THE ZEN STORY OF HYAKUJO
A ZEN STORY OF THE ANTAHKARANA AND THE HIGHER SELF
WHEN HYAKUJO FIRST ARRIVED AT CHIANG-SI TO PAY HIS RESPECTS TO MA TZU, MA TZU INQUIRED, "FROM WHERE HAVE YOU COME?"
"FROM THE GREAT CLOUD MONASTERY AT YUEH CHOU," ANSWERED HYAKUJO.
"AND WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN BY COMING HERE?" ASKED MA TZU.
HYAKUJO REPLIED, "I HAVE COME SEEKING THE BUDDHA-DHARMA."
TO THIS MA TZU REPLIED, "INSTEAD OF LOOKING TO THE TREASURE HOUSE WHICH IS YOUR VERY OWN, YOU HAVE LEFT HOME AND GONE WANDERING FAR AWAY. WHAT FOR? I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HERE AT ALL. (NOTHING, ANATTA, NIRVANA IS THE HIGHER SELF, COMMENTARY SATCHIDANAND) WHAT IS THIS BUDDHA-DHARMA THAT YOU SEEK?"
WHEREUPON HYAKUJO PROSTRATED HIMSELF AND ASKED, "PLEASE TELL ME TO WHAT YOU ALLUDED WHEN YOU SPOKE OF A TREASURE HOUSE OF MY VERY OWN."
MA TZU REPLIED, "THAT WHICH ASKED THE QUESTION IS YOUR TREASURE HOUSE. IT CONTAINS ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING YOU NEED AND LACKS NOTHING AT ALL. IT IS THERE FOR YOU TO USE FREELY, SO WHY THIS VAIN SEARCH FOR SOMETHING OUTSIDE YOURSELF?"
NO SOONER WERE THESE WORDS SPOKEN THAN HYAKUJO RECEIVED A GREAT ILLUMINATION AND RECOGNIZED HIS OWN NO-MIND. BESIDE HIMSELF WITH JOY, HE BOWED IN DEEP GRATITUDE.
(THE TREASURE HOUSE IS THE HIGHER SELF, THE SOUL, THE MONAD, THE LOGOS AND HIGHER, COMMENTARY BY SATCHIDANAND)
HYAKUJO SPENT THE NEXT SIX YEARS IN ATTENDANCE UPON MA TZU. BUT AS TAO-CHIH, HIS FIRST TEACHER, WAS GROWING OLD, HE WANTED TO RETURN TO LOOK AFTER HIM.
BEFORE HYAKUJO LEFT MA TZU, HE WENT TO PAY HIS FINAL TRIBUTE TO HIM.
SEEING HIM COMING, MA TZU RAISED HIS HORSE WHISK STRAIGHT UP. HYAKUJO ASKED, "ARE YOU IN THE USE OF IT, OR APART FROM THE USE?"
MA TZU HUNG THE HORSE WHISK ON THE CORNER OF HIS CHAIR. AFTER A MINUTE OR SO, HE ASKED HYAKUJO, "HENCE FORWARD, HOW DO YOU OPEN THOSE TWO LEAVES OF YOUR MOUTH TO WORK FOR OTHERS?"
AT THIS, HYAKUJO TOOK THE HORSE WHISK AND RAISED IT STRAIGHT UP.
MA TZU SAID, "ARE YOU IN THE USE OF IT, OR APART FROM IT?"
HYAKUJO HUNG THE HORSE WHISK ON THE CORNER OF THE CHAIR.
JUST AT THAT MOMENT, A GREAT ROAR, LIKE HUNDREDS OF THUNDERBOLTS FALLING, RAINED ON HYAKUJO'S HEAD. MA TZU HAD GIVEN A SHOUT WHICH, IT IS SAID, DEAFENED HYAKUJO FOR THREE DAYS.
(THE HORSE WHIP IS THE "FINGER POINTING AT THE MOON" IT IS THE ANTAHKARANA. WE DO NOT USE IT. WE ARE APART FROM IT AND YET IT IS PART OF OURSELVES. AND WHEN WE DO NOT USE IT WE ARE THEN THE WITNESS OF ITS USE BY OUR HIGHER SELVES. THEN THE FLOWERS SHOWER. THE ENERGY OF THE HIGHER SELF RAINS DOWN UPON OUR CROWN CHAKRAS, AND WE ARE DEAFENED BY THE LIGHTNING BOLT OF ENERGY WHICH ENERGIZES US FROM ON HIGH. COMMENTARY SATCHIDANAND)
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