A Zen Fish Story

This is a story about three Chinese Zen masters from the Heian
period, T'ang Dynasty,  considered the "Golden Age" of Zen.
Tao-wu (768?-853), his Dharma brother, Ch'uan-tzu ("Dharma
brother" indicates they were both heirs of the same teacher,
Yueh-shan Wei-yen) and Chia-shan, the chief monk of an important
monastery. This story was retold by Dogen Zenji (1200-1253), the
founder of Soto Zen in Japan.

About the year 845, Tao-wu visited the teacher of another
monastery. While sitting in the great hall with other monks he
observed the chief monk, Chia-shan, engaging in Dharma combat
with the other monks.  (Dharma combat is a verbal contest by
which students try to "trip" each other or their teacher to
reveal lapses in understanding of the Dharma. These bouts can be
quite lively.) On hearing Chia-shan, Tao-wu burst out laughing.
Chia-shan descended from the rostrum and asked Tao-wu why he had
laughed. Tao-wu said, "I have a Dharma brother who teaches
others in a boat on the Flowers-in -River. You should go see him
if you want to realize it." (The "it" Tao-wu refers to is the
Great Realization, which of course can't be described. The less
said, the better.)

The Dharma brother Tao-wu spoke of was Ch'uan-tzu, who had left
all monasteries behind, saying that he was good for nothing.
Ch'uan-tzu  had become a boatman, teaching in disguise.

At Tao-wu's suggestion, Chia-shan took of his monk's robes and
dressed as a layman to meet with Ch'uan-tzu. So when Chia-shan
reached Flowers-in-River, he was startled to hear Ch'uan-tzu
call to him, "Chief monk of an assembly, at what temple do you
stay?"

Chia-shan replied, "I stay at no temple. Can't you see my
clothes? If I were a monk, would I look like this?"

Ch'uan-tzu asked, "You say you do not, but then what do you look
like?"

"I am beyond sight, hearing, and consciousness," replied
Chia-shan.

"Where did you learn that?" asked Ch'uan-tzu.

"Beyond sight and hearing.," replied the monk-in-disguise to the
teacher-in-disguise.

"Even one phrase of ultimate reality would lose its freedom
forever if we were to attach to it. To drop a thousand-foot
fishing line means to seek a fish with golden scales. [The fish
with golden scales is a metaphor for Enlightenment.] Why don't
you say a word?"

Chia-shan was about to speak when Ch'uan-tzu leapt upon him,
wrestled him into the water, and held his head under. Then
Ch'uan-tzu lifted the gulping and gasping Chia-shan and
demanded, "Say a word! Say a word!" And again, when Chia-shan
opened his mouth, Ch'uan-tzu pushed his head under the water. 

At about the third dunking, Chia-shan became enlightened.

This time, when he came up, Chia-shan bowed to his teacher in
gratitude. Ch'uan-tzu remarked, "You're welcome to the fishing
line." (Ch'uan-tzu was telling Chia-shan that he was now
qualified to teach.) "If you have realized it, say it quickly,
tell me quickly, words are wondrous and unspeakable. You can see
such a fish only after you've fished out of the sea wave, only
after you've gone beyond discrimination."

But all the while Ch'uan-tzu was speaking, Chia-shan covered his
ears and began to walk away. At this, Ch'uan-tzu said, "Quite
so. Quite so."

Thus was the Dharma transmitted from Ch'uan-tzu to Chia-shan.



[Note: My source for this is the book Eight Gates of Zen by John
Daido Loori, but I've re-worded it entirely so as not to disturb
my teacher's copyright. So any errors herein are entirely
mine.--Barbara O'Brien]