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The storehouse of treasures opens of itself.
You may take them and use them any way you wish.

—PZI Miscellaneous Koan (Dogen)

A number of koans came along to keep me company as I was keeping company with this koan about the storehouse of treasures. The first one involves Mazu and it goes like this:

Mazu asked, “What do you seek?”
“Enlightenment,” replied the student.
“You have your own storehouse of treasure. Why do you search outside?”
The student asked, “Where is my storehouse of treasure?”
Mazu answered, “What you are asking is your storehouse of treasure.”

I hear echoes of Dogen’s “opens of itself” in Mazu’s “What you are asking is the storehouse of treasure.” Then, a koan involving Yunmen came along to join in the conversation:

A student asked Yunmen, “This is not the function of mind. This is not the matter before me. What is it?”
Yunmen immediately cried, “One teaching, upside-down!”

That upside-downness in Yunmen’s response had a lively conversation with the “What you are asking is your storehouse of treasure” from Mazu and the “opens of itself” of Dogen.

And then another koan came along to join the party:

A student asked Bukko, “What is Zen?”
Bukko replied, “The heart of the one who asks is Zen; you can’t get it from someone else’s words.”

It feels kind of like playing Scrabble using koans, except I am watching it happen, not doing it. Sometimes my meditation feels like that: I’m watching it happen, but not doing it.

Do you know what I mean?

—David Weinstein

JOIN US on Tuesday for koan meditation, dharma talk and conversation. register to participate. All are welcome

David Weinstein Roshi, Director of Rockridge Meditation Community