公案 Koan

The koan from the last article made me look up a few more, and I thought I share my reactions to some of them. You might get some laughs out of them.

上一篇文章寫的公案，讓我去找一些來讀，也分享一些反應，讓大家笑一笑。

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『香嚴和尚云、如人上樹、口啣樹枝、手不攀枝、脚不踏樹。

"Kyõgen Oshõ said, "It is like a man up in a tree hanging from a branch with his mouth; his hands grasp no bough, his feet rest on no limb.

樹下有人問西來意、不對即違他所問、若對又喪身失命。

Someone appears under the tree and asks him, 'What is the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?' If he does not answer, he fails to respond to the question. If he does answer, he will lose his life.

正恁麼時、作麼生對。』

What would you do in such a situation?" (Translation from http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/zen/mumonkan.htm)

比手畫腳、心心相映

Wave hands and feet, mind to mind.

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『有一天，佛印禪師登壇說法，蘇東坡聞說趕來參加，座中已經坐滿人眾，沒有空位了。
禪師看到蘇東坡時說：「人都坐滿了，此間已無學士坐處。」

"One day, Zen Master Fo Yin was going to speak about Dharma. Su Dongpo heard about it and rushed to attend the speech. When he arrived, it was standing room only. Master Fo Yin saw Su Dongpo and said 'It is all full. There is no room for scholar.'

蘇東坡一向好禪，馬上機鋒相對回答禪師說：「既然此間無坐處，我就以禪師四大五蘊之身為座。」

Su Dongpo immediately answered: 'So there is no place to sit here, I will just have to use Master's Four Elements and Five Skandhas as my seat.'

禪師看到蘇東坡與他論禪，於是說：「學士！我有一個問題問你，如果你回答得出來，那麼我老和尚的身體就當你的座位，如果你回答不出來，那麼你身上的玉帶就要留下本寺，做為紀念。」

Master Fo Yin answered: 'Scholar! I have a question for you. If you can answer it, then my body will become your seat. If not, then you will leave your jade belt here as a souvenir for this temple.'

蘇東坡一向自命不凡，以為準勝無疑，便答應了。佛印禪師就說：「四大本空，五蘊非有，請問學士要坐那裏呢？」 』

Su Dongpo agreed, and Master Fo Yin asked: 'Four elements are already Śūnyatā(Empty), Five Skandhas do not exist, so where is the scholar going to sit?'"

我說「你躺下來我坐給你看。」

I said, "Lay down and I'll show you where I will sit."