Mumonkan 45 (Variant) / Blue Cliff Record 45
The Many Reduced to One
When the many are reduced to one, to what is the one reduced?
Wumen Huikai
·
Guanyin Temple, Zhao-chou, China
·
c. 850
Commentary by Traditional
People understand the concept that all diverse things are part of a single reality. But they get stuck on that 'one.' You must go a step further and see where even unity disappears.
Commentary by Traditional
Chao-chou answered this elsewhere by saying, 'When I was in Ch'ing-chou, I made a cloth robe that weighed seven pounds.' He brought an abstract question right back to everyday material reality.
Verse by Traditional
He asks about the one to find the source, But the old master responds with a heavy robe. If you try to weigh it on a logical scale, You will remain trapped in words forever.