Shoyoroku Case 25: Yanguan's Rhinoceros Fan — Presenting the Function, Right Here and Right Now

Yanguan Qian: Show the function right here and right now

From Shoyoroku, Case 25: Yanguan’s Rhinoceros Fan

擧。鹽官一日喚侍者。與我過犀牛扇子來。[要且少他不得]
者云。扇子破也。[未擧時却完全]
官云。扇子既破還我犀牛兒來。不見道破也 何不領話]
者無對。[扇子猶在 雖有如無]
資福畫一圓相。於中書一牛字。[出巧新行 能做會賣]

From Shoyoroku, Case 25: Yanguan’s Rhinoceros Fan Classical Chinese Original Text

舉（こ）す。鹽官（えんかん）一日（いちじつ）侍者（じしゃ）を喚（よ）んで、我（わ）が與（た）めに犀牛（さいぎゅう）の扇子（せんす）を過（か）し來（きた）れといふ。[要（よう）且（か）つ他（た）を少（か）くことを得（え）ず] 者（しゃ）云（い）わく、扇子（せんす）破（やぶ）れぬ。[未（いま）だ舉（こ）せざる時（とき）却（かえ）って完全（かんぜん）] 官（かん）云（い）わく、扇子（せんす）既（すで）に破（やぶ）れなば我（わ）れに犀牛兒（さいぎゅうじ）を還（かえ）し來（きた）れ。[破（やぶ）れぬと道（い）うことを見（み）ずや、何（なん）ぞ話（わ）を領（りょう）せざる] 者（しゃ）無對（むたい）。[扇子（せんす）猶（な）お在（あ）り。有（あ）りと雖（いえど）も無（な）きが如（ご）し] 資福（しふく）は一（いち）圓相（えんきょう）を畫（かく）し、中（なか）に於（お）いて一（いち）の牛（ぎゅう）の字（じ）を書（しょ）す。[巧（こう）を出（いだ）し行（ぎょう）を新（あら）たにす。能（よ）く做（な）して賣（う）ることを會（す）]

From Shoyoroku, Case 25: Yanguan’s Rhinoceros Fan Kanbun reading method of Classical

Case: One day, Yanguan called his attendant and said:
Yanguan: Bring me the rhinoceros-horn fan. [Even so, he cannot do without it]
Attendant: The fan is broken. [Before, it was rather complete]
Yanguan: If the fan is already broken, return the rhinoceros to me. [Do you not see that he says it is broken? Why do you not accept his words?]
The attendant could not answer. [The fan is still here as before, but even if it exists, it is equal to nothing]
Zifu drew an enso and wrote the character “ox” inside it. [He shows a new idea with skillful techniques; he is good at making it and also knows how to sell it]

From Shoyoroku, Case 25: Yanguan’s Rhinoceros Fan Modern Meaning

Glossary: What are the Buddhist and Zen terms used in this article?

• Yanguan’s Rhinoceros Fan (塩官犀扇／鹽官犀扇): A koan in which Yanguan Qian asks his attendant to bring him a rhinoceros-horn fan.
• Rhinoceros (犀牛): A rhinoceros is an animal that lives south of China. It has one horn and looks like an ox. Because its horn is sharp, it is a symbol of seeing through things and attaining enlightenment.
• Original Face (本来の面目):  A core Zen concept referring to a person’s true, original self. It represents our pure self as it is, untouched by external factors such as social roles, the opinions of others, or language.
• Enso (円相): A circle drawn by Zen monks. Through the shape of a circle that lacks nothing and has nothing extra, it symbolically expresses the truth of the universe, the state of complete enlightenment, and the true self.
• The Guiyang School (潙仰宗): One of the Five Houses and Seven Schools of Zen, established by Guishan Lingyou (潙山霊祐) and his disciple Yangshan Huiji (仰山慧寂). It is characterized by the subtle interaction in which master and disciple communicate mind to mind tacitly without relying on words.
• Hekiganroku (『碧巌録』, The Blue Cliff Record): A collection of koans based on one hundred koans compiled by Xuedou Chongxian (雪竇重顕) of the Yunmen school, containing prefaces, capping phrases, and commentaries. It served as a model for the structure of Shoyoroku (従容録).
• Shoyoroku (『従容録』, the Book of Equanimity) :A collection of koans in which Wansong Xingxiu (万松行秀) added prefaces, capping phrases, and commentaries to one hundred koans compiled by Hongzhi Zhengjue (宏智正覚) of the Caodong school.

What are the characters in Yanguan’s Rhinoceros Fan: Yanguan Qian and Zifu Ruhobao

In this case, the dialogue begins when Yanguan Qian (塩官斉安) asks his attendant to bring a rhinoceros-horn fan. The attendant cannot answer. In a later era, Zifu Ruhobao (資福如宝) gives an answer.

Who was Yanguan Qian?: A mysterious Zen master who left his mark on history

• Birthplace and Original Family Name: Born in Haimen County; his original family name was Li.
• Training History: He became a monk and received the full precepts under Master Yuncong in his hometown. Later, he heard that Master Mazu Daoyi (馬祖道一) was teaching on Gonggong Mountain, and he went to study under him.
• Process of Enlightenment: When Mazu Daoyi saw the face of Yanguan, he recognized his extraordinary talent and secretly showed him the True Dharma.
• Base of Activity: Zhenguo Haichang Temple in Yanguan, Hangzhou
• Death: Without getting sick, he sat quietly and passed away.
• Posthumous Title: 悟空禅師 (Zen Master of Enlightened Emptiness) (景徳傳燈録 卷第七（No. 2076 道原纂） in Vol. 51).

Yanguan Qian is a mysterious Zen monk with many secrets, but he left his mark on history. For example, Yangshan Huiji (仰山慧寂) met him when Yangshan was a training monk. In addition, a disciple of Yanguan Qian found Damei Fachang (大梅法常), a disciple of Mazu Daoyi, living quietly in the mountains(景徳傳燈録 卷第七、八（No. 2076 道原纂） in Vol. 51).

Who was Zifu Ruhobao?: A visual-style Zen master who answers with Enso

• Process of Enlightenment: He trained under Master Yangshan Xitang Guangmu (仰山西塔光穆) in Yuanzhou and inherited his Dharma.
• Base of Activity: Zifu (Zifu Temple) in Jizhou(景徳傳燈録 卷第十二、十三（No. 2076 道原纂） in Vol. 51).

Zifu Ruhobao is also a mysterious Zen monk with many secrets. However, he is known for his sharp expressions using “Enso” (円相, drawing shapes or characters inside a circle), which is a feature of the Guiyang school, and substitute answers (景徳傳燈録 卷第七、八（No. 2076 道原纂） in Vol. 51).

Dharma Lineage

• 六祖慧能ー南嶽懷讓ー馬祖道一ー塩官斉安
• 潙山靈祐ー仰山慧寂ー西塔光穆ー資福如宝

Chronological Order

• The Koan of Yanguan Qian’s Rhinoceros Fan: Around 800–840
• Zifu Ruhobao’s Presentation of Enso: Around 880–920
• Wansong Xingxiu’s Comments: Around 1223

What was the Koan of Yanguan’s Rhinoceros Fan?: A koan in which Yanguan asks his attendant to bring him a rhinoceros-horn fan.

Now let us enter the main case. One day, Yanguan Qian called his attendant monk (a monk who takes care of his daily needs) and said, “Bring me the rhinoceros-horn fan.” A rhinoceros is an animal that lives south of China. It has one horn, and its shape looks like an ox, so it is called rhinoceros-ox (犀牛). Because the horn of a rhinoceros is sharp, and there is a story about a person named Wen Qiao in the Eastern Jin Dynasty of China. He burned a rhinoceros horn to light up a deep abyss and saw monsters in the water. From this story, there is an idiom which means seeing through things clearly. There is a theory that the fan was a round fan, and another theory that it was the same as an ordinary folding fan. Also, it is said that “a rhinoceros-horn fan” was a fan that used rhinoceros horn for its frame, or a fan with a picture of the moon and a rhinoceros on it, based on a proverb that a beautiful moon-like pattern naturally appeared on its horn while a rhinoceros stared at the moon. These various theories do not matter. We can simply view it as the thing that Yanguan usually used and called “the rhinoceros-horn fan.” On a hot day, Yanguan probably asked his attendant to bring him the fan.
The attendant told the truth as it was: “The fan is broken.” Then Yanguan said, “If the fan is already broken, return the rhinoceros to me.” If the fan is broken, it cannot be helped. He meant that he did not need the fan, so the attendant should bring only the rhinoceros. The attendant did not understand. Therefore, he could not answer anything. The dialogue is only this simple thing, but it is strange because it becomes a famous koan. Where on earth is the rhinoceros?

What was the True Intention of Yanguan Qian?: The rhinoceros is a symbol of the Original Face, and the fan is a symbol of things that break.

Wansong Xingxiu commented, [Even so, he cannot do without it.] “It” refers to the rhinoceros-horn fan, and it means that one cannot manage without this. This is not just an ordinary fan. It is that one thing from before endless time, which pierces to the ends of the universe, and exists right before our eyes and under our feet. Without this, heaven and earth, the universe, and we ourselves have no meaning to exist. It means that it is a completely indispensable treasure. To say this very simply, it means the Original Face before words arose.

The attendant said that it was broken. [Before, it was rather complete.] This means that when the fan was mentioned, he immediately became attached to the word “fan,” fell into relative distinctions such as giving and taking, and endlessly ran into minor distinctions such as saying that the fan was broken. The moment one tries to capture it with words or logic, the truth (the Original Face) that was perfect from the beginning is damaged, and one becomes confused in various ways. If he had not said anything unnecessary, it would have been complete from the beginning, so it was a great pity.

Furthermore, Wansong says, [Do you not see that he says it is broken? Why do you not accept his words?] Although the attendant said that the fan was broken, Yanguan said an unreasonable thing, “Then return the rhinoceros to me.” Do you not hear that he clearly says it is broken? This is what it means, but we must understand this incomprehensible point.

Wansong says, [The fan is still here as before, but even if it exists, it is equal to nothing.] How can this one thing, which fills all of heaven and earth, be destroyed or lost? From before the kalpa (immeasurably long period of time) of emptiness to the endless future, it is clearly right before our eyes and under our feet, is it not? However, just as dead people cannot see the sun, even though the fan is right before him, it is equal to nothing for this attendant. Indeed, is this not true not only for this attendant, but for everyone? In this way, on the surface, he mocks the attendant’s lack of spirit and tries to awaken him.
In short, the rhinoceros is a symbol of the Original Face (= enlightenment), and the fan is a symbol of things that break.

What was Zifu Ruhobao’s Enso?: The function of oneself right here and right now

Zifu Ruhobao, a monk in the Five Dynasties period much later than Yanguan (in the lineage of the Guiyang school), once took up this story and presented an answer to Yanguan in place of the attendant who remained silent. Without using words, he drew a circle with a gesture and wrote the character “ox” inside it. As a feature of the Guiyang school, they often use this Enso. One ox inside a circle; the circle is the unified universe, and the ox fills it completely. “Yes, this is the rhinoceros that Yanguan seeks” — this is what it means.

Wansong commented on this, [He shows a new idea with skillful techniques; he is good at making it and also knows how to sell it.] His tone praises him, as if saying that it is very well done, it will sell well, and Yanguan must be very satisfied.

Because the attendant attached to visible forms and words such as “the fan is broken,” his mind went blank and he was stuck when Yanguan pressed him, saying, “If there is no form, return the real thing.” The attitude the attendant should have taken was not to argue with logic or concepts about “broken or not broken,” but to show “the function of oneself right here and right now” proudly and without hesitation.

What were the Comments in Hekiganroku (the Blue Cliff Record)?: How can one immediately present the Original Face?

This koan is also taken up in Hekiganroku (碧巌録, the Blue Cliff Record). There, not only Zifu, but also Touzi, Shishuang, Baofu, and others express their own views, and Xuedou Chongxian adds comments to each of these Zen masters’ words, so it is quite lively. In Shoyoroku (従容録, the Book of Equanimity), Wansong comments on this. Below, let us introduce only that exchange.

• Touzi Dadong (投子大同): I could bring you the rhinoceros, but its horn is already broken, so it is not a complete rhinoceros.
• Wansong Xingxiu (万松行秀): If the horn is broken, he should just repair it.
• Xuedou Chongxian (雪竇重顕): No, the rhinoceros with its horn broken as it is is exactly what I desire.
• Wansong Xingxiu (万松行秀): An old object of my own family.

“An old object of my own family” is based on a story about Wang Xizhi. When a thief broke into Wang Xizhi’s house and stole everything, Wang Xizhi said, “That blue wool rug is an old object handed down in my family, so leave it behind.” Then the thief threw away everything and ran away. In short, it means that even a rhinoceros with a broken horn is the Original Face, so it is an indispensable thing that cannot be replaced by anything else.

• Shishuang Qingzhu (石霜慶諸): If we return the rhinoceros to the Master, the attendant will have none.
• Wansong Xingxiu (万松行秀): He refused directly from the front.
• Xuedou Chongxian (雪竇重顕): Shishuang says that there is none, but the rhinoceros is originally not a matter of existence or non-existence; it exists clearly.
• Wansong Xingxiu (万松行秀): Xuedou indeed has discerning eyes.
• Zifu Ruhobao (資福如宝): As mentioned above.
• Baofu Congzhan (保福従展): If I were the attendant, I would refuse by saying, “You are old and a little senile, so I cannot serve when you says such unreasonable things; please make someone else the attendant.”
• Wansong Xingxiu (万松行秀): He seems to forget kindness and return evil for good.
• Xuedou Chongxian (雪竇重顕): Even if he changes to another person, it is no good. No one can bring out the rhinoceros that Yanguan demands.
• Wansong Xingxiu (万松行秀): His kindness backfires.

What is the core of Yanguan’s Rhinoceros Fan in Shoyoroku Case 25?: The Original Face is the function right here and right now

• Zifu Ruhobao answered the function right here and right now with an Enso.
• The attendant could not answer because he attached to visible forms and words
• The rhinoceros is a symbol of the Original Face, and the fan is a symbol of things that break.

My Experience: The Broken Fan is My Tooth

I got a cavity and had to shave my tooth. People call shaving a tooth at a dentist “treatment,” and I thought that dentists cured teeth. However, two years ago, I learned that teeth themselves have the power to heal, and that an early cavity can be cured depending on one’s own care. When I realized that the dentist only fills metal or plastic into the shaved part and that it cannot be called true treatment, I really regretted it.

Then Yanguan presses immediately: “If you say that the tooth is broken, show me the function of the tooth, which is its basis.” Like the attendant, I am caught by the visible damage of form, saying “The tooth is broken,” and I freeze in sadness. Wansong says about this state, “Even if it exists, it is equal to nothing.” This is because, although the function shines right before my eyes, I look only at the broken tooth (form) and lose sight of my true nature (function). Here is the true intention of Master Yanguan when he pressed, “Return the rhinoceros.” He means: “A shaped thing like a tooth may break as time passes. But has the ‘function’ of yourself—who feels sad about the broken tooth, regrets it, lives hard now, and worries—been lost as well?”

In any case, I try to assist the function of my teeth so that I do not obscure the Original Face (so that I do not keep regretting, standing still, and becoming unable to do anything).

How Can Zen Teachings Be Applied to Modern Life?: It is Difficult Even If People Say “Do Not Regret”

I had my tooth shaved, and I fell into a state where only regret went around in my head, thinking, “Why did I do such a thing?” or “If only I had done more like this.” This state is the very figure of the attendant who froze after answering, “The fan is broken,” when Yanguan said, “Bring me the fan.” Looking only at the visible “damage of form (lost opportunities or mistakes made),” one’s thoughts and actions stop due to shock. Therefore, typical Zen advice becomes a sermon saying, “Stop regretting and do what you can do now,” but honestly, it is not that easy. In Zen, to a person who wants to die, people sometimes throw correct arguments at them, such as “Even if you die, the earth keeps turning,” and feel like “I said a good thing!” even though it is just a correct argument.

When my tooth was shaved this time, I thought that since I regret this much even over my own tooth, how much would I regret if it were my child’s tooth, or if I lost my child? Therefore, as my own way of dealing with it, I try to take a long time for Zazen. I think that Zazen is a way to grasp the whole present—that is, to grasp the world in a way that is not a verbal grasp that cuts up the past, present, and future. Therefore, by practicing Zazen, I stop thinking about the past and the future (= I stop regretting), and I actually feel its effect.