a dry shit-stick!” and returned to his quarters.¹ Gantō involuntarily stuck out his tongue. Kinzan said, “Why did he not say, ‘not a true person of no rank’?” Jō seized Kinzan. “How far apart are ‘true person of no rank’ and ‘not a true person of no rank’? Speak quickly!” Kinzan had no words; his face turned yellow and blue. Gantō and Seppō bowed and asked Jō compassionately to release the newly ordained monk, who did not know good from bad. Jō said, “If not for these two old fellows, I would have battered this bed-wetting ghost to death.” Returning from a feast at Zhenzhou, Jō rested on a bridge and met three scripture lecturers. One asked, “At the deepest place in Zen's river, one must plumb the bottom. What does this mean?” Jō seized him and prepared to throw him from the bridge. The other two urgently interceded. Jō said, “If not for these two lecturers, I would let him plumb it to the bottom.”² See his methods: entirely Rinzai's function. Now see Setchō's verse. “Duanji's whole working continues the later track. Bringing it forth, why must there be composure?” Duanji is Ōbaku. Of those who inherited his great working and function, Rinzai alone continued the track. Bring it forth and there is no room for deliberation; hesitate and fall into the shadow realm. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra says, “When I press down my finger, the ocean-seal emits light; when you briefly raise a thought, defilement arises first.”³ “The Giant Spirit raises his hand—no great matter; he splits Mount Hua into ten thousand layers.” The Giant Spirit possessed vast power and split Mount Taihua with his hand so water could flow into the Yellow River.⁴ Senior Jō's doubtful feeling was piled like mountains and peaks. Rinzai's single slap made tiles shatter and ice melt.