Mumonkan 43
Shuzan's Short Staff
Shuzan held out his short staff and said, If you call this a short staff, you oppose its reality. If you do not call it a short staff, you ignore the fact. Now what do you wish to call this?
Wumen Huikai
·
Shuzan Temple, China
·
c. 950
Commentary by Mumon
If you call it a short staff, you are caught in words. If you do not call it a short staff, you are turning away from the physical reality. It cannot be spoken, and it cannot be ignored.
Commentary by Traditional
Shuzan holds up the immediate world before your face. He traps you in a dilemma to force your mind past intellectual classifications.
Verse by Mumon
Holding up the staff, he issues a command, Life and death depend entirely on your word. Opposition or ignorance both bring deep shame, Even a quick response fails to escape.