Shinfukatoku

The Buddha Śākyamuni said, "Past mind is ungraspable, present mind is ungraspable, future mind is ungraspable." This is the thorough investigation of the buddhas and ancestors. From within "ungraspable," they have dug out and brought forth the cave-dwelling of past, present, and future. Nevertheless, they have made use of their own innate dwelling. What is called "their own" is "mind is ungraspable." The thinking and discriminating of this very moment is "mind is ungraspable." To function freely with the whole body through the twelve hours is "mind is ungraspable." Since the buddhas and ancestors entered the room, they have mastered "mind is ungraspable." Where there has not yet been the buddhas and ancestors entering the room, there is no inquiry into "mind is ungraspable," no expression of it, no seeing or hearing of it. The kinds of sutra masters and treatise masters, the classes of *śrāvakas* and *pratyekabuddhas*, have not even dreamed of it.

The evidence is close at hand: the Zen master Tokusan Senkan, who in former times called himself one who had mastered the *Diamond Sutra*, and sometimes called himself the King of the Diamond Sutra. He particularly claimed to be skilled in the *Blue Dragon Commentary*. Furthermore, he had compiled twelve loads of texts and commentaries, as if there were no lecturer equal to him. Yet he was merely a latter-day scholar of letters. Once, hearing that in the south there was an unsurpassed Buddha-dharma transmitted directly from master to disciple, he could not bear his indignation. Carrying his sutras and commentaries, he crossed mountains and rivers. By chance, he arrived at the assembly of the Zen master Ryūtan. Intending to enter that assembly, he rested midway on the road. At that time, an old woman came along and also rested by the roadside.

She then asked the lecturer, "What sort of person are you?" The old woman said, "I am an old woman who sells rice cakes." Tokusan said, "I will buy some cakes from you." The old woman said, "Venerable sir, what will you do with the cakes you buy?" Tokusan said, "I will buy cakes to refresh my mind." The old woman said, "Venerable sir, what are all these things you are carrying?" Tokusan said, "Have you not heard? I am the King of the Diamond Sutra. I excel in the *Diamond Sutra*; there is nothing I have not penetrated. What I carry are commentaries on the *Diamond Sutra*." Hearing this, the old woman said, "This old woman has one question.

Will you, Venerable sir, permit it or not?" Tokusan said, "I permit it now. Ask as you wish." The old woman said, "I have heard it said in the *Diamond Sutra*: 'The past mind is ungraspable, the present mind is ungraspable, the future mind is ungraspable.' Now, with which mind will you refresh yourself with these cakes? If you, Venerable sir, can speak to this, I will sell you cakes. If you, Venerable sir, cannot speak to this, I will not sell you cakes." At that moment, Tokusan was utterly confounded and could not think of any reply.

The old woman immediately shook her sleeves and left, ultimately not selling the cakes to Tokusan. It is pitiable: the master of hundreds of scrolls of commentary, a lecturer for decades, upon receiving a single question from a lowly old woman, immediately fell into defeat and could not manage a reply. That it is so is because the difference is vast between seeing a true master and receiving transmission from a true master, hearing the true dharma, and not yet hearing the true dharma or seeing the true dharma. Tokusan then said for the first time, "A painted cake cannot satisfy hunger." He now claims to have received the dharma from Ryūtan.

Carefully considering this encounter between the old woman and Tokusan, it is clear that Tokusan in the past had not truly mastered [the sutra]. Even after seeing Ryūtan, he must still have feared the old woman. He was still a latecomer in practice, not an ancient buddha of transcendent realization. Although the old woman silenced Tokusan at that time, it is not definitively clear that she was truly such a person.

The reason is that, upon hearing the words "mind is ungraspable," she merely thought, "Mind cannot be," "Mind must not exist," and questioned him thus. If Tokusan had been a true man of capacity, he would have had the power to see through the old woman. If he had seen through her, the principle of whether the old woman was truly such a person would have been revealed. Since Tokusan was not yet Tokusan, whether the old woman was such a person was also not yet revealed. The cloud-robed, mist-sleeved monks now in the Great Song country who idly laugh at Tokusan's inability to reply and praise the old woman's cleverness are truly shallow and foolish.

The reason is that doubting the old woman is not without cause. That is to say, on that occasion, when Tokusan could not speak, why did the old woman not turn to Tokusan and say, "Venerable sir, you cannot speak now. You should further ask this old woman. This old woman will reply for you, Venerable sir." If she had spoken thus, obtained Tokusan's question, and then turned to Tokusan to speak, if what she said was true, then it would be revealed that the old woman was truly such a person.

Even if she had posed a question, there was still no place from which to speak. Since ancient times, there has never been a case where one who has not yet uttered a single word is called "such a person." The futility of idle self-proclamation, its lack of benefit, can be seen in Tokusan's past. That one who has no place from which to speak should not be permitted is known from the old woman. Let us try speaking on Tokusan's behalf. Suppose the old woman indeed posed such a question. Tokusan should then have turned to the old woman and said, "If that is so, then you should not sell cakes to me." If Tokusan had spoken thus, he would have been a sharp practitioner.

If the old woman then said to Tokusan, "The present mind is ungraspable, the past mind is ungraspable, the future mind is ungraspable. Now, with which mind will you refresh yourself with these cakes?" If she questioned thus, the old woman should then have turned to Tokusan and said, "Venerable sir, you only know that you should not refresh the mind with a cake; you do not know refreshing a cake with the mind; you do not even know refreshing mind with mind." If she spoke thus, Tokusan would surely have hesitated.

At just such a time, she should have taken three cakes and handed them to Tokusan. When Tokusan made to take them, the old woman should have said, "The past mind is ungraspable, the present mind is ungraspable, the future mind is ungraspable." If again Tokusan did not extend his hand to take them, she should have taken one cake, struck Tokusan with it, and said, "Corpse without a spirit, do not be confounded!" If she spoke thus, it would be good if Tokusan had something to say. If he had nothing to say, the old woman should have further spoken for Tokusan. She merely shook her sleeves and left, not even noticing if there were bees in her sleeves.

Tokusan also did not say, "I cannot speak; old woman, speak for me." Thus, not only did she not say what should be said, she also did not ask what should be asked. It is pitiable: for the old woman and Tokusan, the past mind, future mind, present mind, questioning and speaking, it is all merely "the future mind is ungraspable." In general, even after that, no particular great awakening is seen in Tokusan; there is only rough and hasty behavior.

Had he long attended Ryūtan, he might have butted heads and broken his horns; he might have met the occasion for the true transmission of the jewel on the forehead. He merely saw the paper candle blown out; it is insufficient for the *Transmission of the Lamp*. Therefore, practitioners who travel among clouds and waters must necessarily be diligent in their study. To take it lightly is not right; those who were diligent are the buddhas and ancestors. In general, "mind is ungraspable" means buying and playing with a single painted cake, and biting into it, chewing it up, with one mouthful. *Shōbōgenzō* Book Eight