Problem Gate

Zen Master Seung Sahn once said:

Mouth is number one problem gate!

Then he said:

A long time ago, twelve hundred people gathered on Vulture Peak to hear the Buddha speak. On this day, he did not open his mouth. A minute passed, then two, then three. Finally, everyone began to wonder, "Why won't Buddha speak?"

Buddha then picked up one flower. No one understood - only Mahakashyapa, his number one student. Mahakashyapa smiled.

The Buddha said, "My true dharma transmission goes to you." Buddha never opened his mouth. Mahakashyapa never opened his mouth. Buddha only picked up a flower. Mahakashyapa only smiled. They connected.

Today, I pick up a flower. Buddha's flower, my flower, are they the same or different? Open your mouth, I will hit you. Close your mouth, I will hit you. What can you do?

How can we avoid getting hit?

Photograph of Vulture Peak (in Arizona) by Rael B

Comments

[Jordan]

Duck!

[MyoChi]

I can relate to this so well, my mouth does not always make me proud.

Another thing I have come to understand is that whatever I say, it is my perspective, originating from place where I stand and see things. Others are standing in their place and seeing things and they will have perspective based upon that. At the end of the day, there is nothing absolute, it is all relative and subjective. There is no right or wrong, just different.

[Glenda]

Mouth is number one problem gate!

...and keyboard may be a close second.

Lovely picture of Vulture Peak. It's everywhere, including Arizona :-)

Bows,
Glenda

[John Small]

:-I

[Puerhan]

Why avoid getting hit?

*whack* ... thank you Master.

~gassho~

[David Clark]

A timely post, this Problem Gate! I think Glenda here has the right of it as well. Having recently shot my big keyboard/mouth off, I'll take the grateful hit and pen these lines.

Mahakashyapa's smile,
A Dharma treasure,
Act in haste,
Repent at leisure.

[Barry Briggs]

Hi Jordan - you ducked, but I heard the blow on the back of your head!

Hi Myo Chi - Oh, we do cling to our view and position, don't we? How can we let go of this? That's the work of this story - you get hit either way, so then what?

Glenda - Yes. The keyboard. Yes. What a setup.

Puerhan, It's like scratching your left foot, when your right foot itches. I'm no master, but I'm learning to pay attention to my body!

David, thank you for your inspired and inspiring poem! It's certainly worth a post!

Thanks again, everyone!

Barry

[doug rogers]

"Open your mouth, I will hit you. Close your mouth, I will hit you."

Neither open my mouth to answer - it is closed- nor close it. I can't make the action of closing it if it wasn't open.

But that's only the lips and jaws and plays with the transliteration.

It's about language/ labelling / discriminating / grasping…

Look with your eyes, hear with your ears, breathe with your nose.

"Buddha's flower, my flower, are they the same or different?"

You just said so. Neither the same nor different. Just experience.

[Barry Briggs]

Thank you for your comment, Doug!