The Sound of the One Hand: 281 Zen Koans with AnswersYoel Hoffman The celebrated and controversial Zen Buddhist text on koans and their elusive answers, now updated for new readers “For scholars and students of Zen, inquiring readers, or anyone seeking relief from the rhetoric of division in the current political sphere, The Sound of the One Hand offers helpful didacticisms and poetic reflections that are truly timeless.” —Nozomi Saito, Asymptote When The Sound of the One Hand came out in Japan in 1916 it caused a scandal. Zen was a secretive practice, its wisdom relayed from master to novice in strictest privacy. That a handbook existed recording not only the riddling koans that are central to Zen teaching but also detailing the answers to them seemed to mark Zen as rote, not revelatory. For all that, The Sound of the One Hand opens the door to Zen like no other book. Including koans that go back to the master who first brought the koan teaching method from China to Japan in the 18th century, this text offers, in the words of the translator, editor, and Zen initiate Yoel Hoffmann, “the clearest, most detailed, and most correct picture of Zen” that can be found. What we have here is an extraordinary introduction to Zen thought as lived thought, a treasury of problems, paradoxes, and performance that will appeal to artists, writers, and philosophers as well as Buddhists and students of religion. |
Contents
The Man up the Tree | |
The Sound of Rain | |
Will IT Be Destroyed? | |
Why Cant the Tail Go Through? | |
What Is Jōshū? 80 A Shell Holding Moonlight | |
It Is Your Hearts That Move 82 The Immovable Cloak | |
What the Old Woman Meant 84 The Tortoise Is a Turtle | |
Cut | |
When the Sail Is Hoisted 87 Why Dont People In Know about Out? | |
Where Is the Old Man Going? | |
Yet I Should Not Be Rash | |
The Three Sentences of Master Rinzai | |
Nansen Go after His Death? | |
One Two Three | |
An Iron | |
Similar to a Dream | |
Not Affected Not Deluded | |
Where Thing Does Not Contradict Thing | |
What Will You Call | |
Stick | |
The Emperor and the Bowl | |
How Is Your Health? | |
The Gate | |
Unforgivable 35 How Do You Say | |
Discuss Buddhist Law 37 Simultaneous Doubt and Enlightenment | |
Dont You Believe Me Now? | |
Never Said a Word | |
Where in the World Are They? 41 A Bottle Is a Bottle 42 A Silver Bowl Filled with Snow | |
Every Coral Branch Supports the Moon 44 An Openeyed Man Falls into the Well | |
In Relation to One 46 In Opposition to | |
Are You Alive? 48 The OnePiece Tower | |
No Meaning | |
It Is Somewhat a Pity | |
A Few Here a Few There 52 Where Is the Mind? | |
A Speck of Dust 54 Gya | |
Nyan 56 Come and Eat Your Rice | |
Playing Ball on Rapid Water 58 Playing with | |
The Sturdy Body of Truth | |
Put Together 61 Say Nothing and Nothing Said | |
Which Is Your Self? 63 Blind Deaf Dumb | |
Sound 65 What Do You Understand by This? | |
Not Keeping Silent Not Using Words 67 Taking a Bath 68 Without Cold Without Heat | |
What Do You Have in Mind? | |
Swallow a River? 73 Thought of the Moment | |
Where Is My Rhino? | |
Ōbakus Stick | |
The Three Sentences of Master Rinzai Continuation of koan | |
Every Day Is a Good | |
Without Caring Go Straight | |
Seven 93 I Have a Lot of Things to | |
Rice in a Bowl Water in a Bucket 95 I Have a Headache Today | |
All Over Throughout 97 Why Is That Thing Not You? | |
Go and Have Some Tea 99 Made a Fool | |
Wrong 101 Tread on the Head of Buddha | |
The Body Emits Autumn Wind 103 The Mind as It | |
No Mind No Buddha 105 One 106 Take Care | |
One Got It One Missed It 118 | |
Three Pounds of Flax 120 Even Up Till | |
One Finger 122 It Is Important That the World Be in Peace | |
Mother and Father 124 The Eastern Mountain Walks on Water | |
Youngsters Like You Never Know of That 126 The Guy Understands This Time | |
How Can We Go Through Without Interfering? 128 Peach Blossoms | |
Have Nothing to Hide from You 130 Bamboo Shoots Sprout Sideways under a Rock | |
Not Enter Nirvana Not Fall into Hell | |
High Rank Low Rank | |
The Oak Tree in the Front Garden | |
That Is Still Not Enough 135 Give Grab | |
The Three Sentences of Master Busshō 137 Which One Is Real? | |
Only There Is a Word That Is Not Very Proper 139 Functions Like Theft | |
The Four Shouts of Master Rinzai 141 First Second Third | |
Host and Guest 143 The Dragon Bitten by a Snake 144 | |
PART FOUR Notes and Commentary | |
The Koan on the Sound of the One Hand and the Koan on Mu The Way of the Inzan School | |
The Way of the Takujū School | |
Miscellaneous Koans | |
The One Hundred FortyFour Koans | |
What Will You Do after Three or Four Shouts? | |
NonAttachment 109 Calamity Calamity 110 Use the Air as Paper 111 What Is Your Feeling at This Moment? | |
Of a Different Color 113 Beard | |
It Is Here 115 Is There? Is There? 116 Where Do You Come From? | |
Sources to the Koans of Part Three | |
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Common terms and phrases
answer implies ANSWER The answer ANSWER The pupil attached quotes Bodhidharma body of truth Buddha Buddhanature Buddhist Chōkei Daie Daruma Diamond Sutra distinction doctrine Dōgo emperor Engo enlightenment Enō essence Etchū flower front Fuketsu Gantō hand head monk Hōen Hofuku Hōkoji interpreted Isan Japanese Jōshū Kassan Katsu Kegon Kyōzan MASTER Quote Master Rinzai Master Ummon meaning Meishō mind Miscellaneous Koans Monju monk asked Master monk’s mountain Nansen nature nirvana novice Ōbaku one’s phrase poem Popular Saying pupil disregards pupil imitates pupil implies pupil pretends pupil says pupil stands pupil suggests pupil takes pupil’s response quote suggests rain Ranan realm refers rice river Sanshō second school sentence Seppō Setchō commented Shōkū shout simply responds situation soandso sound Sozan speculative stick Sutra taken Tenpyō there’s things Tokusan trap trapquestion tree Ummon understand void walking what’s wisteria vine words YOEL HOFFMANN Zen master