Kajō

Generally, within the house of the buddhas and ancestors, tea and rice are everyday matters. This principle of tea and rice has been transmitted for a long time and is actualized here and now. Therefore, the lively activity of the buddhas' and ancestors' tea and rice has arrived. The monk Kai of Mount Taiyō asked Tōsu, saying, "The meaning and phrases of the buddhas and ancestors are like everyday tea and rice.

Apart from this, are there still any verbal phrases for guiding people, or not?" Tōsu said, "You tell me, when the emperor within the realm issues a decree, does he still borrow the authority of Yu, Tang, Yao, and Shun, or not?" As Taiyō was about to open his mouth, Tōsu took up his whisk, covered his teacher's mouth, and said, "From the moment you gave rise to this thought, you have already deserved thirty blows." At this, Taiyō attained awakening, made a bow, and immediately started to leave. Tōsu said, "Wait a moment, Reverend." Taiyō ultimately did not turn his head. Tōsu said, "Have you, my son, reached the place of no doubt?" Taiyō covered his ears with his hands and left.

Therefore, it should be clearly maintained and confirmed: the meaning and phrases of the buddhas and ancestors are the everyday tea and rice of the buddhas and ancestors. The coarse tea and plain rice of everyday life are the meaning of the buddhas and the phrases of the ancestors. The buddhas and ancestors make tea and rice. Tea and rice enable the maintenance and confirmation of the buddhas and ancestors. However, the power of tea and rice beyond this is not lacking, and the power of the buddhas and ancestors within this is not exhausted. One should diligently practice and study the instruction, "Does he still borrow the authority of Yu, Tang, Yao, and Shun, or not?" One should investigate and leap to the very summit of this question, "Apart from this, are there still any verbal phrases for guiding people, or not?" One should try to investigate and see: can you leap or can you not leap?

The Great Master Wujì of the Stone Hut on Mount Nanyue says, "I built a grass hut, possessing no treasures. When the meal is finished, at ease, I plan for a good sleep." This "meal is finished" of coming and going on the Way, of the Way coming and going, is the intention-phrase of being fully satiated through investigating the buddhas and ancestors. That which is "not yet a meal" is the investigation of not yet being satiated. Yet, this principle of "when the meal is finished, at ease" is present and actualized before the meal, is present and actualized during the meal, and is present and actualized after the meal.

To mistakenly recognize that there is eating a meal inside the house of "the meal is finished" is the practice of four or five shō of investigation.

Our late teacher, the ancient buddha, addressed the assembly saying, "I recall: a monk asked Hyakujō, 'What is the most extraordinary matter?' Hyakujō said, 'Sitting alone on Great Hero Peak.'" Assembly, do not stir or cling; for now, let us just sit that fellow to death. If today someone suddenly asks me, Jō, 'What is the most extraordinary matter?' I would simply say to him, 'What extraordinary matter could there be?' After all, how is it? The bowl of Jōji is moved over to Tendō for eating a meal.

Within the house of the buddhas and ancestors there is always an extraordinary matter; it is what is called 'sitting alone on Great Hero Peak.' Even when we now meet with sitting that fellow to death, this too is still an extraordinary matter. Furthermore, there is something even more extraordinary than that; it is what is called 'the bowl of Jōji is moved over to Tendō for eating a meal.' The extraordinary matter is that every single thing, every single aspect, is eating a meal. Therefore, 'sitting alone on Great Hero Peak' is precisely this eating a meal. The bowl is the implement for eating a meal; the implement for eating a meal is the bowl.

For this reason, it is the bowl of Jōji; it is Tendō eating a meal. There is knowing the meal upon being satiated; there is being satiated upon finishing the meal. There is knowing satiation and meal; there is being satiated and then eating more. For a moment, what might this bowl be? It is not merely a block of wood; it is not 'black as lacquer.' Is it a stubborn stone? Is it an iron man? It is bottomless; it has no nostrils. One mouth swallows the void; the void joins its palms and receives it.

Our late teacher, the ancient buddha, while abbot of Tiantai Prefecture's Suiyan Jingtu Chan Monastery, addressed the assembly saying, "When hungry, eat your rice; when tired, sleep. The bellows reach to heaven." What is called "when hungry" is the vital activity of the person who comes to eat rice. A person who has never eaten rice cannot be hungry. Therefore, know this: if I, who am ordinarily of the hunger family, am to be decisively settled, I am a person who has finished rice. "When tired" must be being tired within tiredness. It has come leaping fully from the very crown of tiredness. For this reason, it is precisely now that, in the vital activity of the whole body, the whole body is entirely overturned and turned around. "Sleep" is to sleep while borrowing the eyes: the buddha-eye, the dharma-eye, the wisdom-eye, the patriarch-eye, the pillar's eye, the lantern's eye.

Our late teacher, the ancient buddha, once upon traveling from Taizhou's Ruiyan Temple to accept an invitation at Lin'an Prefecture's Jingci Temple, said in a dharma hall address, "For half a year, I ate meals and sat on Man Peak. Sitting through, I cut off the mists and clouds for ten thousand miles. Suddenly, with a single sound, a thunderclap roars; in the imperial country, the colors of spring—the apricot blossoms are red." The buddhas and ancestors who manifest the forms of the buddhas' activity—all their transforming work is precisely this sitting on Man Peak and eating meals.

The investigation that continues the buddhas' wisdom-life is this very living activity of eating meals seen and accomplished. The half year of sitting on Man Peak—this is called eating meals. One does not know how many layers of mists and clouds are sat through and cut off. Even if the single sound of the thunderclap is sudden, it is merely the crimson color of the apricot blossoms' spring hues. What is called the imperial country is right now, utterly naked and exposed. These kinds of things are eating meals. Man Peak is the name of a peak at Ruiyan Temple.

Our late teacher, the ancient buddha, while addressing the assembly in the Buddha Hall of Suigan Temple in Qingyuan Prefecture, Mingzhou, said: "The wondrous form of gold is putting on clothes and eating meals; because of me, you bow. Retiring early and rising late. Indeed! Expounding the profound and discussing the subtle is utterly baseless. Above all, avoid picking up the flower and deceiving yourself." One must immediately penetrate and shoulder this: "the wondrous form of gold" is putting on clothes and eating meals; putting on clothes and eating meals is "the wondrous form of gold." Furthermore, do not grope for who it is that puts on clothes and eats meals; do not speak of who it is that is the wondrous form of gold. To act thus is to express the Way. This is the reason for "because of me, you bow." It is "since I have eaten, you bow to the eating." This is the reason for "avoid picking up the flower.

The monk Da'an of Changqing Temple in Fuzhou, Zen Master Yuanzhi, ascended the hall and addressed the assembly, saying: "Da'an has been at Mount Gui for some thirty years. I have eaten Mount Gui's rice and shit Mount Gui's shit, but I did not study Mount Gui's Zen. I only watched over a single water buffalo. If it strayed off the path and entered the grass, I would immediately pull it out. If it trespassed into another's seedling fields, I would immediately whip it. Having tamed it for so long, pitiful creature, it now understands human speech. Now it has transformed into a white ox in the open ground. It is constantly before me, all day long vividly exposed.

Even if driven, it does not leave." One should clearly receive and uphold this address to the assembly. The thirty years of effort under the Buddha and patriarchs is eating rice. There is no further mixed use of mind. To see and accomplish the living activity of eating rice is naturally to have the mark and standard of watching a single water buffalo.

The great master Zhenji of Zhaozhou asked a newly arrived monk, "Have you ever been here before?" The monk said, "I have been here." The master said, "Go have tea." He asked another monk, "Have you ever been here before?" The monk said, "I have never been here." The master said, "Go have tea." The monastery director asked the master, "Why is it that you say 'Go have tea' both to one who has been here before and to one who has never been here before?" The master called out, "Director!" The director responded. The master said, "Go have tea." This "here" is not the top of the head, it is not the nostrils, it is not Zhaozhou.

Because one leaps free of this "here," there is "having been here" and "having never been here." What place is this right here? It is simply a matter of talking about having been here or not having been here. Therefore, my late teacher said, "Who is there at the place of the painted tower selling wine? Let us invite each other to come and drink Zhaozhou's tea." Thus, the everyday activity of the buddhas and ancestors is nothing but drinking tea and eating meals.

Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, Volume 59: Everyday Life The great master Baizhang Huaihai established a temple and always labored alongside the assembly. As the head monk, he did not permit him to work, saying, "You are an elder; please do not labor." The master said, "I am a person of no special merit; how could I allow others to labor for me?" The head monk hid his tools. The master then did not eat, saying, "A day of no work is a day of no eating." This is the ancient style. Even now, this is the standard for the descendants of the Buddha. We should know that working is the buddha-dharma; the buddha-dharma is working. Working is itself the buddha-dharma.

This is called everyday life. Everyday life is the buddha-dharma; the buddha-dharma is everyday life. The buddha-dharma is itself everyday life. This is called working. This working is not originally something that comes from outside; it is the buddha-dharma. Therefore, it is called everyday life. This everyday life is not something that comes from outside; it is the buddha-dharma. Therefore, it is called working. Working is not merely for the sake of food and clothing; it is the buddha-dharma.

Everyday life is not merely for the sake of food and clothing; it is the buddha-dharma. The buddha-dharma is not merely for the sake of food and clothing; it is working and everyday life. Working and everyday life are not merely for the sake of food and clothing; they are the buddha-dharma.

This is the meaning of "A day of no work is a day of no eating." This is the meaning of "Everyday life is the buddha-dharma." This is the meaning of "The buddha-dharma is everyday life." This is the meaning of "Working is the buddha-dharma." This is the meaning of "The buddha-dharma is working." This is the meaning of "Working is itself the buddha-dharma." This is the meaning of "Everyday life is itself the buddha-dharma." This is the meaning of "The buddha-dharma is itself everyday life." This is the meaning of "The buddha-dharma is itself working." This is the meaning of "Working and everyday life are themselves the buddha-dharma." This is the meaning of "The buddha-dharma is itself working and everyday life." This is the meaning of "A day of no work is a day of no eating." This is the meaning of "A day of no eating is a day of no work." This is the meaning of "A day of no work is a day of no buddha-dharma." This is the meaning of "A day of no buddha-dharma is a day of no work." 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This is the meaning of "A day of no eating is a day of no work." This is the meaning of "A day of no work is a day of no buddha-dharma." This is the meaning of "A day of no buddha-dharma is a day of no work." This is the meaning of "A day of no everyday life is a day of no buddha-dharma." This is the meaning of "A day of no buddha-dharma is a day of no everyday life." This is the meaning of "A day of no work is a day of no everyday life." This is the meaning of "A day of no everyday life is a day of no work." This is the meaning of "A day of no work is a day of no eating." This is the meaning of "A day of no eating is a day of no work." This is the meaning of "A day of no work is a day of no buddha-dharma." This is the meaning of "A day of no buddha-dharma is a day of no work." This is the meaning of "A day of no everyday life is a day of no buddha-dharma." This is the meaning of "A day of no buddha-dharma is a day of no everyday life." 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