Blue Cliff Record, Case 22

Hsueh Feng taught the assembly saying, “On South Mountain there’s a turtle-nosed snake. All of you people must take a good look.”

Ch’ang Ch’ing said, “In the hall today there certainly are people who are losing their bodies and their lives.”

A monk related this to Hsuan Sha. Hsuan Sha said, “It takes Elder Brother Leng (Ch’ang Ch’ing) to be like this. Nevertheless, I am not this way.”

The monk asked, “What about you, Teacher?”

Hsuan Sha said, “Why make use of ‘South Mountain’?”

Yun men took his staff and threw it down in front of Hsueh Feng, making a gesture of fright.

Reflections

The most important player of this koan is the turtle-nosed snake. What is a turtle-nosed snake? And what does the turtle-nosed snake represent? Obviously, a venomous snake, when threatened, can be an instrument of death. And the turtle-nosed snake in China was considered to be the most venomous of snakes. South Mountain was near Hsueh Feng’s monastery.

So what is Hsueh Feng saying to us?

Everybody should take a good look at the turtle-nosed snake that resides on the nearby mountain.

Everybody must handle this turtle-nosed snake—be bitten by it—and die.

That’s the teaching of the koan. It is important that we die in order to realize our true selves. There’s nothing new here. Jesus said it. We must take up our cross and die, then can we be reborn.

In Zen this is called the Great Death. The Great Death is necessary if we are to realize the enlightened heart within our heart. The host within the host.

The snake is the death. The Great Death. The snake is the Dragon Gate. The Dragon Gate is the most dangerous place in the ocean of life and death. Fish must swim through this place. Many manage to get to this gate—make a dash to swim through the mad swirling waters and do not make it. They are sucked down by the strong whirlpool, dragged to the bottom and drown. Many approach the Dragon Gate and turn back. They are too frightened to try. The few who do thrust themselves into the swirling vortex of the waters, make it through the gate, and emerge on the other side, are transformed into dragons.

This is exactly what happens in zazen. Zazen is the dragon-gate. When you begin to sit you are a mere sardine. But a strong zazen experience can transform you into a dragon.

The process of transformation is death—the Great Death.

Death to the old fishself.

Rebirth to the mighty dragon.

The turtle-nosed snake rears its venomous head in many guises throughout koan literature.

It is Pai Chang’s “tiger,”

Chao-chou’s “Drinking tea,”

Lin-chi’s “Mui,”—the person of no-rank.

It is Great Master Ma’s “Sun-face Buddha—Moon-face Buddha.”

It is Bankei’s “Unborn,”

It is Dongshan’s “Three pounds of flax.”

It is Un Men’s “Dried piece of shit.”

It is the pebble that strikes bamboo and causes enlightenment.

It is that moment when you see and feel and know, not only in your heart and mind—but in every cell of your body—you know!

The turtle-nosed snake is the instrument of death!

The turtle-nosed snake is death!

The turtle-nosed snake is life!

The turtle-nosed snake is enlightenment itself!

The turtle-nosed snake is the counting of breaths.

The turtle-nosed snake is zazen.

The turtle-nosed snake is wrestling with your koan.

The turtle-nosed snake is chanting the sutras.

The turtle-nosed snake is the Tara manta.

The turtle-nosed snake is Avalokiteshvara.

The turtle-nosed snake is Buddha.

You are the turtle-nosed snake.

Ch’ang Ch’ing said, “In the hall today there certainly are people who are losing their bodies and their lives.”

Of course!

When you do zazen.

You are dying.

You are giving up your opinions, your preconceptions, your belief-systems.

You are giving everything up.

Whatever it is that you have, you drop.

You drop Zen Buddhism.

You drop zazen itself.

You drop Koan study.

What is Koan study? Whatever it is, whether it is Hakuin’s “method,” or Bernie’s “method,” or even Mui’s “method.” Whatever it is you drop it.

You drop the Four Noble Truths.

You drop the Three Treasures.

You drop the Twelve-Fold Chain of Causation.

Do you see where you are?

Smack in the heart of the Heart Sutra!

Not born, not destroyed.
Not stained, not pure.
Neither waxing nor waning …
Not sensation, nor perception, reaction
nor consciousness.
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind.
No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, thing.
No realm of sight, no realm of consciousness.
No ignorance, no end to ignorance.
No old age and death.
No cessation of old age and death.
No suffering, no cause or end to suffering.
No path, no wisdom, and no gain.

This is the Great Death.

South Mountain is irrelevant. It just happened to be there at the time of the koan incident. It could happen here in Oakland.

The crucial precondition of transformation is death—the Great Death.

How many of you are willing to smash through the Dragon Gate?

How many of you are willing to drop your convictions?

Your preconceptions?

Your ideas of right and wrong?

Your belief-systems?

Your theologies?

Psychologies?

Political parties?

Economic theories?

Whatever it may be?

How many of you are willing to drop the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha?

How many of you are willing to drop the teachings of Jesus Christ?

Of the Christian Church you belong to?

Of the teachings of the Jewish Prophets?

Of whatever religious belief system you treasure?

Shakyamuni said, “No views!”

No ands ifs or buts.

Give up all views, then you will see!

Shakyamuni himself had to give up the views that he had. He had to give up the four holy truths, the eightfold path, etcetera. etcetera, etcetera. Back again to the Heart Sutra.

No path no wisdom and no gain.

None of the teachings of Shakyamuni worth a damn! Give them all up and die! All of the koan study—useless. Some of you have suffered with Margaret and me through years of koan study. Useless! A complete waste of time! The very words I am speaking, right now, that you are hearing—useless. Better I shut up. My eyebrows are thick and knotty.

Better you stop up your ears and not listen.

My words may be a venomous snake, spitting poison.

***

Hsueh Feng said, “On South Mountain there’s a turtle-nosed snake. All of you people must have a good look.”

Ch’ang Ch’ing said, “In the hall today there are people who are losing their bodies and their lives.”

A monk related this to Hsuan Sha. Hsuan Sha said, “Ch’ang Ch’ing is like this. I am not.”

The monk asked, “What about you, Teacher?”

Hsuan Sha said, “Why ‘South Mountain’?”

Yun men took his stick and threw it down in front of Hsueh Feng (making a gesture of fright).