Blue Cliff Record 40
The Flower and the Dream
A high official tells Nansen that a sage once said heaven, earth, and he were of one root, with all things one body. Nansen points to a peony in the garden and says: "People these days look at this flower as if in a dream."
Yuanwu Keqin
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Nansen Mountain, China
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c. 820
Commentary by Engo
The official quotes a lofty teaching about oneness, and Nansen deflates it by pointing at an ordinary flower. Engo's warning is that you can recite "all things are one" while sleepwalking past the peony in front of you.
Commentary by Traditional
Intellectual concepts of unity are still a separation from life. Nansen demands that the official wake up and see the actual, physical flower blooming right before his eyes.
Verse by Setcho
Describes the scene in a gentle, hazy way, and it ends up leaving the listener to ask who exactly is dreaming.