Married, Father, United
A monk asked Tozan when he was weighing some flax: `What is Buddha?’
Tozan said: `This flax weighs three pounds.’
Mumon’s Comment: Old Tozan’s Zen is like a clam. The minute the shell opens you see the whole inside. However, I want to ask you: Do you see the real Tozan?
ThrZee pounds of flax in front of your nose,
Close enough, and mind is still closer.
Whoever talks about affirmation and negation
Lives in the right and wrong region.
Chu, called Kokushi, the teacher of the emperor, called to his attendant: `Oshin.’
Oshin answered: `Yes.’Chu repeated, to test his pupil: `Oshin.’
Oshin repeated: `Yes.’
Chu called: `Oshin.’
Oshin answered: `Yes.’
Chu said `I ought to apologize for you for all this calling, but really you ought to apologize to me.’
Mumon’s Comment: When Old Chu called Oshin three times his tongue was rotting, but when Oshin answered three tiems his words were brilliant. Chu was getting decrepit and lonesome, and his method of teaching was like holding a cow’s head to feed it clover.
Oshin did not trouble to show his Zen either. His satisfied stomach had no desire to feast. When the country is prosperous everyone is indolent; when the home is wealthy the children are spoilt.
Now I want to ask you: Which one should apologize?
When prison stocks are iron and have no place for the head, the prisoner is doubly in trouble.
When there is no place for Zen in the head of our generation, it is in grievous trouble.
If you try to hold up the gate and door of a falling house,
You also will be in trouble.
Ummon asked: `The world is such a wide world, why do you answer a bell and don ceremonial robes?’
Mumon’s Comment: When one studies Zen one need not follow sound or colour or form. Even though some have attained insight when hearing a voice or seeing a colour or a form, this is a very common way. It is not true Zen. The real Zen student controls sound, colour, form, and actualizes the truth in his everyday life.
Sound comes to the ear, the ear goes to the sound. When you blot out sound and sense, what do you understand? While listening with ears one never can understand. To understand intimately one should see sound.
When you understand, you belong to the family;
When you do not understand, you are a stranger.
Those who do not understand belong to the family,
And when they understand they are strangers.
The soul has followed Moses and the cloud, both of these serving as guides for those who would advance in virtue; Moses her represents the commandments of the Law; and the cloud that leads the way, its spiritual meaning. 
The soul has been purified by crossing the Sea; it has removed from itself and destroyed the enemy army. 
It has tasted of the waters of Marah, that is, of life deprived of all sinful pleasure; and this at first had seemed bitter and unpleasant to the taste but offered a sensation of sweetness to those who accepted the wood. 
Next it enjoyed the beauty of the palm trees of the gospel and the springs; it filled
itself with the living water, that is, the rock. 
It took within itself the bread of heaven. 
It overwhelmed the foreign host – a victory due to the extended arms of the Lawgiver, which thus foreshadowed the mystery of the Cross. 
Only then can the soul go on to the contemplation of transcendent Being. 
Fortunate is the man who has come to have God as his helper and to have his hopes in Him alone.
Let the Devil bear malice towards him, let all men persecute him and plot against him, let all his adversaries fight against him – he never fears anyone, because his has God as his helper.
He remains always a victor, always glorified, always happy, always rich, always cheerful and joyful, even if he happens to fall into extreme poverty and into a great many adverse and grievous circumstances of this present life.
For inasmuch as he hopes in Almighty God, he does not despair, he is not sorry, is not anxious, but expects help from Above.
Fortunate, then, is such a man and worthy to be deemed happy, just as the Prophet-king David regards such a man as happy, saying: “Blessed is he whose helper is the God of Jacob, whose hoe is in the Lord his God.”
Such were all the Prophets, the Apostles, the Martyrs, the Holy Ascetics and all the Saints from the beginning of time.”
Tozan went to Ummon. Ummon asked him where he had come from.
Tozan said: `From Sato village.’Ummon asked: `In what temple did you remain for the summer?’
Tozan replied: `The temple of Hoji, south of the lake.’
`When did you leave there?’ asked Ummon, wondering how long Tozan would continue with such factual answers.
`The twenty-fifth of August,’ answered Tozan.
Ummon said: `I should give you three blows with a stick, but today I forgive you.’
The next day Tozan bowed to Ummon and asked: `Yesterday you forgave me three blows. I do not know why you thought me wrong.’
Ummon, rebuking Tozan’s spiritless responses, said: `You are good for nothing. You simply wander from one monastery to another.’
Before Ummon’s words were ended Tozan was enlightened.
Mumon’s Comment: Ummon fed Tozan good Zen food. If Tozan can digest it, Ummon may add another member to his family.
In the evening Tozan swam around in a sea of good and bad, but at dawn Ummon crushed his nut shell. After all, he wasn’t so smart.
Now, I want to ask: Did Tozan deserve the three blows? If you say yes, not only Tozan but every one of you deserves them. If you say no, Ummon is speaking a lie. If you answer this question clearly, you can eat the same food as Tozan.
The lioness teaches her cubs roughly;
The cubs jump and she knocks them down.
When Ummon saw Tozan his first arrow was light;
His second arrow shot deep.
Nansen saw the monks of the eastern and western halls fighting over a cat. He seized the cat and told the monks: `If any of you say a good word, you can save the cat.’
No one answered. So Nansen boldly cut the cat in two pieces.
That evening Joshu returned and Nansen told him about this. Joshu removed his sandals and, placing them on his head, walked out.
Nansen said: `If you had been there, you could have saved the cat.’
Mumon’s Comment: Why did Joshu put his sandals on his head? If anyone answers this question, he will understand exactly how Nansen enforced the edict. If not, he should watch his own head.
Had Joshu been there,
He would have enforced the edict oppositely.
Joshua snatches the sword
And Nansen begs for his life.
“But Adam did not wish to say, “I sinned,” but said rather the
contrary of this and placed the blame for the transgression upon
God Who created everything “very good,” saying to Him, “The woman
whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I
ate.” And after him she also placed the blame upon the serpent,
and they did not wish at all to repent and, falling down before
the Lord God, beg forgiveness of Him. For this, God banished them
from Paradise, as from a royal palace, to live in this world as
exiles. At that time also He decreed that a flaming sword should
be turned and should guard the entrance into Paradise. And God did
not curse Paradise, since it was the image of the future unending
life of the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. If it were not for this
reason, it would have been fitting to curse it most of all, since
within it was performed the transgression of Adam. But God did not
do this, but cursed only the whole rest of the earth, which also
was corrupt and brought forth everything by itself; and this was
in order that Adam might not have any longer a life free from
exhausting labors and sweat…”
Tokusan went to the dining room from the meditation hall holding his bowl. Seppo was on duty cooking. When he met Tokusan he said: `The dinner drum is not yet beaten. Where are you going with your bowl?’ So Tokusan returned to his room.
Seppo told Ganto about this. Ganto said: `Old Tokusan did not understand the ultimate truth.’
Tokusan heard of this remark and asked Ganto to come to him. `I have heard,’ he said, `you are not approving my Zen.’ Ganto admitted this indirectly. Tokusan said nothing.
The next day Tokusan delivered an entirely different kind of lecture to the monks. Ganto laughed and clapped his hands, saying: `I see our old man understands the ultimate truth indeed. None in China can surpass him.’
Mumon’s Comment: Speaking about ultimate truth, both Ganto and Tokusan did not even dream it. After all, they are dummies.
Whoever understands the first truth
Should understand the ultimate truth.
The last and first,
Are they not the same?
For now is the time to labor for the Lord,
for salvation is found in the day of affliction:
for it is written: ‘In your patience gain ye your souls’ (Luke 21:19)
David Given Schwarm 