Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Wild Fox Zen

Home
Buddhist
That Other Story About Iron Grindstone Liú

That Other Story About Iron Grindstone Liú

Last updated on: January 25, 2022 at 7:44 pm by Dosho Port

That Other Story About Iron Grindstone Liú 2022-01-25T19:44:04-06:00 Dosho Port

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“Dragon Head Kannon” (2008) by Mayumi Oda. Case 24, Blue Cliff Record. Iron Grindstone LiuThe Record of Empty Hall, Case 67: Iron Grindstone Liú’s Upside Down (1)

Raised: Zǐhú asked Iron Grindstone Liú, “For a long time, I’ve been favorably inclined to ‘Iron Grindstone Liú.’ Is there someone for whom this [name] would be suitable or not?”

Grindstone said, “I won’t go there.”

Hú said, “Turn left, turn right.”

Grindstone said, “Venerable, is there someone who goes upside down?”

Hú then struck.

[Xūtáng’s] alternate saying for Iron Grindstone Liú: “Not knowing, rely on meeting an outsider.”

Hakuin said, “Where the darkness and the light do not reach, there is a good view.”

Comment:

Iron Grindstone Liú was a close disciple and successor of Guīshān. Even though she was one of the few women to receive transmission in the good old days of Zen, she does not have an entry in the Record of the Transmission of the Lamp. And despite all of her grinding away at the half-baked understanding of various (male) practitioners, there are just two known stories about her – this one and the better known “Guīshān and Iron Grindstone Liu.” that begins, “Old cow, you’ve come!”

See Melissa Blacker Rōshi’s wonderful article in Lion’s Roar for the remainder of that case and her commentary – click here.

Regarding the Grindstone, Hakuin said, “After considerable exertion, having broken through ten thousand miles of barriers, finally you come to the time when the six nations are cleared.”

That is, Grindstone has not only realized the undivided heart but worked through post-kenshō barriers to actualize in daily life so that peace reigned far and wide.

In the present case, we have two wonderful adepts playing with the buddhadharma like it’s hacky sack. Unfortunately, we also don’t know much about the other character, Zǐhú. We do know that in the Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Zǐhú is listed as a successor of Nánquán, a dharma brother of the Grindstone’s teacher, Guīshān. And this case is the one story included for Zǐhú. (2)

Yuánwù, however, in his commentary on the Blue Cliff Record, has this:

Zǐhú set up a sign on his outside gate; on the sign were words saying,

“Zǐhú has a dog: above, he takes people’s heads; in the middle, he takes people’s loins; below, he takes people’s legs. If you stop to talk to him, you’ll lose your body and life.” Whenever Zǐhú saw a newcomer, he would immediately shout and say, ‘Watch out for the dog!’ As soon as the monk turned his head, Zǐhú would immediately return to the abbot’s room. (3)

Watch out for the dog! Where’d he go, where’d he go?

Zǐhú had heard about the Grindstone’s exploits and was favorably inclined, despite their different styles. While he was prone to slip away, the Grindstone ground away. Here, however, there is no mention of his warning sign for his dog. He just wonders if she thinks she’s a fit person to carry such an awesome name.

As if changing places, Grindstone tries to slip away, being a person of neither yes or no – “I won’t go there.”

Zǐhú then goes cha cha cha, turning to the right, and turning to the left.

The dialogue, you may remember, began with Zǐhú wondering, “Is there someone who …” and Grindstone now shares her wondering – you can go left and right but are you someone who can go upside down? In other words, are you upside down in this world of upside down views? So, just to be clear, are you right side up?

Pow. Zǐhú strikes.

And that’s the story. Yuánwù, though, uses this as an example of someone raising an interpretation, missing the point, and getting hit. He sees Grindstone’s “Venerable, is there someone who goes upside down?” as a the-horse-already-left-the-barn interpretation and even has Hú hitting her before she finished speaking.

I say, baloney! If Grindstone’s words were interpretive, then Zǐhú too missed the mark. If they’re both wrong, then everytime words are spoken by anyone, a clear-eyed person would just strike. Muttering along as he does, Yuánwù’s name is right there, clear as day, on the same indictment as Grindstone and Zǐhú.

Xūtáng and Hakuin both see the point here to be about practicing don’t know mind in our daily life encounters, in this case with an outsider – a woman adept in male dominated Zen. “Where the darkness and the light do not reach, there is a good view.”

So although this case is complete, the implications roll on and on.

How do you relate?

(1) “Empty Hall is Xūtáng. For more about him, click here.

(2) Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, Whitfield, V3, p. 58. This story also appears in commentary to the Book of Serenity, trs, Thomas Cleary, p. 253.

(2) Blue Cliff Record, trs, Thomas and J.C. Cleary, p. 529.

Dōshō Port began practicing Zen in 1977 and now co-teacheswith his wife, Tetsugan Zummach Osho. Dōshō also teaches with the Vine of Obstacles: Online Support for Zen Training, an internet-based Zen community. Dōshō received dharma transmission from Dainin Katagiri Rōshi and inka shōmei from James Myōun Ford Rōshi in the Harada-Yasutani lineage. He is the author of Keep Me In Your Heart a While: The Haunting Zen of Dainin Katagiri.

Previous Post

October 2, 2018

The Truth of the Self Through the Generations of Our Lineage

Next Post

November 26, 2018 The Zen Teacher Hustle and Social Media

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 August 2021 June 2021 April 2021 February 2021 January 2021 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 December 2016 October 2016 June 2016 April 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 August 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many books in the Bible are classified as poetry?

Select your answer to see how you score.

5 7 6 4