Buddha is Grass Shoes
 
     One morning after practice, four students were having breakfast
with Seung Sahn Soen-sa at the Corner Coffee Shop on East Twenty-First
Street in New York City. One student told about an experience which he
had had with some followers of the Nichiren sect.  "Their mantra, Nam
yoho range kyo, seemed to me a quite powerful practice. But when I
asked them what it meant, they didn't know and said it wasn't
important to know. Is this correct?"
 
     Soen-sa said, "In practice of this kind, correct understanding is
not necessary. It doesn't matter whether you know that this mantra is
the name of the Lotus Sutra or that Kwanseum Bosal is the name of the
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara."
 
     Another student said, "I've heard that certain mantras have power
inherent in them - that Sanskrit sounds, for example, have some link
to the energy of the universe. Does it make a difference which mantra
you use?"
 
     Soen-sa said, "Three things are important: first, your reason for
doing the mantra; second, strong faith that the mantra works; and
third, constant practice."
 
     "So you can chant Coca-Cola all day long and it will work?"
 
     "If someone tells you that the words Coca-Cola have power in them
and you really believe that, then Coca-Cola will work for you. There
is a good story about this:
 
     "Three hundred years ago in Korea, there was a monk named Sok Du,
which means 'Rock Head." He was a very stupid man. The sutras were
much too difficult for him, so he decided to study Zen. But sitting
Zen was also too difficult. So he only did working Zen, in the kitchen
and in the monastery fields. Twice a month the Zen Master would give a
Dharma Speech, which would always fill Sok Du with confusion. One day,
after the Dharma Speech, he went to the Zen Master and said, 'Master,
I'm tired of being so stupid. Isn't there some way I can understand?'
 
     "The Master said, 'You must ask me a good question.'
 
     "Sok Du scratched his head and thought for a few minutes. Then he
said, 'Okay.  You are always talking about Buddha. What is Buddha?'
 
     "The Master answered, 'Juk shim shi bul,' which means 'Buddha is
mind.' But Sok Du misunderstood, and thought that the Master had said,
 
     "'What a difficult kong-an!' Sok Du thought, as he bowed to the
Master and left.  'How can Buddha be grass shoes? How will I ever
understand?'
 
     "For the next three years, Sok Du puzzled over this great
question as he did his working Zen. He never asked the Master to
explain; he just kept the question in his mind at all times. Finally,
one day three years later, he was carrying a large load of firewood
down the hill to the monastery. His foot hit a rock, he lost his
balance, the wood fell, and his grass shoes went flying into the air.
When they landed on the ground, they were broken, and he had attained
enlightenment.
 
     "Sok Du was very happy and very excited, so he went running back
to the Zen Master. 'Master, Master, now I understand what Buddha is!'
 
     "The Master looked at him and said, 'Oh? Then what is Buddha?'
 
     "Sok Du took off one shoe and hit the Master on the head.
 
     "The Master said, 'Is this the truth?'
 
     "Sok Du said, 'My shoes are all broken!'
 
     "The Master burst out laughing, and Sok Du flushed with joy."
 
     At this, Soen-sa and his students also burst out laughing. Then
they returned to their fried eggs and toast.
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------
from DROPPING ASHES ON THE BUDDHA: The Teachings of Zen Master Seung
Sahn
 
edited by Stephen Mitchell (Grove Press, New York NY, 1976)
 
converted to digital format and included on the MOUNT KAILAS BBS with
permission from the Cambridge Zen Center.