A monk told Zhaozhou, “I have just entered this monastery. I beg you to teach me.”
Zhaozhou asked, “Have you eaten your rice porridge?”
The monk replied, “I have.”
“Then,” said Zhaozhou, “Go and wash your bowl.”
At that moment the monk was enlightened.
The Gateless Gate by Mumon1
In order for the reader to better understand what Seon Buddhists do, read this hwadu, also known as koan, as you try to meditate on it.
If the reader is unfamiliar with meditation, it is an activity to focus and think carefully about something, often about your own mind or self. In this instance, practitioners use hwadu meditation as a path to enlightenment. As you repeat or remember these words, remember to keep in mind three main aspects.
First, the reader should believe that thinking about this hwadu will bring you closer to enlightenment. Throughout this meditation, the reader should also understand that a koan questions the nature of self and reality. Lastly, monks meditate on a single koan for up to years, so the reader should understand enlightenment will not be instant. Instead, just like the monks, if they want to use hwadu meditation as a path to enlightenment, they will have to continue to constantly practice meditation. These three aspects to keep in mind are called great faith, great doubt, and great determination.
The main part that the reader should keep in mind is that hwadu meditation can not be solved using logic, instead the path to enlightenment is holding on to the hwadu until it becomes a part of the reader, and helps them discover their true nature. Hwadu meditation is not truly focused on the actual words, but really about the nature of a question.2
Before the reader continues, try to meditate on this hwadu, and then continue reading this section. There will be a brief description of what the author of Gateless Gate has found impactful in their meditation of this specific koan. For the readers, there is no true answer when interpreting a koan, so this is what one monk has found impactful from meditating on this hwadu. His interpretation may not help other’s, such as the reader, in their goal of discovering their true nature.
The author, Mumon, believes that a person can do many good acts in their lives. These acts not only depend however on intention but also on circumstance and overall context of the situation. This new monk has a good intention and wants to become enlightened, however he has just arrived. The context of the situation highlights how the monk should not yet be taught by one of the great masters, and first start doing a small but good act. This new monk should first focus on what he can do right, which is to wash his bowl. This can be given a greater meaning towards the meaning of Zen, since everyday actions, or the first, small step of many, is the most impactful.3
Koan’s Connection to Seon Buddhism
The monks of the Jogye Order’s daily focus are on hwadu meditation. In connection with what the author described, the most impactful step to enlightenment is the daily action towards good. From 2-3 am to 9 pm or later, monks meditate. The only exceptions are paying homage to the Buddha, or for meals. In certain practices or during periods of time (like the winter), monks practice meditation for up to a week and, in some practices, months. These periods of meditation, from the everyday practice up to the extreme, months-long meditation, are times where the monks sever their ties with the outside world and focus only on discovering their original nature.4
- Translated by Eiichi Shimomissé, The Gateless Gate, avocastreet.com/koans/gatelessgate.pdf.
↩︎ - Edited by John Jorgensen, Collected Works of Korean Buddhism, Vol 3, 25 June 2012, www.international.ucla.edu/media/files/03_Hyujeong_web-dc-n2w.pdf.
↩︎ - Lang, Dave. “The Gateless Gate and the Door of Mu!: ‘Does a Dog Have Buddha Nature?’ And Other Breakthrough Koan Riddles.” Buddha Weekly: Buddhist Practices, Mindfulness, Meditation, 7 Aug. 2023, buddhaweekly.com/the-gateless-gate-and-the-door-of-mu-does-a-dog-have-buddha-nature-and-other-breakthrough-koan-riddles/.
↩︎ - “Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.” 대한불교조계종, jokb.org/bbs/content.php?co_id=3040.
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