29th of April 2022
I am going to write some Zen commentary, from a Soto style, i.e. in a wordy and conceptual way. This is not going to be the "koan answers", it is just my personal understanding at this moment. I have not done formal koan practise. I might not add much, but it will be a bit of fun. We will use Katsuki Sekida's translation in Two Zen Classics. First we will start with 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?
In the summer of the first year of Jōtei, Ekai was in Ryūshō 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.”
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.
The Great Way is gateless,
Approached in a thousand ways.
Once past this checkpoint
You stride through the universe.
Buddhism makes mind its foundation and no-gate its gate. Now, how do you pass through this no-gate?
Buddhism is the study of the interaction between the "small self", our conventional reality, and the "big self", which is total non-differentiation as explained by the concept of emptiness. Emptiness means that all phenomena cannot exist on their own–they are empty of self-existence–and instead only exist dependent on other things. Since all things are like this, every phenomena cannot be separated from the entire rest of reality, and so each phenomena really "contains" all of reality. Therefore, any distinctions that we make are illusory confusions, really there is no differentiation. The foundational mind mentioned here, called "One Mind" by Huangbo, and highlighted through all eras of Buddhism, refers to the non-differentiated mind: the mind that does not try to make distinctions. Since the small self doesn't actually exist, we are already Buddhas. Our life right now is like a flickering candle, or foam bubbles left after the waves go out, but most beings naturally try to grab onto something: a human would not survive for very long with no grasping onto the differentiation between things. Therefore we are also not Buddhas. However, even this grabbing is still the "foundational mind" but we usually don't realise it.
"Gate" means a path of practise; passing through the gate means to do our practise and become a Buddha. This is often also called a "Dharma door". We are not yet Buddhas, so we need a gate, however we are already Buddhas, and so really we need no-gate. Thus, we resume our perfectly balanced striving and abiding. It's a gate, because effort is required. It's also not a gate, because our foundational mind is already fully enlightened. So what do we do? How do we pass through it?
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.
Now "the gate" means your life right now, in this moment. "Things coming in" are thoughts, feelings, and experiences arising. They can never be your own because they come from the outside and return to the outside. If you take a bite of some delicious food, it is totally impossible to grab onto the taste itself and keep it how it was in that moment. Immediately the thing is lost, and we create a memory of that thing. It "perishes in the wind" because it is impermanent. Impermanence is therefore a core Buddhist teaching, since permanence is totally impossible on any scale, wanting it is a pipe dream. Mumon ends here by noting that even this analysis makes a lot of distinctions between things that are beyond distinctions, so already we are making deluded waves on the naturally calm "foundational mind". When we sit zazen we do not sit thinking about the nature of impermanence.
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?
I don't quite understand the traditional meaning of this saying "striking at the moon with a stick; scratching a shoe". But, Mumon seems to just be calling out practitioners who do not make the earnest effort to actually practise, and just listen to others or collect "attainments" or ranks of priesthood. He is telling us that we should be totally interested in our practise.
In the summer of the first year of Jōtei, Ekai was in Ryūshō 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.”
Koans are used, for example in Rinzai, as a special training tool. They are given to the student, and struggled with, since it is supposedly beyond rational thinking, until the student "gives up" and breaks through. Perhaps this is what is meant by "using the cases [..] to batter the gate". Dogen offered another interpretation. He mocked those who said that the koans were simply sayings beyond rational thought, and insisted that the awakened mind could understand them properly. I personally think he is right. We should not look at these koans and revere them as mere impenetrable sayings, not even bothering to awaken to them. Then it is entirely not a gate, not a gateless gate.
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.
Again, our effort must be consistent. We shouldn't stop after a first brief sight. We must never end our practise.
The Great Way is gateless,
Approached in a thousand ways.
Once past this checkpoint
You stride through the universe.
Everyone must approach the gate according to their own karma. After it they are free from their karma, and make big wide Buddha-strides.