Wumenguan
Wumen Huikai (1183–1260) · Song China · 13th c.
Introduction
The Wumenguan (無門関, "The Gateless Gate," in Chinese Wumen Guan) is, along with the Hekiganroku, one of the two most famous kōan collections in the Chan tradition. Compiled in 1228 by the master Wumen Huikai (無門慧開, "Wumen" meaning "Gateless"), it gathers 48 commented cases, each accompanied by Wumen's famous verse.
Wumen Huikai (1183–1260) was a master of the Linji (Rinzai) lineage, known for his direct teaching and sharp wit. He compiled the Wumenguan at the age of 45, while he was prior of the Longxiang monastery. The collection was an immediate success and quickly became a practice manual for generations of Chan monks.
Each case in the Wumenguan follows a simple yet powerful structure: the main case (gongan), drawn from anecdotes of ancient masters, followed by Wumen's incisive commentary and his concluding verse. The style is so dense and impactful that the collection was translated into Japanese as early as the Kamakura period and exerted a profound influence on Japanese Rinzai.
The first case — "Zhaozhou's Dog" (趙州狗子) — is arguably the most famous kōan in the entire Zen tradition. Zhaozhou's "Mu" (無) is often the first gate a practitioner passes through in the Rinzai tradition. Wumen himself warns: "If you pass through this gate, you will no longer be just a companion of Zhaozhou — you will walk hand in hand with all the patriarchs."
Excerpts from the most famous cases of the Wumenguan:
【第一則】趙州狗子 — 趙州和尚因僧問：「狗子還有佛性也無？」州云：「無。」
Case 1. Zhaozhou's Dog. A monk asked Zhaozhou: "Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?" Zhaozhou said: "Mu (無)!"
Wumen: "Study this Mu, making your whole body a single mass of doubt. Day and night, study it without respite."
【第二則】百丈野狐 — 百丈和尚因僧問：「大修行底人還落因果也無？」丈云：「不落因果。」
Case 2. Baizhang's Fox. A monk asked Baizhang: "Does a person of great practice fall under the law of cause and effect?" Baizhang said: "They do not fall under it."
Wumen: "Cause and effect are clear — one thing leads to another. The ignorant deny it, the awakened confirm it."
【第六則】世尊拈花 — 世尊昔在靈山會上，拈花示眾。是時眾皆默然，唯迦葉尊者破顏微笑。
Case 6. Buddha Holds Up a Flower. When the Buddha, at Vulture Peak, held up a flower before the assembly, all remained silent. Only the venerable Mahākāśyapa broke into a smile.
Wumen: "The transmission outside the scriptures — even today, it passes from hand to hand."
【第十四則】南泉斬猫 — 南泉和尚因東西兩堂爭猫兒，泉乃提起猫云：「道得即不斬。」
Case 14. Nansen Kills the Cat. Monks from the East and West halls were arguing over a cat. Nansen lifted it up and said: "If you can say a true word, I will not kill it." No one could answer. Nansen killed the cat.
Wumen: "When Nansen lifted the cat, the Way was cut through with a single stroke."
【第十九則】趙州柏樹 — 趙州因僧問：「如何是祖師西來意？」州云：「庭前柏樹子。」
Case 19. Zhaozhou's Cypress Tree. A monk asked Zhaozhou: "What is the meaning of the Patriarch's coming from the West?" Zhaozhou said: "The cypress tree in the courtyard."
Wumen: "How close heaven and earth are — the sun rises in the east, rain falls in the west."
【第二十一則】雲門乾屎橛 — 雲門因僧問：「如何是佛？」門云：「乾屎橛。」
Case 21. Yunmen's Dried Shit Stick. A monk asked Yunmen: "What is Buddha?" Yunmen said: "A dried shit stick."
Wumen: "Yunmen's mouth was so dry he didn't even have saliva."
【第二十七則】不是風幡 — 六祖因僧論風幡義，一曰風動，一曰幡動。祖云：「不是風動，不是幡動，仁者心動。」
Case 27. It Is Not the Wind, Nor the Flag. Monks were arguing about the wind and a flag. One said: "The wind is moving." The other: "The flag is moving." The Sixth Patriarch said: "It is neither the wind moving, nor the flag — your mind is moving."
Wumen: "Wind, flag, mind — all equally guilty."
【第二十九則】惠藏風幡 — 惠藏問：「風動幡動？」祖云：「仁者心動。」藏即契悟。
Case 29. Huizang's Wind and Flag. Huizang asked: "Is the wind moving or is the flag moving?" The Sixth Patriarch said: "Your mind is moving." Huizang awakened.
Wumen: "When the mind stops, wind and flag are seen in their suchness."
【第三十則】趙州勘婆 — 趙州一日在路次，見一婆子，問云：「向甚麼處去？」婆云：「向趙州去。」
Case 30. The Old Woman and Zhaozhou. Zhaozhou met an old woman on the road and asked her: "Where are you going?" She said: "I am going to Zhaozhou." Zhaozhou said: "And what will you do when you see Zhaozhou?" She said: "Nothing special."
Wumen: "The old woman knew Zhaozhou — no need to go all the way to him."
【第三十九則】雲門有語 — 雲門因僧問：「如何是清淨法身？」門云：「花藥欄。」
Case 39. Yunmen's Flower Hedge. A monk asked Yunmen: "What is the pure dharma body?" Yunmen said: "The flower hedge."
Wumen: "Just look at the hedge — the dharma is everywhere."
Source: CBETA T48n2005 (Wumen Guan) · Public Domain (Taishō Canon) · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Chinese text: CBETA T48n2005