Tesshin used his talk this week to discuss Case 89 from the Blue Cliff Record known as “The Whole Body is Hand and Eye”  

 

Tesshin first provided some background on the ‘players’ in this case.  Here we have two Dharma Brothers who are students in the same lineage.  It is important to note that the students don’t necessarily need to be at the same level of understanding.  Generally, one may be more senior than the other.  In this case the “senior” brother is  Daowu Yuanzhi (769-835) who was a disciple of Yaoshan (751-834). Yunyan Tansheng (780-841) was also a disciple of Yaoshan and was the “junior” dharma brother in this exchange.

 

Tesshin first read the opening verse …

 

When the entire body is the eye, while seeing you do not see; when the entire body is the ear, while hearing you do not hear; when the entire body is the mouth, while speaking you do not speak; when the entire body is the mind, while thinking you do not think. Putting aside the entire body, if there are no eyes, how do you see? If there are no ears, how do you hear? If there is no mouth, how do you speak? If there is no mind, how do you think? If you are familiar with this point, you are in the company of the ancient Buddhas. However, putting aside being in the company of the Buddhas, with whom should you study Zen?

 

Next, Tesshin read the main case …

 

Yunyan asked Daowu, “What use does the great Boddhisattva of Mercy make of all those hands and eyes?”

Daowu said, “It is like a man straightening his pillow with his outstretched hand in the middle of the night.”

Yunyan said, “I have understood.”

Daowu said, “How do you understand?”

Yunyan said, “The whole body is hand and eye.”

Daowu said, “You have had your say, but you have given only eight-tenths of the truth.”

Yunyan sai, “How would you put it?”

Daowu said, “The entire body is hand and eye.”

 

Tesshin reminded the group that a Bodhisattva is a being who has achieved total enlightenment but will not pass into Nirvana until they help every other being achieve the same awakening.   Buddhism is filled with many such beings, but the most famous one is the Bodhisattva of Universal Compassion.  This Bodhisattva goes by many names which include:  Avalokitesvara, Guanyin, and Kannon.  In some traditions this bodhisattva is depicted as male, but in others it is depicted as female.  (For our discussion, we will use the Japanese name of Kannon who happens to be female.)

 

Kannon achieved enlightenment by apprehending the connection of all pain and suffering in the universe.  However, realizing all of this pain comes at a terrible cost.  We can begin to understand this because we act like this when we empathize with another’s suffering.  What would happen if we could do this with EVERYONE’s suffering?  For Kannon, this became overwhelming.  Tesshin recounted a parable where all the pain in the world entered through her eyes and ears and literally caused her head to explode!!   However, the parable continues and after the explosion Kannon evolved into a form where she had many arms and eyes in order to more skillfully take on the suffering present in the universe.  Tesshin called our attention to an image of Kannon where each of the multitude of arms carries a specialized tool to alleviate suffering.  The message here is that compassion is not just feeling someone’s pain – it is the active application of skill to alleviate that pain.  We go to a doctor not because they will have sympathy for our suffering, but because they can do something about it.  Kannon reflects both the desire AND the skill to eliminate all suffering everywhere throughout time.

 

So Yunyan asked Daowu what are all the hands and eyes of Kannon are used for.  Daowu says it is like groping for a pillow at night.  What does that mean?  Groping for a pillow when asleep is a reflexive action.  It is like this for Kannon.  Every molecule in her being is dedicated to compassion – there is no other conflicting thought.  There is so much in that one statement!  First and foremost, we can see this as Kannon having a single point of focus in compassion.  This is the “Bodhisattva Ideal” which we can aspire to even if we can never achieve it.  

 

Tesshin thought that this koan should stop right here.  However, Yunyan “screws up” and states that he understands what Daowu is talking about.  This is NEVER the right thing to say in a Zen exchange!  Saying that you understand something means that you have nailed it down and separated it from everything else.  How can you understand nothing?  Daowu sees this and challenges his younger Dharma Brother – he asks, exactly what do you understand?  Yunyan says that all over Kannon are the hands and eyes.  Daowu responds – “Close but no Cigar!”  Daowu states that THROUGHOUT the body exists hands and eyes.  There is no place where it does not exist.  This is only slightly different than what Yunyan said, but it is a universe of difference!  Do you see it?

 

Tesshin next noted that in many sutras about Kannon there is no mention of compassion and healing – why is that?  It is not said for the same reason we don’t ask for “wet water” in a restaurant.  Water is wet.  There is no separation – it is wet by its nature.  If you separated wetness from water you would not have water – it is the same with Kannon.  What is interesting is that Tesshin noted that this is not just with the Bodhisattva, but it is also with all beings!  One does not “become” Kannon when being compassionate – we are already compassion.  Yes, sometimes we ‘forget’ this – just like we delude ourselves that we are not already enlightened and perfect.  Our job in practice is, as always, to get back to this ground truth of being.  This is the message which Daowu is patiently explaining to his Dharma Brother.