The "Joshu said that tea is the key to Zen" quote

[Deerock]

I just done reading Usagi Yojimbo Book 18: Travels with Jotaro a few days ago and I came across the quote from Usagi, "Joshu said that tea is the key to Zen". After I done reading the storynotes in the book, I realized Joshu/Zhaozhou is actually Chan (zen) master "Zhàozhou" Tsóng-niàn from Tang Dynasty.

To Honour Sakai Sensei's effort for making his stories rich and deep, I did a page to take fellow Usagi fans further into this topic:
http://members.shaw.ca/Deerock/Welcome/ ... 0essay.htm

If you have extra times, please visit my website:
http://members.shaw.ca/deerock/

Also check out my Usagi fan-arts by the buttom of this page:
http://members.shaw.ca/cleaving/

[takematsu]

A remarkable irony that the rickety physical bridge in the story has been replaced with something more like its metaphorical counterpart. I wonder how the master would react (other than calmly ).

Cool page. It's nice to get extra background.

[Deerock]

Thanks for taking your time checking out this page of mine. I hope my sub-standard writing skill (I am a cartoonist, not a English major) is not causing you any trouble.

There's one quite funny (yes, the "Har har" funny) thing about Zen Buddhism is that a lot of the masters are very fond of using riddles for their teaching. I think its because the most eassential idea of Chan-zong (Zen Buddhism) is the word "Kong" (sounds more like Kung of Kungfu). It means empty, nothing. The whole idea is that Zen Buddhism teachs people don't get too stuck to the idea which is spoken, written or whatever by others. One have to learn to figure out these Zen stuff and philosophy by putting oneself through it (such as appling these to our daily life) to achieve it.

What I said could be just one way to interpretate it because there are many ways to interpret the word "Kong" as one can think of.

[takematsu]

my sub-standard writing skill (I am a cartoonist, not a English major) is not causing you any trouble

I think a recent off-board e-mail will answer that worry; man, you're doing a lot better in English than most of us can do in Chinese.

The whole idea is that Zen Buddhism teachs people don't get too stuck to the idea which is spoken, written or whatever by others.

One of my favourite Buddhist stories, although I don't know if it's Zen:

Two monks are travelling through Japan when it starts to rain. They reach a crossroads, churned to muck by previous travellers. Standing the the edge of the mud is a beautiful woman, who by her dress is obviously a courtesan-- she clearly fears messing up her expensive clothes trying to ford the goo.

The first monk, mindful of the part of his vows about avoiding temptation with women, looks firmly at the ground and walks on. The other monk stops, asks the courtesan if she needs help, and carries her across the mud. She thanks him, he says "t'weren't nothin' (in Japanese)," and she goes on her way. The monks carry on in a different direction, and the first monk spends some time glaring at his companion.

That night, at a small temple they've chosen to stay in, the first monk can no longer contain himself. "How could you break the rules of our order that way?! When I tell our Abbot what you did, you'll be in GREAT BIG TROUBLE!"

The second monk looks up from brushing mud from his robes. "Are you STILL carrying that woman around? I put her down back at the crossroads."

[Avylin]

This is only vaguely topical, but it's an amusing link all the same. My apologies if it's been around this way before; I'm relatively new.

Zen Stories to Tell Your Neighbors.

[Deerock]

To takematsu....

The story you mentioned is definitly Zen Buddhism because it fits the word "Kong" or "Kung" for sure. Because the monk who carreid the woman only saw a person needed help instead of a courtesan. Thus he achieved "Kung" by not let him tied up with the rules (of touching a woman?) and able to see the fact that its simply someone needed help. Meanwhile, his companion couldn't even "let go" the fact that he touched a woman in order to help her. This is a metaphor of the first monk still carried the woman in his mind in contrast the 2nd monk carried her to help her. On the other hand, the 2nd monk saw his deed as a simple act, nothing to it and he won't even praise himself over it again and again (another way to achieve "Kung").

That night, at a small temple they've chosen to stay in, the first monk can no longer contain himself. "How could you break the rules of our order that way?! When I tell our Abbot what you did, you'll be in GREAT BIG TROUBLE!"

The second monk looks up from brushing mud from his robes. "Are you STILL carrying that woman around? I put her down back at the crossroads."

By the way, I just figure out the most similar quote for this idea. It is "Let go, Luke." from Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars IV: A New Hope. Where the part Luke is going to launch the proton torpedo at the first Death Star's vent.

In a Zen Buddhist way to see this. Luke achieved "Kong" when he put away the targeting equipment ("let go" the earthly rules) and relied on the Force (to listen to his innerself?). Of course, this is just merely my own interpretation.

To Avylin.

Thanks for sharing the link. It's nice to read how others think of these zen stories.

[Izo]

I enjoyed that story it was very good. I think that Monk 2 would have actually broken the rules.. He was holding on to that thought of the woman while Monk 1 went on with his ways...

[ziritrion]

Those were a great set of links. Thank you all for sharing them!

[takematsu]

I also quite like Avlylin's link, but some of the responses to the stories are shocking. The one that sticks in my head-- someone's amazed that a high-ranking Buddhist priest wouldn't have read the (Christian) Bible. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out a Cardinal hadn't thumbed through any of the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra... 'cuz he's not a buddhist Go figure.