Q&A

Q: なぜ徳山宣鑑は、修行者を言葉で教えるのではなく「棒」で叩くという激しい指導をしたのですか？

A: なぜならば、頭であれこれ考える「理屈（言葉）」を瞬時に断ち切らせ、今この瞬間の生きた事実に気づかせるためです。

徳山は「言葉に頼った理解」を非常に嫌いました。彼が放つ一撃（徳山の棒）は、理屈や言い訳を挟む余地を与えず、修行者を一瞬で「言葉のない真実の世界」へと突き落とす、彼なりの徹底的に親切で実践的な教育手段だったのです。

Q: Why did Deshan Xuanjian use a fierce training style like hitting his students with a "stick," instead of teaching them with words?

A: Because he wanted to instantly cut off "logic (words)" that people think about in their heads, and make them realize the live facts of this exact moment.

Deshan hated "understanding that depends on words" very much. The blow he gave ("Deshan's Stick") left no room for logic or excuses. It was his own way of being thoroughly kind and practical in teaching, pushing his students into "the real world without words" in a single second.