‘What religion believest thou?’ you ask.
I raise my hossu[f113] and hit your mouth.”[5.23]
Hōyen (Fa-yen) of Gosozan (wu-tso-shan), who died in 1104, succeeded Shutan (Shou-tuan), of Haku-un (Pai-yün), and was the teacher of Yengo (Yüan-wu), composed the following when his mental eye was first opened:
“A patch of farm land quietly lies by the hill,
Crossing my hands over the chest I ask the old farmer kindly:
‘How often have you sold it and bought it back by yourself?’
I like the pines and bamboos that invite a refreshing breeze.”[5.24]
Yengo (Yüan-wu, 1063–1135) was one of the greatest teachers in the Sung dynasty and the author of a Zen textbook known as the Hekiganshu. His verse stands in such contrast to that of his teacher, Hōyen, and the reader will find it hard to unearth anything of Zen from the following romanticism:
“The golden duck no more issues odorous smoke behind the brocade screens,
Amidst flute-playing and singing, he retreats, thoroughly in liquor and supported by others: