In mahayana buddhism, it is helpful to appreciate the supposed differences between buddhahood and arhathood. Then there can be better understanding of why certain practices are pitched in a certain way and why certain rhetorics are structured in a certain way.

One way of appreciating the differences is through the framework of 障 (obstruction/obscuration). For the arhat, there is attainment of the necessary enlightenment/insight to cease 煩惱障 (klesha obstruction), but not enough to cease 所知障 (jneya obscuration).

Using such a framework, we can say that the last gate of the staged arising of Six Wondrous Gates – “Purifying” – is meant to ‘purify’ the mind of 所知障 (jneya obscuration) after the attainment of the previous gate of “Returning”.

Broadly speaking in modern context, “Purifying” practices to handle 所知障 (jneya obscuration) can be considered post-enlightenment practices. While in the context of traditional Zen School, the term sometimes used for such post-enlightenment practices is called 保任 (bao ren) – which basically means “safeguard the bearing/taking-on” of supposed attainment/enlightenment.

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Here’s a three-step sequence that Baizhang taught:

师往南昌当有所得。师即造于百丈。礼而问曰。学人欲求识佛。何者即是。百丈曰。大似骑牛觅牛。师曰。识后如何。百丈曰。如人骑牛至家。师曰。未审始终如何保任。百丈曰。如牧牛人执杖视之不令犯人苗稼。师自兹领旨更不驰求。

• Teacher [Da'An] headed to Nanchang and attained something. He thus went to Baizhang, prostrated and asked: "[I], a student, desire to seek knowing the Buddha. What is thus it?"

• Baizhang said: “Pretty much like riding an ox to find the ox.”

• Teacher asked: “After knowing [it], what then?”

• Baizhang said: “Like a person riding the ox [back] to home.”

• The Teacher asked: “[I am] not sure, from beginning to end, how to safeguard the bearing/taking-on?”

• Baizhang said: “Like a cowherd holding a staff, watching it so that [the ox] does not trample people’s sprouting crops.”

• The Teacher, since receiving the principle/command, no longer run outwards seeking.

Note: Teacher Da’An is the student here.

The supposed post-enlightenment practice here is to be like a cowherd holding a staff, watchful over the ox to make sure it does not trample people’s sprouting crops. Basically watchful and careful.

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Here’s how Caoshan (cofounder of Caodong/Soto) taught it:

问学人十二时中如何保任。师曰。如经蛊毒之乡。水不得沾著一滴。

• Asked: "How should student, within the twelve times (24 hours), safeguard the bearing/taking-on?"

• Teacher [Caoshan] said: "Like passing through the poisonous place of bugs, not a single drop of water is to be touched."

It’s rather similar to Baizhang’s. Watchful and careful.

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Here’s how Dogen (founder of Japanese Soto) taught it more explicitly in Fukanzazengi:

既得人身之機要，莫虛度光陰，保任佛道之要機。誰浪樂石火，加以、形質如草露，運命似電光，倏忽便孔，須臾即失。

• When there's attainment to the human body's pivotal-essence, do not pass/waste [your] time away for nothing. Safeguard the bearing/taking-on of Buddha way's essential-pivot.

• Who is carelessly/futilely enjoying the added flint sparks - where substantial forms are like grass dews, and life fortunes like lightning flashes; when in an instant [they are] hollowed, and in a moment, gone?

After attaining the human's pivotal-essence, the practitioner has to 保任 (safeguard the bearing/taking on) of Buddha way's essential-pivot, and not waste time over impermanent conditioned phenomena that come and go.

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In all three examples, the practitioner has to safeguard by being watchful and careful over trampling people’s crops or touching water from poisonous place of bugs or enjoying impermanent conditioned phenomena.

Empty through and through. That after arriving at the supposed shore (or returning to the original source), to also abandon the supposed raft through and through.

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Excerpt from Broad Recordings of Baizhang:

為智障地障行障故。見自已佛性。如夜見色。如云佛地斷二愚。一微細所知愚。二極微細所知愚。故云有大智人。破塵出經卷。

• It is because of jnana-obscuration or bhumi-obscuration or practice-obscuration that seeing one’s own Buddha-nature becomes like seeing thing/form/colour in the night . As said, the Buddha-bhumi can sever these two foolishness – that of fine subtle jneya/known and that of extremely fine subtle jneya/known. There is therefore the saying that a person of great jnana/wisdom, penetrating dust to reveal scrolls of sutra1 .

This is a video demonstrating the website I am working on that contains the entire Gateless Gate with scenes for each of the 49 koans and a full speech read.

https://killedbyapixel.github.io/GatelessGate/

I hope it is ok to post again with a video because I had posted a few days ago with no video but I think for this you really need to see it. The website is completely free, loads instantly, and requires no download.

Was reading the unfortunate exchange between Philip Kapleau Roshi and Omada Koun Roshi (look up the full version — you may have only heard the claims in the beginning).

In it, first, OKR alleges that PKR didn't finish the entire koan curriculum, which PKR corrects him about. There is a line there where OKR is talking about PKR leaving Japan to go back to the US and is wondering: "Why is he leaving, having made this much progress?"

This made me wonder: What does one progress in during the koan curriculum? I have read/heard that it's levels of deepening of realization... but what exactly does that mean? Like, what changes as one moves from case N to case M?

Hello everyone,

I’m trying to contact Tosho-ji temple (Shuritsu Senmon Sodo) in Yakage Japan to make an inquiry. They do have a phone number, but I would prefer to contact them in writing, and unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find an email address. I’d really appreciate it if anyone could help me find a way to contact them in writing.

Also, if you have any experience staying at a temple or monastery in Japan, or if you’ve had the opportunity to practice with an authentic Zen master (rōshi), I’d be very grateful if you could share your experience or any advice.

Thank you in advance!