Hyakujo: The Everest of Zen, with Basho’s Haikus

CHAPTER 1

The language of suddenness 26 September 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium

BELOVED OSHO,
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. 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.
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.


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