禪門三喝The Three Shouts of Zen

 禪門三喝

有大德提及他在學禪的時候，
會被禪師「喝一聲」，
楞住了不知道，下一步該怎麼辦？

想起自己曾經非常喜歡禪宗公案，
後來也是因為「被喝一聲」後的不知所措？
因而離開禪宗。

像之前寫過的南泉禪師，說：
昨夜三更失卻牛，今早起來失卻火。 

及其他禪師說的「心行處滅，言語道斷」，
這些基本上是敘述，他們已經證入的境界，

但「被喝一聲」以後，何去何從是修行者很大的問題！

如果你本身對於佛學的內涵不夠深厚，「被喝一聲」以後，通常沒有辦法往下接軌，

禪師說：要考驗你，所以他不會給你方向與答案，
日子久了也是一樁羅生門？

原來這種感覺不只我有，其他人也是，

還好我個人的腦袋，不太能忍受沒有解答的問題太久，

等走了很遠，回過頭看禪宗，覺得自己做了對的決定。

因為你的山，不是我的山，我曾經走過的山，也不會是你的體會，

這種擁各自滋味的體會，跟佛法大多時候基本上是根本不相干的。

換個角度講，如果佛陀的「四聖果」用山來形容，
應該是；
這山裡面，有什麼植物，
種了什麼？
山谷深淺及距離多遠？
修行者必當瞭若指掌。

這跟用一種滋味去形容修行的內涵，是千差萬別的，

因此，我個人講解佛法裡面，
不引用，

見山是山，

見山不是山，

見山是山，

來講解佛法。
半寄

（南禪的翻譯，瑞欣老師去度假，

情商阿惇老師，幫我們翻譯）

The Three Shouts of Zen

A venerable practitioner once mentioned that during his Zen studies, he was often met with a "sudden shout" from the Zen Master. He would stand there, stunned and frozen, having no idea what to do next.

This reminded me of my own past affinity for Zen koans. Eventually, it was that same sense of helplessness following a "shout" that led me to step away from Zen.

Consider Zen Master Nanquan’s words: "in the middle of late night, the ox was lost; this morning at dawn, the fire was gone." Or the common Zen refrain: "The place where the mind acts is extinguished; the path of language is cut off." These are essentially descriptions of a state of realization these masters have already attained. 

However, for the practitioner, the question remains: where do you go after being shouted at? This is a significant hurdle.

If your foundation in Buddhist philosophy isn't deep enough, you won't be able to "bridge the gap" after that shout. A Zen Master might say he is testing you, so he won't provide a direction or an answer. Over time, 

the whole situation feels like a Rashomon effect—confusing, subjective, and lacking a clear truth.

It turns out I wasn't alone in this feeling; others felt it too. Fortunately, my mind doesn't tolerate unanswered questions for very long. 

Looking back at Zen from a distance, I feel I made the right decision.

Because your mountain is not my mountain. The peaks I have trekked will never be your personal experience.

 This idea of "to each their own taste" is, in many ways, fundamentally disconnected from the core of the Dharma.

To put it another way: if we used a "mountain" to describe Four Fruits of the Noble Path (the stages of enlightenment), 

we should be able to identify exactly what plants grow there, what has been planted, how deep the valleys are, and the precise distances between points. A practitioner should know these details like the back of their hand.

This systematic clarity is worlds apart from using a subjective "taste" or "vibe" to describe the essence of practice.

This is why, in my own explanations of the Dharma, I never use the famous saying: "First, mountains are mountains; then, mountains are not mountains; finally, mountains are mountains again."

Master Banji