Koku (Tanahashi)

Space 虚空 Shobogenzo Koku, translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Alan Senauke Provoked by the question, “What is right here?” the way actualizes and buddha ancestors emerge. The actualization of the buddha ancestors’ way has been handed down heir by heir. Thus, the whole body of skin, flesh, bones, and marrow hangs in empty space. Space is not classified within the twenty types of emptiness. Indeed, emptiness is not limited merely to the twenty types of emptiness. There are eighty-four thousand types of emptiness and more. Shigong, who would later become Zen Master Huizang of Fu Region, asked his younger dharma brother Xitang, who would later be Zen Master Zhizang, “Do you know how to grasp space?” Xitang said, “Yes, I do.” Shigong said, “How do you grasp it?” Xitang stroked the air with his hand. Shigong said, “You don’t know how to grasp space.” Xitang responded, “How do you grasp it, elder brother?” Shigong poked his finger in Zhigong’s nostril and yanked his nose. Xitang grunted in pain and said, “You’re killing me! You tried to pull off my nose.” Shigong said, “You can grasp it now.” Shigong said, Do you know how to grasp space? He was asking whether the entire body is hands and eyes. Xitang said, Yes, I do. Space is one piece but is divided with a touch. As soon as it is divided, space has fallen to the ground. Shigong said, How do you grasp it? Even if you call it thusness, it changes quickly. Although it changes, it slips away as thusness. Xitang stroked the air with his hand. He knew how to ride on a tiger’s head, but didn’t know how to grab its tail. Shigong said, You don’t know how to grasp space. Not only did Xitang not know how to grasp it, but he had never dreamed of space. The gap between them was profound, yet Shigong did not want to speak for the other. Xitang responded, How do you grasp it, elder brother? Thus, Xitang wanted Shigong to speak for himself, not depending on Xitang to say it all. Shigong poked his finger in Zhigong’s nostril and yanked his nose. Know that Shigong hid his body in Zhigong’s nostril. This is the same as Shigong poking his own nostril. Thus, space is one ball which bounces here and there. Xitang grunted in pain and said, You’re killing me! You tried to pull off my nose. He thought he had met another person, but right there he actually met himself. At this moment, isolating himself was not possible. This is how you should study the self. Shigong said, You can grasp it now. This is certainly a way to grasp space. It is not that Shigong and another Shigong reached out together with one hand; it is not that one space and another space reached out together with one hand. No effort was needed [for grasping space]. There is no gap in the entire world to let space in, but this story has been a peal of thunder in space. From the time of Shigong and Xitang there have been many practitioners regarded as masters of the Five Schools, but few of them have seen, heard, and understood space. Some of those before and after Shigong and Xitang tried to play with space, but there are few who have reached it. Shigong took up space but Xitang did not see it. Let me respond to Shigong. You grabbed Zhigong’s nose. If this was to grasp space, you should have grasped your own nose. You should have grasped your own finger with a finger. You have some understanding of grasping space. Even if you have a good finger to grasp space, you should penetrate the inside and outside of space. You should kill space and give life to space. You should know the weight of space. You should trust that the buddha ancestors’ endeavor of the way in aspiration, practice, and enlightenment through challenging dialogues is no other than grasping space. Rujing, my late master, Old Buddha Tiantong, said, “The entire body [of a wind bell] is a mouth hanging in emptiness.” Thus, we know that the entire body of space is hanging in emptiness. Once, Lecturer Liang of Mt. Xi, Hong Region, studied with Mazu, who said, “Which sutra do you teach?” Liang said, “The Heart Sutra.” Mazu said, “How do you teach it?” Liang said, “I teach it with the heart [mind].” Mazu said, “The heart is like a main actor. The will is like a supporting actor. The objects of the six senses are like their company. How do they understand your teaching of the sutra?” Liang said, “If the heart doesn’t understand it, does emptiness understand it?” Mazu said, “Yes, it does.” Liang flipped his sleeves and started to walk away. Mazu called, “Lecturer.” Liang turned his head around. Mazu said, “Just this, from birth till death.” At this moment Liang had realization. He hid himself at Mt. Xi and no one heard about him any longer. In this way buddha ancestors all expound sutras. What expounds sutras is empty space [boundlessness]. Without being empty space, no one can expound even one single sutra. Expounding the Heart Sutra and expounding the body sutra are both done with empty space. With empty space, thinking is actualized and beyond thinking is actualized. Empty space is wisdom with a teacher, wisdom without a teacher, knowing by birth, knowing by learning. Becoming a buddha, becoming an ancestor is also empty space. Vasubandhu, the Twenty-first Ancestor, said: Mind is like the world of space equally bringing forth things of emptiness. When you realize space there is nothing good or bad. Now, the person who faces the wall meets the wall that faces the person. Here is the mind of a wall, the mind of a decayed tree. This is the world of space. Awakening others with this body, manifesting this body to speak dharma is equally bringing forth things of emptiness. Being used by the twelve hours of the day and using the twelve hours of the day is, When you realize space. If the rock’s head is large, its base is large. If the rock’s head is small, its base is small. This is, “There is nothing good or bad.” Investigate the fact right now that empty space is the treasury of the true dharma eye, the wondrous heart of nirvana. This was presented to the assembly of the Daibutsu Monastery, Echizen Province, on the sixth day, the third month, the third year of the Kangen Era [1245]..

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