A monk approached Chao-chou with the same question, to which he replied, “It is like writing characters in the dark: while the characters are not properly formed, their outlines are plainly traceable.”
[f133] Literally, “A day [of] no work [is] a day [of] no eating.” cf. II. Thessalonians, III., 10: “If any would not work, neither should he eat.” It is noteworthy that St. Francis of Assisi made this the first rule of his Brotherhood.
[f134] Tso ch‘an is one of those compound Buddhist terms made of Sanskrit and Chinese. Tso is Chinese meaning “to sit,” while ch‘an stands for dhyāna or jhāna. The full transliteration of the term is ch‘anna, but for brevity’s sake the first character alone has been in use. The combination of tso-ch‘an comes from the fact that dhyana is always practised by sitting cross-legged. This posture has been considered by the Indians the best way of sitting for a long while in meditation. In it, according to some Japanese physicians, the centre of gravitation rests firmly in the lower regions of the body, and when the head is relieved of an unusual congestion of blood, the whole system will work in perfect order and the mind be put in suitable mood to take in the truth of Zen.
[f135] He was the noted Confucian disciple of Baso (Ma-tsu), and his wife and daughter were also devoted Zen followers. When he thought the time had come for him to pass away, he told his daughter to watch the course of the sun and let him know when it was midday. The daughter hurriedly came back and told the father that the sun had already passed the meridian and was about to be eclipsed. Hō came out, and while he was watching the said eclipse, she went in, took her father’s own seat, and passed away in meditation. When the father saw his daughter already in Nirvana, he said, “What a quick-witted girl she is!” Hō himself passed away some days later.
[f136] This historical temple was unfortunately destroyed by the earthquake of 1923, with many other buildings.
[f137] In those monasteries which are connected in some way with the author of this admonition, it is read or rather chanted before a lecture or Teisho begins.
[f138] I must not forget to mention that after the reading of the Hṛidaya Sūtra the following names of the Buddhas and others are invoked: 1. Vairocana-Buddha in his immaculate Body of the Law, 2. Vairocana-Buddha in his perfect Body of Bliss, 3. Śākyamuni-Buddha in his infinite manifestations as Body of Transformation, 4. Maitreya-Buddha who is to come in some future time, 5. All the Buddhas past, present, and future in the ten quarters of the world, 6. The great holy Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, 7. The great morally-perfect Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, 8. The great compassionate Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, 9. All the venerable Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, and 10. Mahāprajñāpāramitā.
[f139] When the slop-basin goes around, spiritual beings are again remembered: “This water in which my bowls were washed tastes like nectar from heaven. I now offer this to the numerous spirits of the world: may they all be filled and satisfied! Om ma-ku-ra-sai (in Pekingese, mo-hsiu-lo-hsi) svāha!”
[f140] This question of dust reminds one of Berkeley’s remark: “We have just raised a dust and then complain we cannot see.”
[f141] Shê-li, is some indestructible substance, generally in pebble-form, found in the body of a saint when it is cremated.