This is the fourth installment [1 , 2 , 3] of a continuing series wherein lessons from a deep philosophical tradition are made light of simply because they are in the public domain.

The Temple Lessons

1.
Wakuan stood in front of a picture of the Bodhidharma. In the picture Bodhidharma was wearing a beard.

“Now why does the Bodhidharma wear a beard?” Asked Wakuan.
The Bodhidharma did not answer.
“And why doesn’t the Bodhidharma answer?” Asked Wakuan.
The Bodhidharma did not answer.

But from behind him Wakuan heard laughter. He turned and saw a group of girls, including a girl he had a huge crush on. They were giggling at him for talking to the picture.

Later, Wakuan drew a picture of himself with a beard.

2.
The master Nansen had a visitor who came to inquire about Zen. But instead of listening, the visitor kept talking about his own ideas. After a while, Nansen served tea. He poured tea into the visitor’s cup until it was full, then he kept on pouring. Finally the visitor could not restrain himself.

“Don’t you see it’s full?” he said. “You can’t get any more in!”

Nansen smiled. “The mind is like a tea-cup.”

The visitor shrugged. He did not understand.

Nansen sighed. “My mind is like this cup, and your idiotic babbling is like the tea, and I can’t take any more.”

Nansen raised his eyebrows. “Hint, hint.”

3.
Tokusan once asked Joshu to answer the old problem of the goose in the bottle. “If a man puts a gosling into the bottle,” he said, “and feeds the gosling through the bottle-neck until it grows and becomes a goose, and there is just no more room inside the bottle, how can the man get it out without killing the goose, or breaking the bottle?”

Joshu hit Tokusan over the head with his cane. “What kind of question is that!” he said.
“It helps you reach enlightenment,” said Tokusan.
“I’ve already reached enlightenment,” said Joshu. “Four or five years ago.”