Opening a Mountain
Koans of the zen masters
By Steven Heine
A Hermit's "The Mountain Torrent Runs Deep, So the Ladle is Long
A monk built a hermitage at the foot of Mount Hsueh-feng and lived there for many years practicing meditation, but without having his head shaved.
Making a wooden ladle, the solitary monk drew and drank water from a mountain torrent.
One day, a monk from the monastery at the top of the mountain visited the hermit and asked, "What is the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?" The hermit responded, "The mountain torrent runs deep, so the handle of a wooden ladle must be appropriately long." The monk reported this to the master of Hsuch-feng temple, who declared, "He sounds like a strange character, perhaps an anomaly.
I'd better go at once and check him out for myself."
The next day, master Hsueh-feng went to see the hermit while carrying a razor and was accompanied by his attendant monk. As soon as they met he said. "If you can express the Way, I won't shave your head." On hearing this, the hermit at first was speechless. But then he used the ladle to bring water to have his head. washed, and Hsuch-feng shaved the hermit's head.
Koans of the zen masters
By Steven Heine
A Hermit's "The Mountain Torrent Runs Deep, So the Ladle is Long
A monk built a hermitage at the foot of Mount Hsueh-feng and lived there for many years practicing meditation, but without having his head shaved.
Making a wooden ladle, the solitary monk drew and drank water from a mountain torrent.
One day, a monk from the monastery at the top of the mountain visited the hermit and asked, "What is the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?" The hermit responded, "The mountain torrent runs deep, so the handle of a wooden ladle must be appropriately long." The monk reported this to the master of Hsuch-feng temple, who declared, "He sounds like a strange character, perhaps an anomaly.
I'd better go at once and check him out for myself."
The next day, master Hsueh-feng went to see the hermit while carrying a razor and was accompanied by his attendant monk. As soon as they met he said. "If you can express the Way, I won't shave your head." On hearing this, the hermit at first was speechless. But then he used the ladle to bring water to have his head. washed, and Hsuch-feng shaved the hermit's head.
Koans of the zen masters
By Steven Heine
A Hermit's "The Mountain Torrent Runs Deep, So the Ladle is Long
A monk built a hermitage at the foot of Mount Hsueh-feng and lived there for many years practicing meditation, but without having his head shaved.
Making a wooden ladle, the solitary monk drew and drank water from a mountain torrent.
One day, a monk from the monastery at the top of the mountain visited the hermit and asked, "What is the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?" The hermit responded, "The mountain torrent runs deep, so the handle of a wooden ladle must be appropriately long." The monk reported this to the master of Hsuch-feng temple, who declared, "He sounds like a strange character, perhaps an anomaly.
I'd better go at once and check him out for myself."
The next day, master Hsueh-feng went to see the hermit while carrying a razor and was accompanied by his attendant monk. As soon as they met he said. "If you can express the Way, I won't shave your head." On hearing this, the hermit at first was speechless. But then he used the ladle to bring water to have his head. washed, and Hsuch-feng shaved the hermit's head.
