Shoyoroku Case 28: Huguo's Three Embarrassments — Discard Ideals and Live in the Reality of Here and Now

Huguo Shouchong: Clinging to Kojo (the state of enlightenment) Forever is a Complete Embarrassment

From Shoyoroku, Case 28: Huguo’s Three Embarrassments

舉。僧問護國。鶴立枯松時如何。[歩歩登高易]

國云。地下底一場懡㦬[心心放下難]

僧云。滴水滴凍時如何。[法身無被不禁寒]

國云。日出後一場懡㦬。[雪消露出死人來]

僧云。會昌沙汰時。護法善神向什麼處去也。[點即不到]

國云。三門頭兩箇一場懡㦬。[到即不點]

From Shoyoroku, Case 28: Huguo’s Three Embarrassments Classical Chinese Original Text

擧（こ）す。僧（そう）、護國（ごこく）に問（と）う。鶴（つる）、枯松（こしょう）に立（た）つ時（とき）如何（いかん）。〔歩歩（ほほ）高（たか）きに登（のぼ）ることは易（やす）く〕 國（こく）云（い）わく、地下底（ちげてい）一場（いちじょう）の懡㦬（もら）。〔心心（しんしん）放下（ほうげ）することは難（かた）し〕 僧（そう）云（い）わく、滴水滴凍（てきすいてきとう）の時（とき）如何（いかん）。〔法身（ほっしん）、被（ひ）すること無（の）うして寒（かん）に禁（た）えず〕 國（こく）云（い）わく、日（ひ）出（い）でて後（のち）一場（いちじょう）の懡㦬（もら）。〔雪（ゆき）消（き）えて死人（しにん）を露出（ろしゅつ）し來（きた）る〕 僧（そう）云（い）わく、會昌（かいしょう）沙汰（さた）の時（とき）、護法（ごほう）善神（ぜんじん）は什麼（なん）の處（ところ）に向（むか）って去（き）りしや。〔點（てん）すれば即（すなは）ち到（いた）らず〕 國（こく）云（い）わく、三門頭（さんもんとう）の兩箇（りょうこ）一場（いちじょう）の懡㦬（もら）。〔到（いた）れば即（すなは）ち點（てん）ぜず〕

From Shoyoroku, Case 28: Huguo’s Three Embarrassments Kanbun reading method of Classical Chinese

Case: A monk asked Huguo.
Monk: What is it like when a crane stands on a withered pine tree? [It is easy to climb higher step by step]
Huguo: The one on the ground is a complete embarrassment. [It is difficult to let go in every thought]
Monk: What is it like when dripping water freezes drop by drop? [The Dharma-body has no quilt and cannot stand the cold]
Huguo: After the sun rises, it is a complete embarrassment. [When the snow melts, a dead body appears]
Monk: During the Huichang persecution, where did the guardian deities of the Dharma go? [When pointed at, it cannot be reached]
Huguo: The two at the main gate were a complete embarrassment. [When reached, it cannot be pointed at]

From Shoyoroku, Case 28: Huguo’s Three Embarrassments Modern Meaning

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

• 護国三懡 (Huguo’s Three Embarrassments): a koan in which Master Huguo rejects three questions asked by a monk.
• 鶴立枯松 (A Crane Standing on a Withered Pine Tree): This phrase shows a pure white crane standing calmly at the top of a withered pine tree. It symbolizes a state of high purity and the ultimate truth of enlightenment (Kojo).
• 向上 (Kojo): This is the action of going toward and going beyond the world of absolute equality (the state of enlightenment). This world is beyond all differences and distinctions.
• 滴水滴凍 (Water Freezing Drop by Drop): This phrase describes water freezing instantly drop by drop as it falls. It symbolizes an urgent state without any delay, extreme stillness, and absolute truth that accepts no dualistic thoughts.
• 一場懡㦬 (A Complete Embarrassment):  The word mora (懡㦬) means shame or humiliation, though its origin in Sanskrit or ancient Chinese is not clear. Ichijo Mora (一場懡㦬) means losing face completely or suffering a great embarrassment.
• 会昌の廃仏 (The Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution of the Huichang Era):This was the persecution of Buddhism started by Emperor Wuzong, the 15th emperor of the Tang dynasty. After Emperor Wuzong died, Emperor Xuanzong (宣宗), the 16th emperor, restored Buddhism based on his own experience of Zen practice.
• 仁王 (Guardian Deities): Nio (仁王) are guardian deities placed on both sides of a temple gate (Sanmon). One statue opens its mouth and the other closes its mouth to show “A-un” (alpha and omega).
• 二見対待 (Dualistic Opposition): A perspective that divides and contrasts things into two categories, such as “right or wrong.”
• 本来の面目 (The Original Face): It is a Zen concept that means a person’s true self. It is the pure and original self that people are born with, without any outer things such as social roles, opinions of others, or language.

Who are the characters inHuguo’s Three Embarrassments?: Huguo Shouchong

In this case, a monk challenges Huguo Shouchong (護国守澄).

Who was Huguo Shouchong?: A sharp-tongued Zen master who rejects fixed ideas

• Ordination and Training: He inherited the Dharma from Sushan Kuangren of Fuzhou and carried on the Dharma lineage of the Soto school (曹洞宗).
• Base of Activity: Huguo Temple on Mount Suicheng in Suizhou (near present-day Suizhou City, Hubei Province, China).
• Posthumous Title: 淨果大師 (Great Master of Pure Realization). Later, at the request of his disciples, he was given the posthumous title of 大智蔵大導師 (Great Guide of the Treasury of Great Wisdom)(景徳傳燈録 卷第二十（No. 2076 道原纂） in Vol. 51).

Dharma Lineage

• 薬山惟儼ー雲巖曇晟ー洞山良价ー疎山匡仁ー護国守澄

Chronological Order

• This Article: Shoyoroku Case 28: Huguo’s Three Embarrassments — Discard Ideals and Live in the Reality of Here and Now (A koan in which a monk challenges Master Huguo). the mid-900s
• Related Article: What is the Shoyoroku? — Zen for Living as Your True Self, Beyond Social Values (Wansong Xingxiu completes the Shoyoroku.) around 1223

What are “The Crane on a Pine Tree” and “A Complete Embarrassment”?: Symbols of Clinging to Kojo

Let us enter the main case. A monk asked Master Huguo Shouchong, “What is it like when a crane stands on a withered pine tree (a state of high purity)?” Huguo answered, “The one on the ground is a complete embarrassment.” At the top of a withered pine tree, a crane rests calmly. This is a breathtaking sight. However, what if you drop your eyes from the top to the ground beneath the tree? There is a dirty, unsightly ground. If there were a large pile of crane droppings there, it would be a terrible embarrassment (懡㦬一場). This is the meaning of this question and answer.

A crane on a withered pine tree symbolizes the ultimate truth of Kojo (going beyond toward enlightenment). Because this question explores the meaning of this ultimate truth, the monk who challenged Huguo was a monk of great ability.

According to Wansong, there is a line in Dongshan’s Inscription on the Absolute Truth (玄中銘): “The mountain peaks are outstanding, but the crane does not stop its movement. The sacred tree stands tall, but the phoenix relies on nothing.” Wansong points out that the monk probably quoted this line and challenged Huguo by showing off his state of enlightenment.

Therefore, Huguo dismissed him with a laugh, meaning, “The crane on the pine tree looks noble, but look at the ground below. It is a complete embarrassment.”

Wansong Xingxiu added a comment to the monk: [It is easy to climb higher step by step.] He also added a comment to Huguo: [It is difficult to let go in every thought and descend to the ground.] Here, Wansong divided a phrase by Master Yunmen into two parts: “People only know how to climb higher step by step, but do not know how to let go from the empty sky.”(雲門匡眞禪師廣録 卷中（No. 1988 守堅集） in Vol. 47)

In  Essays in Idleness (徒然草), a master gardener watched a worker doing a job at the top of a tall tree. The master stayed silent for a long time. However, when the worker finished his job and began to climb down, arriving near the ground where he could almost jump down, the master warned him, “Be careful! Watch out!”

When Monk Kenko asked the reason, the master gardener said, “High places are truly dangerous, so a person pays close attention by himself. However, when a person begins to climb down and feels safe, thinking ‘I am okay now,’ he often gets injured.”

Monk Kenko was deeply impressed by his words. Climbing up step by step is hard work, but it is still easy. On the other hand, going down after reaching the top feels dizzying and dangerous. The Zen actions of Kojo (going toward enlightenment) and Koge Hoko (descending to the ordinary world and letting go) are just like this(徒然草 第百九段).

What is “Water Freezing Drop by Drop”?: Another Symbol of Clinging to Kojo

The monk asked, “What is it like when dripping water freezes drop by drop (a state of extreme stillness and immovability)?” Some people think that this monk was different from the monk in the first question, but Wansong considers him to be the same monk. Here, “water freezing drop by drop”  means water freezing as it falls drop by drop. That is, it describes an urgent state without any delay, a lightning-fast action of Kojo, and a state that leaves no room for dualistic thoughts.

In the first question, this monk brought up a withered pine tree and placed a pure white crane on it. However, Huguo rejected it, saying, “The one on the ground is a complete embarrassment.” Therefore, the monk tried a second, transcendent question going further beyond Kojo, which words and thoughts cannot reach. Wansong teased this, saying, [The Dharma-body (the essence of truth) has no quilt to wear, so it cannot stand the cold.] This means that a Dharma-body Buddha of freezing water without the light of wisdom must be very cold and freezing.

Huguo answered once again, “After the sun rises, it is a complete embarrassment.” No matter how hard the water freezes, once the sun comes out and gives heat, it melts away, and the state of freezing water disappears. It becomes an ugly sight: [When the snow melts (under the sunlight), a hidden dead body appears.] Huguo rejected this second question as well, showing that it was also a complete embarrassment.

Where Were the Guardian Deities During the Huichang Persecution?: A Symbol of Clinging to the Sacred

“During the Huichang persecution, where did the guardian deities of the Dharma go?” This time, the monk completely changed the topic and asked his third question. The “Huichang persecution” refers to the suppression of Buddhism during the Huichang era. He asked a difficult question: Where did the deities who vowed to protect Buddhism go? Huguo rejected this question as well, saying, “The two at the main gate were a complete embarrassment.”

This “three gates” (Sanmon) does not mean three separate gates, but the main gate of a temple. “The two standing at the main gate” refers to the Nio statues (guardian deities) placed on both sides of the gate. They are the leaders of powerful spirits and protect Buddhism. One statue opens its mouth and the other closes its mouth to show “A-un” (alpha and omega). They are said to be the leaders of guardians and protectors of the Buddha-dharma. However, even the mighty Nio did nothing against the violent persecution by Emperor Wuzong.

Wansong’s comment, [When pointed at, it cannot be reached], is a quotation from Volumes 11 and 13 of Compendium of Five Lamps (五灯会元). The word “point” (点) comes from an ancient Chinese custom: when a person put a dot over their name on an invitation, it meant absence, while no dot meant attendance. This koan is also recorded in Compendium of Five Lamps. In another koan, Master Xinghua (興化) judged monks by putting a dot for one monk and leaving no dot for another, and Wansong quoted this idea. This is similar to Master Fayan (法眼)’s concept of “one gain and one loss.” In short, this monk fell into dualistic opposition between the sacred and the ordinary.

To the monk’s question about where the guardian deities went, Wansong added the comment: [Because there is a dot, the Nio guardians seem to be absent]. To Huguo’s answer that it was a complete embarrassment, Wansong added the comment: [When the Nio guardians arrive, there is no dot]. Now, where on earth did the Nio guardians go?
(五燈會元 第十一、第十三)？

What is Huguo’s True Intention?: Return to the Original Face

This completes the koan, but Wansong explains it further in his commentary.

The monk was rejected and knocked down by Huguo in his first and second questions. Therefore, he set aside the questions about Kojo for a moment and tried to construct a logical argument around the topic of the rise and fall of Buddhism.

After Emperor Wuzong, who started the Huichang persecution of Buddhism, died, Emperor Xuanzong ascended the throne and restored Buddhism. Wansong says that this might be the arrangement of the guardian deities of the Dharma. Therefore, perhaps there is no rise and fall of Buddhism from the beginning. For this reason, “[When reached (the true reality of truth), there is no need to point at (indicate) it anymore].” In other words, a question like “Where did the guardian deities go?” is no longer necessary.

Is there a dot over the names of the Nio guardians on the invitation that arrived in your hands? If you go back in time to distant China or the Huichang era to look for them, that itself is a complete embarrassment (Ichijo Mora / being on the wrong track). Now, let us listen to the Nio guardians (= the Original Face) breathing in and out together all the time at the gate of your own mind.

What is the core of Huguo’s Three Embarrassments in Shoyoroku Case 28: Face

• A monk asked Master Huguo three questions: “a crane standing on a withered pine tree,” “water freezing drop by drop,” and “the Huichang persecution.”
• This monk clung to Kojo (going toward enlightenment) and fell into dualistic opposition between the ordinary and the sacred.
• Huguo rejected all three questions, calling them “a complete embarrassment”.

My Experience: Giving Up Making Memories

In general society, making memories is very important. People go to theme parks and seek unforgettable experiences. In the world of Buddhist culture as well, people go on pilgrimages and seek unforgettable experiences. I also wanted to have such experiences, so until last year, I occasionally looked up nice temple lodgings. However, there was no place I particularly wanted to go. Therefore, I decided to give it up completely.

Then, where do I use those resources instead? It is for sudden crises. Right now, I live peacefully. However, a sudden earthquake might occur, or the manager of my current apartment might change and suddenly tell me to move out. Because I choose not to make memories usually, I will be able to face such events with financial and mental flexibility, and that itself will become an unforgettable memory.

Even without going outside to look for special answers or salvation, inside myself, just like breathing out and in, the perfect working of motion and stillness, life and activity is actively working without stopping, 24 hours a day, right at this moment. I want to live with this feeling.

My daily life is simple, but creating this blog is very enjoyable. This time, I published “my indra’s net.” I am using an IT technology called Knowledge Graph, which is just like Indra’s Net in the Avatamsaka Sutra (華厳経). This “My Indra’s Net” grows as my blog deepens. However, completing it is difficult, and it would truly be a complete embarrassment (Ichijo Mora).

How to Use Zen Teachings in Modern Life?: Giving Up Illusions

In this koan, a challenger threw three questions at Master Huguo: “a crane standing on a withered pine tree,” “water freezing drop by drop,” and “the Huichang persecution.” Therefore, I would like to apply each of them to modern life.

• A Crane Standing on a Withered Pine Tree: Setting high goals or ideals, and clinging to them
  • “I must create a wonderful life and memories like those I see on social media and TV.”
  • “I must be an ideal parent, boss, and human being.”
• Water Freezing Drop by Drop:
  • “It is strange to have a period of leave from work.”
  • “It is strange if a family does not have both parents, two or more children, and a single-family house.”
• The Huichang Persecution:
  • “Let us go to a cram school to enter a famous university.”
  • “Let us overcome this crisis by going on a Kannon pilgrimage.”

Looking at this list, you might think, “Does this not apply to almost all Japanese people?” or “Can people not escape this in normal social life?” That is correct. Therefore, people who practice Zen seriously leave home to become monks and step away from society. After that, they return to society again and get along well with people who have these illusions.

However, just as muscle training helps people live better daily lives even if not everyone can enter the Olympics, we can use Zen to make our lives better. For example, if we can see that the above ideas are illusions to run society smoothly, we can learn to get by calmly, thinking, “I just need to live, no matter what people around me think.”