Dizang Guichen: Not knowing is true intimacy with the essence.
From Shoyoroku, Case 20: Dizang’s Intimacy
擧。地藏問法眼。上座何往。[羅織人作麼]眼云。迤邐行脚。[索草鞋錢去也]藏云。行脚事作麼生。[果然放不過]眼云。不知。[何不早恁麼道]藏云。不知最親切。[就身打劫]眼豁然大悟。[險費盤纒]
From Shoyoroku, Case 20: Dizang’s Intimacy Classical Chinese Original Text
舉（こ）す。地藏（じぞう）、法眼（ほうげん）に問（と）う。上座（じょうざ）何（いづ）くにか往（ゆ）くや。[人（ひと）を羅織（らしょく）して作麼（なに）にかせん] 眼（げん）云（い）わく、迤邐（いり）として行脚（あんぎゃ）す。[草鞋銭（そうあいせん）を索（もと）め去（さ）るや] 藏（ぞう）云（い）わく、行脚（あんぎゃ）の事（じ）作麼生（そもさん）。[果然（かぜん）として放不過（ほうふか）] 眼（げん）云（い）わく、不知（ふち）。[何（なん）ぞ早（はや）く恁麼（いんも）に道（い）はざる] 藏云（ぞうい）はく、不知（ふち）最（もっと）も親切（しんせつ）。[就身打劫（しゅうしんたこう）] 眼（げん）、豁然（かつねん）として大悟（たいご）す。[險（ほと）んど盤纏（ばんてん）を費（ついや）さんとす]
From Shoyoroku, Case 20: Dizang’s Intimacy Kanbun reading method of Classical
To cite:
Dizang asked Fayan.
Dizang: “Where are you going, junior monk?” [What do you plan to do by trapping people?]
Fayan: “I am traveling around on Dojo.” [Will you ask for money for travel and leave?]
Dizang: What is the purpose of yourtravelong? [I cannot just overlook it]
Fayan: “I do not know.” [Why did you not say so earlier?]
Dizang: “Not knowing is the most intimate.” [It is like stealing a person’s body]
When Fayan heard these words, he achieved great enlightenment. [He almost wasted his travel expenses.]From Shoyoroku, Case 20: Dizang’s Intimacy Modern Meaning
Glossary: What are the Buddhist and Zen terms used in this article?
- 親切 (Shinsetsu, Intimacy): It does not mean kindness or consideration in modern interpersonal relationships. It means being the closest and most urgent thing to oneself, and touching the essence directly.
- 上座 (Joza, Junior monk): It is one of the ranks for Buddhist monks. It refers to a trainee monk who has not yet finished 法戦式 (Hossen-shiki ceremony, Dharma battle) to become 首座 (Shuso, leader of trainee monks). After finishing it, he becomes 座元 (Zagen). At that time, it referred to monks who had practiced for about twenty to 40 years.
- 行脚 (Angya): It is a journey where trainee monks travel around dojos.
- 草鞋銭 (Soaisen): It is travel money given by the head of a dojo to a trainee monk who travels around.
- 安居 (Ango): It is to stay fixed in a dojo for a certain period and practice.
What are the characters in Dizang’s Intimacy?: Dizang Guichen and Fayan Wenyi
The characters are 地蔵桂琛 (Dizang Guichen) and 法眼文益 (Fayan Wenyi).
Who was Dizang Guichen?: A practical Zen master who works on-site
- Birthplace and Family Line: He was from Changshan (now Zhejiang Province). His secular family name was Li.
- Childhood: From a very young age, he kept a vegetarian diet once a day. He had extraordinary talent in his words.
- Ordination and Training: He entered the priesthood at Wansui Temple under Master Wuxiang. After he received the full precepts, he studied the monastic rules (Vinaya).
- Journey of Enlightenment: He went on a journey of practice and visited 雲居道膺 (Yunju Daoying) and 雪峰義存 (Xuefeng Yicun). Finally, under 玄沙師備 (Xuansha Shibei), he understood the true meaning of “三界唯心 (The Three Realms are only the mind)” through question and answer. Then, he inherited that Dharma.
- Abbot Role: He was invited to Dizang Temple, which the King of Min (now Fujian Province) built to the west of the castle. Later, he moved to Luhan Temple in Zhangzhou and taught many students.
- Death: In the autumn of the third year of Tiancheng in the Later Tang dynasty (928), he passed away in the castle of Min at the age of 62 (with 40 years since his ordination).
- Posthumous Title: 真応禅師 (Zen Master of True Response, Zen Master Zhenying)(景徳傳燈録 卷第二十一（No. 2076 道原纂） in Vol. 51).
Who was Fayan Wenyi?: A theoretical Zen master who understands how the world works
- Birthplace and Family Line: He was from Yuhang (now Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province). His secular family name was Lu.
- Ordination and Training: At the age of seven, he entered the priesthood at Zhitong Temple in Xinding under Zen Master Quanwei. He received the full precepts at Kaiyuan Temple in Yueshou.
- Study: He was an expert in the monastic rules. Under Master Xiguang at Yuwang Temple, he also studied Confucian classics and literature. He was praised as “the best student in our school.”
- Process of Enlightenment: On his traveling journey, he met heavy rain. When he stayed at Dizang Temple for a short time, he heard a word from 地蔵桂琛 (Dizang Guichen): “Not knowing is the most intimate.” He achieved great enlightenment and inherited Guichen’s Dharma.
- Abbot Role: After he lived at Chongshou Temple in Linchuan, he moved to Baoen Zen Temple in Jinling (Nanjing), and then to Qingliang Temple.
- Death: In July of the fifth year of Xiande in the Later Zhou dynasty (958), he passed away at the age of 74 (with 54 years since his ordination).
- Posthumous Title: 大法眼禅師 (Zen Master of Great Dharma Eye, Zen Master Dahayan) or 浄慧禅師 (Zen Master Pure Wisdom, Zen Master Jinghui)(景徳傳燈録 卷第二十四（No. 2076 道原纂） in Vol. 51).
Originally, Fayan practiced under 長慶慧稜 (Changqing Huileng). The question and answer between Fayan and Dizang Guichen after that becomes the case of this story. While Changqing Huileng’s Zen style positively regards the phenomenal world itself as the expression of truth, the Zen style of 玄沙師備 (Xuansha Shibei)ー地蔵桂琛 (Dizang Guichen) is thorough realism(宋高僧傳 卷第十三（No. 2061 賛寧等撰） in Vol. 50)(景徳傳燈録 卷第二十一、二十四（No. 2076 道原纂） in Vol. 51).
Dharma Lineage Chart
- 徳山宣鑑ー雪峰義存ー長慶慧稜
- 徳山宣鑑ー雪峰義存ー玄沙師備ー地蔵桂琛ー法眼文益
Related Articles: Shoyoroku Case 12: Dizang Plants Rice — Zen Beyond Just Sitting, and the Person Who Completed Training (The encounter between Dizang and Fayan)
Related Articles: Shoyoroku Case 17: Fayan’s Hair’s Breadth — The Buddha Way Is Undifferentiated, Yet the Path of Practice Has Distinctions, Directly Manifesting the Undifferentiated (dialogue between Fayan and Master Xiushan)
Chronological Order
- This Articles: Shoyoroku Case 20: Dizang’s Intimacy — Exhausting one’s knowledge leads to not-knowing (Dialogue between Dizang and Fayan during the rain) around 915-928
- Related Article: Shoyoroku Case 12: Dizang Plants Rice — Zen Beyond Just Sitting, and the Person Who Completed Training (Dialogue between Dizang and Master Xiushan after the journey) around 915-928
- Related Article: Shoyoroku Case 27: Fayan Points to the Screen — Face the Genjokoan and Manifest Your Original Face around (Dialogue which Fayan points to the screen.)940-958
- Related Articles: Shoyoroku Case 17: Fayan’s Hair’s Breadth — The Buddha Way Is Undifferentiated, Yet the Path of Practice Has Distinctions, Directly Manifesting the Undifferentiated (Dialogue between the grown-up Fayan and Master Xiushan) around 940-958
- Related Articles: What is the Shoyoroku? — Zen for Living as Your True Self, Beyond Social Values (Wansong Xingxiu completes the Shoyoroku.) around 1223
What is a Zen cliché?: It is a pattern of ontological questions about what the self is, where it comes from, and where it goes
In Japan, saying “Where are you going?” is a common conversational phrase. Similarly, in Zen dialogues, phrases like “Where do you come from?” and “Where are you going?” are common patterns. The question “Where do you come from?” tests the other person’s level of enlightenment and depth of practice. The question “Where are you going?” asks about their future goal and their attitude toward seeking an answer, and it directs the focus toward “how to exist right here, right now” based on their reply. These standard phrases function as ontological question patterns: “What is the self, where do you come from, and where are you heading?”
万松行秀 (Wansong Xingxiu) comments, “Why do you try to trap a person?” This means that it is unnecessary investigation because Fayan can go anywhere he wants.
What is Fayan’s answer?: I do not know
Then, Fayan answered Dizang’s question, “I travel around various dojos,” in a tone as if he looked down on the other person. Angya means to visit and travel around various dojos. Wansong comments, “Do you ask for travel money and leave?” 草鞋銭 (Soaisen) is travel money, and the head of a dojo sometimes gave it to trainee monks who traveled around. In other words, this means, “Are you just teasing him to earn travel money!?”
Dizang asked, “What is the purpose of your traveling?” This means, “Even if you travel around without a clear plan, you must have some purpose, right?” Wansong comments, “He cannot just let it go.” This means, “As expected of Dizang, he does not intend to let him escape.” To this, Fayan answered, “I don’t know.” This means, “Old man, I did not come to stay fixed at Dizang Temple for practice, and it is my own business wherever I go. Do not ask me every detail!” Wansong makes a witty remark, “Why did you not say so earlier?” This means, “It would have been better if you had said that at first!”
What is the true intention of Dizang Guichen?: Not knowing is touching the essence
Dizang replied, “Not knowing is the most intimate.”
This means, “That is it! That ‘not knowing’ is what is closest to the Way. Answering ‘I do not know’ is the perfect fit for your journey from now on.” Wansong evaluated this by saying, [It is like stealing a body] by surprise.” This means that Dizang took away Fayan’s words, intentions, and everything else by surprise. Fayan had said it casually, but he surely never expected such a response to come back.
Thus, upon hearing Dizang’s words, “Not knowing is the most intimate,” Fayan instantly attained enlightenment completely. Wansong made a witty remark, “He almost wasted his travel money.” This means, “You almost made a wasted trip, continued wandering in confusion, and ruined a precious opportunity—how fortunate that you avoided it!”
Should we learn nothing, then?: The difference between complete ignorance through study and ignorance by doing nothing
By the way, just because Fayan attained great enlightenment from Dizang’s single word, it does not mean that anyone else would do the same. This is because Fayan already had ten or twenty years of experience. This can be compared to a situation where he had already almost reached the point of enlightenment, and Dizang just gave him one final push. Dizang’s gentle teaching method like this was also passed down to Fayan. You can see that gentle guidance in other cases presented below.
Also, just because “not knowing is the most intimate,” it does not mean that you do not need to learn anything. This is because there is a big difference between the “not knowing” of having finished learning as much as possible and the “not knowing” of doing nothing at all. These points are explained in detail in the related articles below.
Related Articles: Shoyoroku Case 12: Dizang Plants Rice — Zen Beyond Just Sitting, and the Person Who Completed Training (The encounter between Dizang and Fayan)
Related Articles: Shoyoroku Case 17: Fayan’s Hair’s Breadth — The Buddha Way Is Undifferentiated, Yet the Path of Practice Has Distinctions, Directly Manifesting the Undifferentiated (dialogue between Fayan and Master Xiushan)
What is the core of Dizang’s intimacy in Shoryoroku Case 20?: Not knowing is touching the Way
- Dizang said, “Not knowing is the most intimate.”
- “Intimate” means being the closest and most urgent to oneself, and touching the essence directly.
- Dizang Guichen’s Zen style is a thorough realism.
My Experience: Motivated Straight-A Students Struggle at a Zen Dojo
People with various backgrounds come to a Zen dojo. Nowadays, 90 percent of them are temple heirs who come to take over the family business. Therefore, many of them come reluctantly and against their will. However, there are also rare people who come because they truly aspire to Zen, and such people tend to have a high level of education.
Bright students struggle in a Zen dojo. First, because they research various things online in advance, they have a preconceived ideal of Zen, and they suffer from the gap between that ideal and reality. Also, in a Zen dojo, it is important to blend into the lifestyle above all else. For this, the ability to “watch your surroundings and learn” is more important than memorizing and thinking, and bright students are quite weak at this (while athletic types are strong instead). In addition, since each ritual is like a performing art, “learning by doing” is also important. Therefore, it is not that motivated people (those with ideals) fit in more easily at a Zen dojo; rather, unmotivated people (those without ideals) adapt much faster (However, those who absolutely hate it ultimately cannot keep up).
This means that in a modern dojo, things can work out as long as you can act well in a group. However, after staying in the dojo for several years, when they become leaders for junior practitioners or take on roles that require making decisions, highly educated people with motivation tend to use their ability to think and cope, giving precise and gentle guidance and showing their true strengths.
However, as far as we can read from classical texts, academic knowledge was not ignored in former training dojos as much as it is today. That being said, because Fayan was also a person with an academic background, it seems likely that he struggled quite a bit to break away from always thinking and reacting.
Therefore, Dizang’s answer, ‘Not knowing is touching the essence,’ must have truly startled Fayan. When I read this, I imagined a light shining in the eyes of young Fayan’s face.
How Can Zen Teachings Be Applied to Modern Life?: To examine knowing and not knowing as a set
What are concrete examples of “knowing” and “not knowing”?: Practice in an educational setting
I am a teacher every day. Therefore, I will use my job as an example.
- What to know:
- Knowledge of the subject
- The student’s proficiency level
- The parent’s requests
- What to think about:
- How to teach the student
- How much homework to give
- What not to know:
- An ideal image
- A complete picture
- What not to think about:
- That I must make the student pass the exam
- That I must improve the student’s grades
If I do not have knowledge of the subject, I cannot teach at all. This is clear. In addition, I need to know how well the student understands the subject and what the parents want. Also, during work, I look at the student in front of me and respond to each situation. For example, I think about how to teach and how much homework to give.
Therefore, “what not to know” and “what not to think about” become problems. I had a very smart student. For me, an ideal image appeared. I wanted the student to become like that. When that smart student said that he wanted to get a certain job, I said, “That is not a job for a smart person like you.” I apologized right away. Do not all parents and teachers have this kind of experience? Therefore, I throw away something like a rail, a complete picture, and an ideal destination.
Also, I try not to think about “making the student pass the exam” and “improving the student’s grades.” When I was young, I thought passing exams and improving grades were natural things. However, when I think about it carefully, can anyone guarantee passing exams or improving grades? I cannot take responsibility for a student’s stomachache on the day of the exam. Many people use “passing difficult universities!” or “improving grades!” as catchphrases. But I think this is a suspicious advertisement, just like saying, “If you buy this pot, you will pass the exam.” Therefore, I guide students on how to walk so that they can pass exams, but I throw away the ideal destination of passing exams.
To use a metaphor, this means that a carpenter does not try to build a pre-designed house. Instead, the carpenter changes methods flexibly and keeps changing the way of building depending on the site.
AoiちゃんQ&A
- Q: Why must we not understand this koan's teaching as a mere anti-intellectualism that approves of ignorance and the suspension of thought?
- A: Because Fayan himself had accumulated a vast amount of study in Buddhist precepts and Confucianism and had survived over ten years of training, and there is a decisive difference between that "not-knowing at the end of exhausting one's studies" and simple ignorance without any learning at all.
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