The Core
The Shoyoroku Case 20: Dizang's Intimacy is a koan in which Fayan Wenyi gives a casual and indifferent reply, "I do not know the purpose of traveling around," to which Dizang Guichen responds, "Not knowing is the most intimate (touching the essence directly)," leading Fayan to achieve great enlightenment.
Usually, people say that "simply remaining mindless and without thought is enlightenment." However, in this dictionary, we define it as a practical lesson: "touching the reality right here and now directly, moving beyond the framework of thought, concepts, and knowledge after thoroughly mastering training and study."
Q&A
- Q: Why did Fayan's reply of "I do not know" serve as a trigger for his enlightenment in the koan of Shoyoroku Case 20: Dizang's Intimacy?
- A: Because the casual and indifferent words "I do not know" muttered by Fayan accidentally shattered the framework of his previous knowledge and teleological thinking, serving as a catalyst that forced him to confront the reality right here and now directly, beyond all logic.
