Mumonkan ~ The Gateless Gate
(Chin. Wu-wen kuan; Jap. Mumonkan)
The author is Chinese Ch'an monk Mumon Ekai.
The work was compiled in the early 13th century by Chinese monk Mumon in 1228.
Each koan is accompanied by a commentary and verse by Mumon.
This English translation is by the late Zen master Katsuki Sekida.
Mumon's Preface
Buddhism makes mind its foundation and no-gate its gate.
Now, how do you pass through this no-gate?
It is said that things coming in through the gate can never be your own treasures. What is gained from external circumstances will perish in the end.
However, such a saying is already raising waves when there is no wind. It is cutting unblemished skin.
As for those who try to understand through other people's words, they are striking at the moon with a stick; scratching a shoe, whereas it is the foot that itches. What concern have they with the truth?
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In the summer of the first year of Jõtei, Ekai was in Ryûshõ Temple and as head monk worked with the monks, using the cases of the ancient masters as brickbats to batter the gate and lead them on according to their respective capacities.
The text was written down not according to any scheme, but just to make a collection of forty-eight cases.
It is called Mumonkan, "The Gateless Gate."
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A man of determination will unflinchingly push his way straight forward, regardless of all dangers.
Then even the eight-armed Nata cannot hinder him.
Even the four sevens of the West and the two threes of the East would beg for their lives.
If one has no determination, then it will be like catching a glimpse of a horse galloping past the window: in the twinkling of an eye it will be gone.
Mumon's Verse:
The Great Way is gateless,
Approached in a thousand ways.
Once past this checkpoint
You stride through the universe.
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1. Joshu's Dog
A monk asked Joshu: "Has a dog Buddha Nature?"
Joshu answered: "Mu! (No-thing)"
Mumon's comment:
In order to master Zen, you must pass the barrier of the patriarchs. To attain this subtle realization, you must completely cut off the way of thinking. If you do not pass the barrier, and do not cut off the way of thinking, then you will be like a ghost clinging to the bushes and weeds.
Now, I want to ask you, what is the barrier of the patriarchs? Why, it is this single word "Mu." That is the front gate to Zen. Therefore it is called the "Mumonkan of Zen." If you pass through it, you will not only see Jõshû face to face, but you will also go hand in hand with the successive patriarchs, entangling your eyebrows with theirs, seeing with the same eyes, hearing with the same ears. Isn't that a delightful prospect? Wouldn't you like to pass this barrier? Arouse your entire body with its three hundred and sixty bones and joints and its eighty-four thousand pores of the skin; summon up a spirit of great doubt and concentrate on this word "Mu." Carry it continuously day and night. Do not form a nihilistic conception of vacancy, or a relative conception of "has" or "has not." It will be just as if you swallow a red-hot iron ball, which you cannot spit out even if you try.
All the illusory ideas and delusive thoughts accumulated up to the present will be exterminated, and when the time comes, internal and external will be spontaneously united. You will know this, but for yourself only, like a dumb person who has had a dream. Then all of a sudden an explosive conversion will occur, and you will astonish the heavens and shake the earth. It will be as if you snatch away the great sword of the valiant general Kan'u and hold it in your hand. When you meet the Buddha, you kill him; when you meet the patriarchs, you kill them. On the brink of life and death, you command perfect freedom; among the sixfold worlds and four modes of existence, you enjoy a merry and playful samadhi.
Now, I want to ask you again, "How will you carry it out?" Employ every ounce of your energy to work on this "Mu." If you hold on without interruption, behold: a single spark, and the holy candle is lit!
Mumon's Verse:
The dog, the Buddha Nature,
The pronouncement, perfect and final.
Before you say it has or has not,
You are a dead man on the spot.
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2. Hyakujo's Fox
When Hyakujõ Oshõ delivered a certain series of sermons, an old man always followed the monks to the main hall and listened to him. When the monks left the hall, the old man would also leave. One day, however, he remained behind, and Hyakujõ asked him, "Who are you, standing here before me?" The old man replied. "I am not a human being. In the old days of Kashyapa Buddha, I was a head monk, living here on this mountain. One day a student asked me, 'Does a man of enlightenment fall under the yoke of causation or not?' I answered, 'No, he does not.' Since then I have been doomed to undergo five hundred rebirths as a fox. I beg you now to give the turning word to release me from my life as a fox. Tell me, does a man of enlightenment fall under the yoke of causation or not?" Hyakujõ answered, "He does not ignore causation." No sooner had the old man heard these words than he was enlightened. Making his bows, he said, "I am emancipated from my life as a fox. I shall remain on this mountain. I have a favor to ask of you: would you please bury my body as that of a dead monk." Hyakujõ had the director of the monks strike with the gavel and inform everyone that after the midday meal there would be a funeral service for a dead monk. The monks wondered at this, saying, "Everyone is in good health; nobody is in the sick ward. What does this mean?" After the meal Hyakujõ led the monks to the foot of a rock on the far side of the mountain and with his staff poked out the dead body of a fox and performed the ceremony of cremation. That evening he ascended the rostrum and told the monks the whole story. Õbaku thereupon asked him, "The old man gave the wrong answer and was doomed to be a fox for five hundred rebirths. Now, suppose he had given the right answer, what would have happened then?" Hyakujõ said, "You come here to me, and I will tell you." Õbaku went up to Hyakujõ and boxed his ears. Hyakujõ clapped his hands with a laugh and exclaimed, "I was thinking that the barbarian had a red beard, but now I see before me the red-bearded barbarian himself."
Mumon's comment:
Not falling under causation: how could this make the monk a fox? Not ignoring causation: how could this make the old man emancipated? If you come to understand this, you will realize how old Hyakujõ would have enjoyed five hundred rebirths as a fox.
Mumon's Verse:
Not falling, not ignoring:
Two faces of one die.
Not ignoring, not falling:
A thousand errors, a million mistakes.
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3. Gutei's Finger
Whenever Gutei was asked about Zen, he simply raised his finger. Once a visitor asked Gutei's boy attendant, "What does your master teach?" The boy too raised his finger. Hearing of this, Gutei cut off the boy's finger with a knife. The boy, screaming with pain, began to run away.
Gutei called to him, and when he turned around, Gutei raised his finger. The boy suddenly became enlightened.
When Gutei was about to pass away, he said to his assembled monks, "I obtained one-finger Zen from Tenryû and used it all my life but still did not exhaust it." When he had finished saying this, he entered into eternal Nirvana.
Mumon's comment:
The enlightenment of Gutei and of the boy does not depend on the finger. If you understand this, Tenryû, Gutei, the boy, and you yourself are all run through with one skewer.
Mumon's Verse:
Gutei made a fool of old Tenryû,
Emancipating the boy with a single slice,
Just as Kyorei cleaved Mount Kasan
To let the Yellow River run through.
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4. The Western Barbarian with No Beard
Wakuan said, "Why has the Western Barbarian no beard?"
Mumon's comment:
Study should be real study, enlightenment should be real enlightenment. You should once meet this barbarian directly to be really intimate with him. But saying you are really intimate with him already divides you into two.
Mumon's Verse:
Don't discuss your dream
Before a fool.
Barbarian with no beard
Obscures the clarity.
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5. Kyõgen's "Man up in a Tree"
Kyõgen said, "It is like a man up in a tree hanging from a branch with his mouth; his hands grasp no bough, his feet rest on no limb. Someone appears under the tree and asks him, 'What is the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?' If he does not answer, he fails to respond to the question. If he does answer, he will lose his life. What would you do in such a situation?"
Mumon's comment:
Even if your eloquence flows like a river, it is of no avail. Though you can expound the whole of Buddhist literature, it is of no use. If you solve this problem, you will give life to the way that has been dead until this moment and destroy the way that has been alive up to now. Otherwise you must wait for Maitreya Buddha and ask him.
Mumon's Verse:
Kyõgen is truly thoughtless;
His vice and poison are endless.
He stops up the mouths of the monks,
And devil's eyes sprout from their bodies.
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6. The Buddha Holds Out a Flower
When Shakyamuni Buddha was at Mount Grdhrakuta, he held out a flower to his listeners. Everyone was silent. Only Mahakashyapa broke into a broad smile.
The Buddha said, "I have the True Dharma Eye, the Marvelous Mind of Nirvana, the True Form of the Formless, and the Subtle Dharma Gate, independent of words and transmitted beyond doctrine. This I have entrusted to Mahakashyapa."
Mumon's comment:
Golden-faced Gautama really disregarded his listeners. He made the good look bad and sold dog's meat labeled as mutton. He himself thought it was wonderful. If, however, everyone in the audience had laughed, how could he have transmitted his True Eye? And again, if Mahakashyapa had not smiled, how could the Buddha have transmitted it? If you say the True Dharma Eye can be transmitted, then the golden-faced old man would be a city slicker who cheats the country bumpkin. If you say it cannot be transmitted, then why did the Buddha approve of Mahakashyapa?
Mumon's Verse:
Holding out a flower,
The Buddha betrayed his curly tail.
Heaven and earth were bewildered,
At Mahakashyapa's smile.
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7. Jõshû's "Wash Your Bowl"
A monk told Joshu: "I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me."
Joshu asked: "Have you eaten your rice porridge?"
The monk replied: "I have eaten."
Joshu said: "Then you had better wash your bowl."
At that moment the monk was enlightened.
Mumon's comment:
Joshu is the man who opens his mouth and shows his heart. I doubt if this monk really saw Joshu's heart. I hope he did not mistake the bell for a pitcher.
Mumon's Verse:
Endeavoring to interpret clearly,
You retard your attainment.
Don't you know that flame is fire?
Your rice has long been cooked. ++++++++++
8. Keichû the Wheelmaker
Gettan said, "Keichû, the first wheelmaker, made a cart whose wheels had a hundred spokes. Now, suppose you took a cart and removed both the wheels and the axle. What would you have?"
Mumon's comment:
I allow the barbarian's realization, but I do not allow his understanding. When an ignorant man realizes it, he is a sage. When a sage understands it, he is ignorant.
Mumon's Verse:
When the spiritual wheels turn,
Even the master fails to follow them.
They travel in all directions, above and below,
North, south, east, and west.
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9. Daitsû Chishõ Buddha
A monk asked Kõyõ Seijõ, "Daitsû Chishõ Buddha sat in zazen for ten kalpas and could not attain Buddhahood. He did not become a Buddha. How could this be?"
Seijõ said, "Your question is quite self-explanatory."
The monk asked, "He meditated so long; why could he not attain Buddhahood?"
Seijõ said, "Because he did not become a Buddha.""
Mumon's comment:
I will allow his realization, but I will not admit his understanding. When one ignorant attains realization he is a saint. When a saint begins to understand he is ignorant.
Mumon's Verse:
Better emancipate your mind than your body;
When the mind is emancipated, the body is free,
When both body and mind are emancipated,
Even gods and spirits ignore worldly power.
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10. Seizei Is Utterly Destitude
Seizei said to Sõzan, "Seizei is utterly destitude. Will you give him support?"
Sõzan called out, "Seizei!"
Seizei responded, "Yes, sir!"
Sõzan said, "You have finished three cups of the finest wine in China, and still you say you have not yet moistened your lips!"
Mumon's comment:
Seizei pretended to retreat. What was his scheme?
Sõzan had the eye of Buddha and saw through his opponent's motive.
However, I want to ask you, at what point did Seizei drink wine?
Mumon's Verse:
Poverty like Hantan's,
Mind like Kõu's;
With no means of livelihood,
He dares to rival the richest.
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11. Jõshû Sees the Hermits
Jõshû went to a hermit's cottage and asked, "Is the master in? Is the master in?"
The hermit raised his fist.
Jõshû said, "The water is too shallow to anchor here," and he went away.
Coming to another hermit's cottage, he asked again, "Is the master in? Is the master in?"
This hermit, too, raised his fist.
Jõshû said, "Free to give, free to take, free to kill, free to save," and he made a deep bow.
Mumon's comment:
Both raised their fists; why was the one accepted and the other rejected? Tell me, what is the difficulty here?
If you can give a turning word to clarify this problem, you will realize that Jõshû's tongue has no bone in it, now helping others up, now knocking them down, with perfect freedom.
However, I must remind you: the two hermits could also see through Jõshû.
If you say there is anything to choose between the two hermits, you have no eye of realization.
If you say there is no choice between the two, you have no eye of realization.
Mumon's Verse:
The light of the eyes is as a comet,
And Zen's activity is as lightning.
The sword that kills the man
Is the sword that saves the man.
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12. Zuigan Calls His Master
Zuigan called to himself every day, "Master!" and answered, "Yes, sir!"
Then he would say, "Be wide awake!" and answer, "Yes, sir!"
"Henceforward, never be deceived by others!" "No, I won't!"
Mumon's comment:
Old Zuigan buys and sells himself. He takes out a lot of god-masks and devil-masks and puts them on and plays with them. What for, eh? One calling and the other answering; one wide awake, the other saying he will never be deceived. If you stick to any of them, you will be a failure.
If you imitate Zuigan, you will play the fox.
Mumon's Verse:
Clinging to the deluded way of consciousness,
Students of the Way do not realize truth.
The seed of birth and death through endless eons:
The fool calls it the true original self.
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13. Tokusan Holds His Bowls
One day Tokusan went down toward the dining room, holding his bowls.
Seppõ met him and asked, "Where are you off to with your bowls? The bell has not rung, and the drum has not sounded." Tokusan turned and went back to his room.
Seppõ mentioned this to Gantõ, who remarked, "Tokusan is renowned, but he does not know the last word."
Tokusan heard about this remark and sent his attendant to fetch Gantõ. "You do not approve of me?" he asked.
Gantõ whispered his meaning.
Tokusan said nothing at the time, but the next day he ascended the rostrum, and behold! he was very different from usual!
Gantõ, going toward the front of the hall, clapped his hands and laughed loudly, saying, "Congratulations! Our old man has got hold of the last word!
From now on, nobody in this whole country can outdo him!"
Mumon's comment:
As for the last word, neither Gantõ nor Tokusan has ever dreamed of it!
When you look into the matter, you find they are like puppets on the shelf!
Mumon's Verse:
If you realize the first,
You master the last.
The first and the last
Are not one word.
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14. Nansen Cuts the Cat in Two
Nansen Oshõ saw monks of the Eastern and Western halls quarreling over a cat.
He held up the cat and said, "If you can give an answer, you will save the cat. If not, I will kill it."
No one could answer, and Nansen cut the cat in two.
That evening Jõshû returned, and Nansen told him of the incident.
Jõshû took off his sandal, placed it on his head, and walked out.
"If you had been there, you would have saved the cat," Nansen remarked.
Mumon's comment:
Tell me, what did Jõshû mean when he put the sandal on his head?
If you can give a turning word on this, you will see that Nansen's decree was carried out with good reason.
If not, "Danger!"
Mumon's Verse:
Had Jõshû been there,
He would have done the opposite;
When the sword is snatched away,
Even Nansen begs for his life.
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15. Tõzan's Sixty Blows
Tõzan came to study with Unmon. Unmon asked, "Where are you from?"
"From Sato," Tõzan replied.
"Where were you during the summer?"
"Well, I was at the monastery of Hõzu, south of the lake."
"When did you leave there," Unmon asked.
"On August 25" was Tõzan's reply.
"I spare you sixty blows," Unmon said.
The next day Tõzan came to Unmon and said, "Yesterday you said you spared me sixty blows.
I beg to ask you, where was I at fault?"
"Oh, you rice bag!" shouted Unmon. "What makes you wander about, now west of the river, now south of the lake?"
Tõzan thereupon came to a mighty enlightenment experience.
Mumon's comment:
If Unmon had given Tõzan the true food of Zen and encouraged him to develop an active Zen spirit, his school would not have declined as it did.
Tõzan had an agonizing struggle through the whole night, lost in the sea of right and wrong. He reached a complete impasse. After waiting for the dawn, he again went to Unmon, and Unmon again made him a picture book of Zen.
Even though he was directly enlightened, Tõzan could not be called brilliant.
Now, I want to ask you, should Tõzan have been given sixty blows or not?
If you say yes, you admit that all the universe should be beaten.
If you say no, then you accuse Unmon of telling a lie.
If you really understand the secret, you will be able to breathe out Zen spirit with the very mouth of Tõzan.
Mumon's Verse:
The lion had a secret to puzzle his cub;
The cub crouched, leaped, and dashed forward.
The second time, a casual move led to checkmate.
The first arrow was light, but the second went deep.
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16. When the Bell Sounds
Unmon said, "The world is vast and wide.
Why do you put on your seven-piece robe at the sound of the bell?"
Mumon's comment:
In studying Zen, you should not be swayed by sounds and forms.
Even though you attain insight when hearing a voice or seeing a form, this is simply the ordinary way of things.
Don't you know that the real Zen student commands sounds, controls forms, is clear-sighted at every event and free on every occasion?
Granted you are free, just tell me: Does the sound come to the ear or does the ear go to the sound?
If both sound and silence die away, at such a juncture how could you talk of Zen?
While listening with you ear, you cannot tell. When hearing with your eye, you are truly intimate.
Mumon's Verse:
With realization, things make one family;
Without realization, things are separated in a thousand ways.
Without realization, things make one family;
With realization, things are separated in a thousand ways.
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17. The Three Calls of the Emperor's Teacher
The Emperor’s Teacher called his attendant three times, and three times the attendant responded.
The Emperor’s Teacher said, "I long feared that I was betraying you, but really it was you who were betraying me."
Mumon's comment:
The Emperor’s Teacher called three times, and his tongue fell to the ground.
The attendant responded three times, and he gave his answer with brilliance.
The Emperor’s Teacher was old and lonely; he held the cow's head and forced it to eat grass.
attendant would have none of it; delicious food has little attraction for a man who is satiated. Tell me, at what point was the betrayal?
When the country is flourishing, talent is prized. When the home is wealthy, the children are proud.
Mumon's Verse:
He carried an iron yoke with no hole
And left a curse to trouble his descendants.
If you want to hold up the gate and the doors,
You must climb a mountain of swords with bare feet.
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18. Tozan's Three Pounds of Flax
A monk asked Tozan when he was weighing some flax: "What is Buddha?"
Tozan said: "This flax weighs three pounds."
Mumon's comment:
Old Tõzan attained the poor Zen of a clam. He opened the two halves of the shell a little and exposed all the liver and intestines inside.
But tell me, how do you see Tõzan?
Mumon's Verse:
"Three pounds of flax" came sweeping along;
Close were the words, but closer was the meaning.
Those who argue about right and wrong
Are those enslaved by right and wrong.
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19. Nansen's "Ordinary Mind Is the Way"
Jõshû asked Nansen, "What is the Way?"
"Ordinary mind is the Way," Nansen replied.
"Shall I try to seek after it?" Jõshû asked.
"If you try for it, you will become separated from it," responded Nansen.
"How can I know the Way unless I try for it?" persisted Jõshû.
Nansen said, "The Way is not a matter of knowing or not knowing.
Knowing is delusion; not knowing is confusion.
When you have really reached the true Way beyond doubt, you will find it as vast and boundless as outer space.
How can it be talked about on the level of right and wrong?"
With these words, Jõshû came to a sudden realization.
Mumon's comment:
Nansen dissolved and melted away before Jõshû's question, and could not offer a plausible explanation. Even though Jõshû comes to a realization, he must delve into it for another thirty years before he can fully understand it.
Mumon's Verse:
The spring flowers, the autumn moon;
Summer breezes, winter snow.
If useless things do not clutter your mind,
You have the best days of your life.
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20. The Man of Great Strength
Shõgen asked, "Why is it that a man of great strength does not lift his legs?"
d he also said, "It is not the tongue he speaks with?"
Mumon's comment:
It must be said that Shõgen shows us all his stomach and intestines.
But alas, no one can appreciate him!
And even if someone could appreciate him, let him come to me, and I'll beat him severely.
Why?
If you want to find pure gold, you must see it through fire.
Mumon's Verse:
Lifting his leg, he kicks up the Scented Ocean;
Lowering his head, he looks down on the fourth Dhyana heaven.
There is no space vast enough for his body—
Now, somebody write the last line here.
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21. Unmon's "Kanshiketsu (a dry shit-stirring stick)
A monk asked Ummon: "What is Buddha?"
Unmon replied, "Kanshiketsu!"
Mumon's comment:
Unmon was too poor to prepare plain food, too busy to speak from notes.
He hurriedly took up shiketsu (searching for Buddha nature) to support the Way.
The decline of Buddhism was thus foreshadowed.
Mumon's Verse:
Lightning flashing,
Sparks shooting;
A moment's blinking,
Missed forever.
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22. Kashyapa's "Knock Down the Flagpole"
Ananda asked Kashapa: "Buddha gave you the golden-woven robe of successorship. What else did he give you?"
Kashapa said: "Ananda."
"Yes, sir!" answered Ananda.
“Kock down the flagpole at the gate," said Kashyapa.
Mumon's comment:
If you can give a turning word at this point, you will see that the meeting at Mount Grdhrakuta is still solemnly continuing.
If not, then this is what Vipasyin Buddha worried about from remote ages; up to now he has still not acquired the essence.
Mumon's Verse:
Tell me—question or answer—which was more intimate?
Many have knit their brows over this;
Elder brother calls, younger brother answers, and they betray the family secret.
They had a special spring, not one of yin and yang.
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23.Think Neither Good Nor Evil
The Sixth Patriarch was pursued by the monk Myõ as far as Taiyu Mountain.
The patriarch, seeing Myõ coming, laid the robe and bowl on a rock and said, "This robe represents the faith; it should not be fought over. If you want to take it away, take it now."
Myõ tried to move it, but it was as heavy as a mountain and would not budge. Faltering and trembling, he cried out, "I came for the Dharma, not for the robe.
I beg you, please give me your instruction."
The patriarch said, "Think neither good nor evil. At this very moment, what is the original self of the monk Myõ?"
At these words, Myõ was directly illuminated. His whole body was covered with sweat.
He wept and bowed, saying, "Besides the secret words and the secret meaning you have just now revealed to me, is there anything else, deeper still?"
The patriarch said, "What I have told you is no secret at all.
When you look into your own true self, whatever is deeper is found right there."
Myõ said, "I was with the monks under Õbai for many years but I could not realize my true self.
But now, receiving your instruction, I know it is like a man drinking water and knowing whether it is cold or warm.
My lay brother, you are now my teacher."
The patriarch said, "If you say so, but let us both call Õbai our teacher.
Be mindful to treasure and hold fast to what you have attained."
Mumon's comment:
The Sixth Patriarch was, so to speak, hurried into helping a man in an emergency, and he displayed a grandmotherly kindness.