An enigma that doesn’t make sense until we solve it ourselves:
In his commentary, Nan Huai-chin likens “So it is, Subhuti. So it is” to an enigma that doesn’t make sense until we solve it ourselves. And he cites the story about Chinhua Chu-ti. Master Chinhua Chu-ti learned One-Finger Zen from Hangchou T’ien-lung, and this is all he taught. Whenever anyone asked for instruction, he held up one finger and nothing more. One day when he was absent, a young novice tried this on a layman who had come for instruction. When the worshipper was enlightened, the novice couldn’t wait to tell the Master. But when Chu-ti heard what happened, he went into the kitchen and came out and asked the novice to show him again. When the novice stuck out his finger, Chu-ti whipped out a knife and cut it off. As the novice ran screaming out the door, Chu-ti yelled his name. When the novice stopped, Chu-ti asked him the meaning of enlightenment. Without thinking, the novice stuck out his fist. But when he saw his hand without its finger, he suddenly understood the meaning of One-finger Zen.
- from ‘The Diamond Sutra’ (text and commentaries translated from sanskrit and chinese by Red Pine)
This passage from among the numerous commentaries of the Red Pine translation has stuck with me ever since I read it. You might even say it has haunted me a little (and I don’t mean haunting in a bad way if that makes any sense). I just don’t know exactly what this story means so if anyone out there has any ideas please let me know. It can’t be that Master Chinhua Chu-ti is just a finger-chopping lunatic, can it!?? I feel like I am missing a very deep and very basic message, and I know it won’t make sense until I solve it myself but I could at least use a hint. Any thoughts, ideas, comments would be greatly appreciated.
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