Vast Emptiness, Nothing Holy (BCR1)(BS2)

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KOAN:

Emperor Wu asked the great teacher Bodhidharma, “What is the first principle of the holy teaching?”
Bodhidharma said, “Vast emptiness, nothing holy.”
“Who are you, standing here in front of me?” asked the emperor.
“I don’t know,” said Bodhidharma.
The emperor didn’t understand.

– Blue Cliff Record, Case 1 & Book of Serenity, Case 2

Text August 14, 2020

Spirit of Love, Joy & Play in Koans

John Tarrant

Koans
Emperor Wu Questions Bodhidharma (BCR1)(BS2), Vast Emptiness, Nothing Holy (BCR1)(BS2), Yanguan's Rhinoceros Fan (BCR91)(BS25), Yunmen’s Medicine and Sickness Cure Each Other (BCR87)
Tags
2014 Summer Sesshin, Blue Cliff Record, Bodhidharma, embodying koans, play, Rhinoceros, sickness and medicine, what am I, Yunmen
Category
Text

Value a sort of play and see if you can break the koan—the koan will be amused. And see it and let it into your heart, and see what comes, or follow it around, or have it follow you. And finally you’ll realize, “Oh, I’m here. I’m free.”

5546 Words
Text August 6, 2020

Knock on Any Door – Daoist Masters & Zen Koans

John Tarrant

Koans
Abiding Nowhere the Heartmind Comes Forth (MK65b), Bankei's Miracle, Dragon Singing in a Withered Tree, Huineng's Original Face (GG23), Knock On Any Door (Preface to BCR), Stone Hitting Bamboo, Vast Emptiness, Nothing Holy (BCR1)(BS2)
Tags
Blue Cliff Record, Book of Serenity, buddha nature, Daoism, Diamond Sutra, Du Fu, emptiness, no trace, not knowing, out of nowhere, Summer 2019 sesshin
Category
Text

So, whatever your condition is, you can see the “I have joy.” Out of that emptiness, out of what seems unpromising—the dark material, the valley spirit, the enigma, out of the mystery, out of what I don’t understand—it just appears. The joy just appears.

3035 Words