The Mumonkan (無門関, “The Gateless Barrier” – often incorrectly translated as “The Gateless Gate”) is a collection of 48 Zen Koans, brought together in the 13th Century by Zen Master Mumon (無門慧開; Mumon Ekai; 1183–1260). The purpose of the koans is to educate the reader in the false perception of dualistic thinking – that, in truth, there is a single underlying reality which our propensity to conceptualise in dualistic ways misrepresents. Koans in general are short verses which aim to “enlighten” the reader, revealing some fundamental underlying truth about reality in the way they are told. The koans are each presented with commentary from Master Mumon himself.

In my reading, I have taken both the plain English version presented here by The Wanderling, and the more traditional translation by Zen Master Katsuki Sekida. What is presented below is simply an alternative to these versions – not a translation, but an attempt to express the same wisdom in a form directly relevant to the Jedi path. In the original text, there are three sections for each Koan – the koan itself, some commentary from Master Mumon, and a verse composed by Mumon about the koan. Here, I have chosen only to present the koans and Mumon’s verses.

The commentaries are enlightening and I encourage you to read them for verses you are particularly curious about – but for me, the koan and verse represent wisdom enough, along with enough ambiguity to lead to real insights. Given the exclusion of the commentaries, it is likely this version can only ever serve as a primer. But who knows? I am optimistic that some of the koans will be powerful enough without too much comment. I certainly find them to be so.

Speaking of that plain English version, I’ll also tip my hat to the author’s reproduction of a section of The Human Buddha by Zen Master Anandi, as it provides a great introduction to the text:

“In that period I solved the main set of Koans. I needed to solve them because I was uncertain about their importance in the Awakening process. Not being able to solve them – I might have doubted the authority of my state. I was quite sad seeing those poor fellows trying to solve these abstract Koans instead of directly Awakening their consciousness. I had a few arguments with the leading Zen master, in fact I had arguments with all the Zen masters. This man was anyway a good man, but quite identified with ‘the school.’ This school of Zen seemed to mould everyone into the same shape, as if they were making clones. Everybody seemed to speak the some language, ask the same questions and give the same answers. The most interesting thing was that none of those masters were actually interested in the inner state. No one ever asked: ‘Aziz, what is your state?’ Such a basic question! Instead, they asked: what did master Chao Chou mean saying Mu? Who really cares? It is wonderful to study the sayings of Old Sages, but what they were pointing to is much more important. In awakening to “Who I Am” one holds the essence of all possible Koans, from the past, present and future.”

1

Joshu’s Dog

An Apprentice asked Master Joshu: “Can a dog know the Force?”

Joshu replied: “Mu”

Verse:

Does a dog know the Force?

This is a matter of life and death.

If you wonder whether a dog knows it or not,

You’ll wonder your whole life away!

2

Hyakujo’s Fox

Whenever Master Hyakujo delivered Jedi teachings, an old man was always there with the other Jedi, listening to it; and when they left the Hall, so did he. One day, however, he remained behind, and Hyakujo asked: “Who are you?”

The old man replied: “I am not a human being, but in the far distant past, when the Ancient Masters preached in this world, I was a Knight in this area. One day a fellow Knight asked me whether a man who knew the Force still lives under the law of cause and effect, and I answered that he does not. Since that day, I have been doomed to live 500 lifetimes as a fox, and am still a fox. I beg you to release me from this condition through your wisdom of the Force. Is an Jedi subject to the law of consequence?”

Hyakujo answered: “No one is free from cause and effect.”

At the words of Hyakujo the old man knew the Force, and said with a bow: “I am now released from rebirth as a fox, and I shall soon lay this body down. May I request that you give me a Jedi funeral, as you would a dead brother?”

The next day Hyakujo had the Priest, beat the gavel and he informed the Jedi that after the midday meal there would be a funeral service for a dead Jedi.

“No one was sick or died,” wondered the assembled Jedi. “What does this mean?” After they had eaten, Hyakujo led them to a rock on the furthest side of the mountain, and with his staff poked the body of a fox he found there. The Jedi ritually cremated the fox, as they would a Knight.

In the evening Master Hyakujo gave a talk to the Jedi and told them this story of the law of consequence. Upon hearing the story, Obaku asked Hyakujo: “You said that because a long time ago an old Jedi Master gave a wrong answer he became a fox for 500 lifetimes. But suppose every time he answered he had instead given the right answer, what would have happened then?”

Hyakujo replied: “Come here, and I will tell you.” Obaku then went up to Hyakujo, and slapped the teacher’s face. Hyakujo, clapped his hands and laughed, exclaiming: “I thought only Barbarians had a red beard, but here is another one with a red beard!”

Verse:

Being free from consequence or subject to it,

Are two sides of the same coin.

Being subject to consequence or free from it,

Both are false perceptions.

3

Gutei Raises a Finger

Whenever Master Gutei was asked a question about the Force, he simply raised his finger.

His Apprentice began to imitate him in this. When a visitor asked the boy what his Master taught him, the boy raised his finger.

Gutei heard this, seized the Apprentice and cut off his finger with his saber. As the boy screamed and ran out of the room, Gutei called to him. When the boy turned his head to Gutei, he raised his own finger. In that instant the Apprentice knew the Force.

When Master Gutei was about to die, he said to the assembled Knights: “I received this one-finger Forceliness from Tenryu. I used it all my life, yet could not exhaust it” and then he passed into the Force.

Verse:

Gutei made a fool of old Tenryu,

With the saber he shaped the boy.

Just like the Force, which raises a finger

And splits great mountains in two.

4

Why No Beard?

Waku’an complained: “Why does that Barbarian have no beard?”

Verse:

Do not explain your dream

To a fool.

The barbarian has no beard,

What could be clearer?

5

Man Hanging in the Tree

Master Kyogen said: “The Jedi way is like a Knight hanging by his teeth in a tree over a precipice. His hands hold no branch, his feet find no limb, and under the tree another man asks him, ‘Why did the great Master come from the West?’

“If the man in the tree does not answer, he fails to respond to the question, and if he answers, he falls and loses his life. What would you do?”

Verse:

Kyogen was thoughtless,

And spreads poison and vice,

He stops up Jedi’s mouths,

And demonic eyes sprout from their bodies.

6

The Master’s Flower

Once upon a time when the great Master was in the mountains, he twirled a flower in his finger and held it up before his congregation.

Everyone was silent. Only the Apprentice Mahakashyapa stirred, with a wholeheartedly smile.

The great Master said: “I have the eye of the true teaching, the heart of the Force, the formless form, the mysterious gate of existence, I now pass this on to Mahakashyapa.”

Comment:

At the turning of a flower,

The snake shows his tail.

The world is bewildered to see

Mahakashyapa smile.

7

Joshu’s Washing the Bowl

A new Apprentice told Master Joshu: “I have just entered this Temple. I beg you to teach me.”

Joshu asked: “Have you eaten your rice porridge?”

The Jedi replied: “I have.”

“Then you had better wash your bowl,” said Joshu.

At that moment the Apprentice knew the Force.

Verse:

If you try and see it too clearly,

You make it harder to see.

Every flame is a fire,

And your rice is warm and waiting.

8

Keichu’s Wheel

Gettan asked a Master: “If master wheelwright Keichu made one hundred carts, and if we took off the wheels, then removed the hub uniting the spokes, what would happen then?”

Verse:

When the hubless wheel turns,

Even the Master would be at a loss what to do,

It turns in all directions, at all times,

South, north, east, and west.

9

Master Daitsu Chisho

A Knight asked Master Seijo: “Master Daitsu Chisho meditated for ten aeons in a Meditation Hall, could not attain the highest truth of the Force. Why was this?”

Master Seijo said: “Your question is a the right one!”

The Knight asked again: “Why did he not attain knowledge of the Force by meditating in the Meditation Hall?”

Master Seijo replied: “Because he did not.”

Verse:

Better to free the mind than the body.

When the mind is free, who cares about the body?

If the mind and the body are both free,

The powers of the world are meaningless.

10

Poor Seizai

An Apprentice named Seizai said to Knight Sozan: “I am poor. I beg you, Master, to bestow alms upon me!”

Sozan said: “Seizai!”

“Yes, Master?” replied Seizai.

Sozan said: “You have drunk three bowls of the finest wine, but sayyou have not even moistened your lips!”

Verse:

The poorest in means,

His spirit like that of the rich.

He can’t even make a living,

Yet wishes to rival the richest.

11

Joshu’s Hermit

Joshu went to a hermit and asked: “Is the Master here?” The hermit lifted up his fist. Joshu said: “The water is too shallow to anchor here,” and went away.

Joshu visited another hermit and said: “Is the Master here?” This hermit, too. raised his fist.

Then Joshu said: “Well given, well taken, well killed, well saved.”

And he bowed to the Master.

Verse:

His eye like a shooting star,

The Force moves like lightning.

The blade that kills the man,

is the blade that saves the man.

12

Zuigan Calls Himself “Master”

Every day Zuigan used to call out to himself: “Master!” and then he answered himself: “Yes, Master!”

And he added: “Awake, Awake!” and then answered: “Yes, Master! Yes, Master!”

“From now onwards, do not be deceived by others!”

“No, Master! I will not, Master!”

Verse:

Because they recognise only the ego-soul.

Some who search the Force do not realise true self

This ego-soul is the seed of birth and death,

Foolish people take it for the true original self.

13

Tokusan’s Bowl

One day Tokusan came to the dining room from the Meditation Hall, holding his bowl. Knight Seppo saw him coming and asked: “The dinner drum is not yet beaten. Where are you going with your bowl?” at which, Tokusan went back at once to his room.

Seppo told this incident to Master Ganto, who said: “Tokusan has not penetrated the ultimate truth of the Force.”

Tokusan heard of this and sent an Apprentice to ask Ganto to come to him. “I have heard,” said Tokusan: “you doubt my knowledge of the Force.” Ganto whispered to Tokusan what he meant.

The next day, ascending the rostrum, Tokusan delivered an entirely different sermon to the Jedi. Master Ganto went forward in the Hall, clapped his hands, laughed and said: “What a happy thing! The old man has got hold of the ultimate truth of the Force. From now on, no one can surpass him!”

Verse:

Whoever understands the first truth

Understands the ultimate truth.

The last and the first

Are they not one and the same?

14

The Cat Cut in Two

Master Nansen saw the Jedi of the eastern and western Temples fighting over a cat. He seized the cat and said: “If any of you can tell me a truth of the Force, you can spare the cat. Otherwise I will kill it.”

No one could answer. So Nansen drew his blade and cut the cat in two .

That evening Joshu returned and Nansen told him what had happened. Joshu thereupon took off his sandals and, placing them on his head, walked away.

Nansen called after him: “If only you had been there, you could have saved the cat.”

Verse:

Had Joshu been there,

The opposite would have been done.

Joshu would have snatched the blade,

And Nansen would have begged for his life.

15

The Sixty Blows

Tozan went to Ummon, who asked him where he came from. Tozan answered: “From Sato.” Then Ummon asked: “Where were you then during the Summer?” Tozan answered: “At HozuTemple.” Ummon further asked Tozan: “When did you leave there?” Tozan replied: “I left on August 25.”

Un-mon told Tozan: “You deserve 60 blows, but I will spare you today!”

The next day Tozan bowed to Ummon and said: “Yesterday you forgave me the 60 blows, but I do not know why I was at fault?”

Then Ummon shouted: “You rice-bag! Why have you wandered around for nothing?”

At this very moment, Tozan was awakened.

Verse:

The lion roughly teaches her cubs,

She kicks them away and the cubs jump.

Ummon’s thrown words hit right on Tozan’s heart,

While Ummon’s first arrow is light, the second arrow hits deep.

16

The Seven-Piece Robe

Ummon said: “The world is vast and wide; why put on your seven-piece robe at the sound of the bell?”

Verse:

If you are awakened, all things are one and the same,

If you are not awakened, all things are varied and separate.

If you are not awakened, all things are one and the same,

If you are awakened, all things are varied and separate.

17

The Three Calls

The Master of the emperor, called his attendant, Oshin, three times and three times Oshin answered: “Yes!”

The Master said: “I thought that I had offended you, but in reality you offended me!”

Verse:

When the yoke is iron and has no hole,

Followers have neither peace nor rest.

When you intend to uphold the teachings of the Force,

You must climb a mountain of blades with bare feet.

18

Three Pounds of Flax

A Jedi asked Tozan: “What is the Force?”

Tozan answered: “Three pounds of flax!”

Verse:

Just “Three pounds of flax!” pops up,

His words are close, and yet his heart is closer.

Anyone who explains things in terms of right or wrong,

is himself the slave of right and wrong.

19

The Ordinary Mind

Joshu asked Nansen: “What is the Force?”

Nansen answered: “Ordinary mind – that is the Force.”

Joshu said: “Should I seek it?”

Nansen replied: “The more you pursue, the more it slips away.”

Joshu asked once more: “How can I know it is the Force unless I seek it?”

Nansen responded: “The Force does not belong to ‘knowing’, nor does it belong to ‘not-knowing’. Knowledge is illusion. Non knowledge is confusion. When you get to the Force beyond doubt, you will find it as vast and boundless as outer space, an unfathomable void, so how can you explain it with right and wrong?”

Upon hearing this, Joshu awakened to the Force.

Verse:

The flowers in Spring, the moon in Autumn,

The cool wind in Summer and the snow of Winter.

If your mind is not clouded with things,

You have the best days of your life.

20

The Man of Great Strength

Shogen said: “Why is it that a man of great strength does not lift his legs?”

And again: “It is not with one’s tongue that one speaks.”

Verse:

Raising my foot I turn upside down the ocean,

Bowing my head I look down on the heavens.

Such a body of great strength has no place to rest,

Please finish this verse yourself!

21

Dried Shit

An Apprentice asked Master Ummon: “What is the Force?”

Ummon answered him: “Dried shit.”

Verse:

Lightning flashes,

Sparks shoot.

In a blink of your eye,

You have missed it.

22

Knock Down the Flagpole

Ananda asked Maha Kashapa: “You have been given the Temple. What else has the Force given you?”

Kashapa said: “Ananda!”

“Yes!” answered Ananda.

“Knock down the flagpole at the gate!” said Kashapa.

Verse:

Question or answer, which is the more intimate?

Many people have pondered this.

Elder brother calls and younger brother answers, and a family secret is betrayed.

This spring does not belong to dark or light.

23

Good and Evil

Master Eno, a Master of the Force, was pursued by the Knight Emyo up to the mountains. The Master, seeing Emyo coming, laid his robe and bowl on a rock, and said to him: “This robe represents the Force. Is it to be fought over? If you really want it, take it.”

The Knight Emyo went to move the bowl and the robe and yet they were as heavy as mountains. He could not move them. Hesitating and trembling, Emyo asked the Master: “I come for the teaching, not for the robe. Please teach me of the Force!” The Master said: “clear your mind of light and dark. What is the true self of Emyo?”

At that moment the Knight Emyo was greatly awakened. His whole body was covered with sweat. Emyo cried, bowed, and said: “Is there or is there not any other deep significance to be known, than your secret words and teachings a minute ago?”

The Master answered: “What I have told you is no secret at all. Once you have realised your own true self, the full depth of the Force belongs to you!”

Knight Emyo said: “When I was at Obai with the other Jedi, I never realised what my true self was. Now thanks to your teaching, it’s as easy as knowing if water is cold or warm. From now on you are my teacher!” The Master said: “We both have Obai for our teacher. Now, guard the treasure you have gained!”

Verse:

You can’t describe it or picture it,

Nor can you admire it or eat it.

Your true self has nowhere to hide,

Even if the universe was annihilated, it would not be destroyed.

24

Silence and Words

A Jedi asked Fuketsu: “Both speech and silence are problematic, as both are internal and external actions of mind. Tell me, if both are wrong, how can we ever escape these faults?”

Fuketsu said: “I often think of Spring in the countryside. The birds sing among hundreds of flagrant flowers…”

Verse:

Fuketsu did not say such a fine phrase,

Without speaking, he’d already handed it over.

If you go on and on,

You lose your way.

25

Kyozan’s Dream

In a dream Kyozan went to Maitreya’s Temple and sat in the third seat. A Jedi there beat the gavel and said:”Today the one in the third seat will give a sermon.”

Kyozan arose, hit the gavel and said,”The truth of the Force is beyond any verbal expression! Hear me, hear me!”

Verse:

In the bright daylight,

He builds a dream within a dream.

He makes up his story,

And deceives the entire crowd.

26

Two Jedi Roll Up The Blinds

Master Hogen came to the Temple to speak to the Jedi before the midday meal. He pointed with his finger to the bamboo blinds.

At this moment two Knights rose and rolled up the blinds.

Master Hogen observed: “One gain, one loss.”

Verse:

When the blinds are rolled up, the great sky is opened,

The great sky is not yet in accord with the Force.

It’s better to throw everything away from the sky,

And make sure not even a draft blows through.

27

Not Mind, Not Force, Not Things

A Jedi asked Nansen: “Is there any teaching no master has ever preached before?”

Nansen replied: “Yes, there is.”

“What is it?” asked the Jedi. Nansen answered: “It is not mind, it is not the Force, it is not things.”

Verse:

Talking too much spoils things,

Silence, however, is unequalled.

Let the mountains become the sea,

I’ll give you no comment.

28

Ryutan’s Candle

Late one night Tokusan went to Master Ryutan to ask for his teaching. After Tokusan’s many questions, the Master said to Tokusan at last: “It is late. Why don’t you retire?”

So Tokusan bowed, lifted the screen and was ready to go out, observing: “It is very dark outside.”

Master Ryutan lit a candle and offered it to Tokusan. Just as Tokusan received it, the Master blew it out.

At that moment the mind of Tokusan was opened.

“What have you realised?” asked Ryutan to Tokusan, who replied: “From now on I will not doubt what you have said.”

The next day Ryutan ascended the rostrum and declared to the Jedi there: “Among you there is one whose teeth are like the sword tree, his mouth is like the blood bowl. Strike him with a stick, he won’t turn his head to look at you. Some day he will climb the highest peaks and carry out my teaching there.”

On that day, in front of the lecture hall, Tokusan burned to ashes his texts of wisdom and the Force, and declared: “In comparison to this awareness, all the most profound teachings are like a single hair in vast space. However deep the complicated knowledge of the world, compared to knowledge of the Force, it is like one drop of water in the ocean.”

Then he left the monastery.

Verse:

Rather than hearing the name, seeing the face is better,

Rather than seeing the face, hearing the name is better.

Never mind how much you help the nostrils,

Look what you have done to the eyes!

29

Your Mind Moves

The wind was flapping a temple flag, and two Jedi were arguing about the flag.

One said: “The flag is moving.”

The other said: “the wind is moving.”

They could not agree, no matter how hard they debated. The Master Eno, happened to come by and said: “Not the wind, not the flag. It is your mind that moves!”

The two Jedi were struck with awe.

Verse:

Wind, flag, and mind moves,

All equally to blame.

We only know how to open our mouths,

we do not know our speech went wrong.

30

Baso’s Very Mind

Daibai asked Baso: What is the Force?”

Baso answered: “The mind is the Force.”

Verse:

Under blue sky, in bright daylight,

One need not search around,

Asking around what the Force is,

is like having stolen goods in one’s pocket and declaring oneself innocent.

31

Investigating the Old Woman

A wandering Knight asked an old woman for directions. The old woman said: “Go straight ahead.”

When the Knight proceeded a few steps, she said to herself: “This Jedi with such spirit also goes off like that!”

Afterwards, another Knight told Joshu about this, and Joshu said: “Wait until I go and investigate the old woman.”

The next day off Joshu went and asked the same question and the old woman gave the same answer.

Upon his return, Joshu told the congregation of Jedi: “I have investigated the old woman.”

Verse:

The question was the same,

The answer was the same.

Sand in the rice,

Thorns in the mud.

32

A Non-Jedi Asks the Master

A non-Jedi asked the Master: “With words, with silence, will you tell me of the Force?”

The Master silently kept meditating.

The non-Jedi bowed and thanked the Master, saying: “With the compassion you have cleared away the clouds of my mind and have made me enter into the awakening.”

After he left, Ananda asked the Master what he had attained.

The Master said: “A good horse runs even a shadow of the whip.”

Verse:

Treading on the edge of the blade,

Running over jagged ice.

Not climbing on the ladder,

Letting your hands off the cliff.

33

Neither Mind, nor the Force

A Jedi asked Baso: “What is the Force?”

Baso replied: “Not mind, not the Force.”

Verse:

If you meet a warrior on the road, give him the blade.

Unless you meet a poet on the road, do not offer a poem.

If you meet a man, tell him only a third,

Don’t try and tell it all at once.

34

No Way

Nansen said: “Mind is not the Force. Knowledge is not the Way.”

Verse:

When the sky is clear the sun appears,

when rain falls, the earth becomes moistened.

How wholeheartedly he explains,

how few have faith in him and his words.

35

Two Souls

Goso asked a Knight: “Sei, the Chinese girl, who was separated from her soul. Which was the real Sei?”

Verses:

The moon in the clouds is one and the same,

Valleys and mountains are various.

Fortunes above fortunes,

Is it one, or is it two?

36

No Words, No Silence

Goso said: “When you meet a Jedi on the road, greet him not with words, nor with silence. Tell me, how will you greet him?”

Verse:

Meeting a Jedi on the road,

Greeting him not with words, nor with silence.

Smack him in the mouth –

Then he will understand you.

37

The Oak Tree in the Garden

A Jedi asked Joshu: “With what intention did the Master come from the West?”

Joshu answered: “The oak tree in the front garden.”

Verse:

Words do not express fact,

Phrases do not convey the spirit.

He who accepts words is lost,

He who adheres to phrases is deluded.

38

Goso’s Buffalo

Goso observed: “A water buffalo goes out of his enclosure. The head, the horns, and the four legs go through, but why doesn’t the tail, too?”

Verse:

If the buffalo goes through, he will fall into the ditch,

If he retreats into the enclosure, he will be butchered.

This little bit of a tail,

that is a strange thing indeed!

39

The Mistaken Speech

As soon as an Apprentice stated to Master Ummon: “The radiance of the Force quietly and restlessly illuminates the whole universe”, Ummon asked him: “Are these words you are reciting not the words of Master Chosetzu?”

The Apprentice replied: “Yes, they are.”

Ummon said: “You made a mistake in saying this!”

Afterwards Knight Shishin brought up the matter once more and said: “Tell me, how was the Apprentice mistaken?”

Verse:

A fish meets the fishhook in a rapid stream,

Being too greedy for the bait, the fish wants to bite.

Once you open your mouth,

Your life is already lost.

40

Kicking the Jar

During his stay under Master Hyakujo, Isan cooked.

As Master Hyakujo wished to send a Jedi to build a new Temple, Maser Hyakujo told the chief Knight and all other Jedi there that he would choose the one who would demonstrate himself as the best among them as the Temple’s founder.

Then Master Hyakujo brought out a drinking water jar, put it down and said: “You cannot call it a water jar. Then, what will you call it?”

The chief Knight said: “One cannot call it a stump.”

Then, when Master Hyakujo turned to Apprentice Isan, Isan kicked the jar and walked away.

Master Hyakujo laughed and said: “The chief Knight lost it to Isan.”

He made Isan the founder of the new Temple.

Verse:

Throwing away strainers and cooking spoon,

Isan kicks the jar and settles the disputes.

Unhindered by the multiple hurdles,

He gives a kick on the toe, and in a thousand shards the Force emanates.

41

The Master’s Peace of Mind

The first ever Master sat facing the stone wall. Another Master stood long in the thick snow.

The second drew his saber, cut off his own arm and presented it to the first.

He said: “Your student cannot calm his mind. You, Master, please, give me peace of mind!”

The first Master replied: “Bring that mind, I will calm it down!”

The second Master said: “I have searched for my mind everywhere, but I cannot find it!”

The first Master replied: “Now your mind is pacified.”

Verse:

The first ever Master taught plain enough truths,

But since the our troubles have exuded from him.

The one who disturbed the calm world,

Is that first Master!

42

An Apprentice Comes Out of Meditation

When the wisest Knight Manjusuri, found that the Jedi gathering was adjourned and each was going back to his/her land. Observing one Apprentice still deep in meditation near Master Shakyamuni, the Knight properly bowed and asked the Master: “That Apprentice has been able to reach that state of Forceliness – why have I not?”

The Master replied: “Bring her out of her meditation and ask her yourself!”

the Knight went round the Apprentice three times and snapped his fingers and yet she was undisturbed in meditation. So the Knight held her high up in his hand and brought her to the first of three meditative heavens (totally detached from any lust) and exhausted all his mystical powers in vain to awaken her.

Observing this, the Master said: “Even a hundred thousand Knights could not awaken her from this oneness. There resides Master Avidya, the lowest of all, below this place past twelve hundred million lands. He alone can raise her from her deep meditation.”

No sooner had the Master spoken than that Master Avidya sprang up out of the earth, bowed and paid his homage to the first Master. By Master Shakyamuni’s order, Master Avidya snapped his fingers.

Instantly the Apprentice came out of meditation and stood up.

Verse:

Whether the one who could bring her out of meditation, or the other who could not,

Both of them obtained freedom.

The one wore the mask of the light, the other, a mask of the dark, in that theatre,

Even the failure was a beautiful performance.

43

Shuzan’s Spoon

Master Shuzan held out his spoon and asked: “If you call this a spoon, you insult the Force. If you say there is no spoon, you violate common-sense. So what should we call this?”

Verse:

Holding up the spoon,

Becomes a matter of life and death

Either you insult or you violate,

Even great Masters would beg for their lives!

44

Basho’s Staff

Master Basho said to his Apprentices: “If you have the staff, I will give it to you. If you have no staff, I will take it away from you!”

Verse:

Whether one is deep or shallow,

It lies in the hand which holds the staff.

The staff supports the heaven and maintains the earth,

Wherever the staff freely goes, will propagate the true teaching.

45

Who Is He?

Master Hoen said: “Master Shakyamuni and Master Maitreya, both are the Force’s slaves. Well, tell me: Who is the Force?”

Verse:

Do not use another’s bow.

Do not ride another’s horse.

Do not discuss another’s faults.

Do not explore another’s business.

46

Beyond the Top of the 100 Foot High Pole

Master Sekiso said: “How can you proceed further from the top of a hundred foot high pole?”

Another Master of Ancient Times said: “One who sits on top of the 100 foot pole has not quite attained true knowledge of the Force. Make another step forward from the top of the pole and throw one’s own body into the 100,000 universes.”

Verse:

Settling atop the pole harms the insight,

And will even misread the marks on the scale.

Even though he sacrifices his life,

He is but a blind person leading all the blind.

47

Three Barriers

Master Tosotsu, setting up three barriers for his disciples:

Firstly,

“To search for the Way, the Jedi Apprentice tries to grasp one’s own nature and know the Force.”

“Now where is your true nature?”

Secondly,

“Once having grasped one’s own nature, one is free from birth and death.”

“If then, one’s eyeballs have dropped dead, how can one be free from life?”

Thirdly,

“Being free from birth and death, one instantly knows where to go after death.”

“Being dead and the body dispersed into the wider Force, where then does one go?”

Verse:

A moment in thought cuts through an eternity,

An eternity is just this moment.

If one sees through the thought of this very moment,

At this very moment, one can see through the one who sees through.

48

The One Road

An Apprentice asked Master Kempo: “I understand that the Force is but one great way. Tell me, where does this way lead?

Kempo raised his walking stick, drew the figure “one” and said: “There.”

Later, this Apprentice went to Umon to ask the question.

Umon, turning around his fan, said: “This fan will reach the destination of the great way, and hit the face of God himself. It is like the giant carp of the Eastern Sea tipping over a cloud with its tail and rain falling down.”

Verse:

Before a step is taken, the goal is reached;

before the tongue is moved, the speech is finished.

Even if they have had foresight long before,

the origin of the way lies away ahead of their foresight.

Epilogue by Mumon

The words and the actions left by the Force and its wise Masters in these forty-eight Koans are as precise as laws and judgements, and therein nothing superfluous is contained. They turn the student Jedi’s brain upside down and hollow out his eyeballs. They are here in order that each one of you will immediately grasp truth and must not try to obtain it vicariously from others.

Should there be anyone who thoroughly appropriates everything, the person would seize the true meaning of all Forty-eight Koans, as listening to a small portion of them. To such a person, there is no barrier to the Force, nor steps to the search. He may go through the gate with no concern of the gatekeepers, as Gensho said: “It is the gateless that is every entrance to realisation, and to be aimless is the genuine aim of the Master.”

Haku-un also said: “Why can one not go through this very gate, although it is so obvious?” Such stories are indeed as meaningless as mixing milk with red clay. If you can pass these Forty-eight Koans through the Gateless Gate you will step on me, Mumon, under your foot. If you cannot pass through the Gateless Gate, you will betray yourself.

As often said, it is easy to illuminate the realisation that everything is empty, but it is difficult indeed to elucidate the knowledge of distinctions. If you are able to edify the wisdom of differences, the universe will be well at peace.