禅Chuzan Ryoun

saying

The Quiet Middle Mountain

Sōtō Branch-Temple Records (Muromachi)

Muromachi Period Japan

Traditionally attributed

Text

When a monk observed that Chuzan was not widely known outside his own region, the master replied: 'The middle of the mountain is not the peak and not the valley, and so it goes unnoticed by both climbers and pilgrims. This suits the dharma well. The dharma does not require to be seen from a distance. It requires to be practiced up close. Come close. Sit. That is all I have to offer, and it is everything.'

license: public_domain

Attribution

Lineage: Sōtō

By Chuzan Ryoun

From Sōtō Branch-Temple Records (Muromachi)

Sources

  • contentSōtō Zen in Medieval Japan

    William M. Bodiford

    Cf. Bodiford, Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan, pp. 115–120, on the provincial Sōtō network

    Sōtō Branch-Temple Records (Muromachi): The Quiet Middle Mountain

No per-field confidence has been recorded for this teaching yet. Treat individual claims with the caution appropriate to the source list below.

Attribution status: traditional — see editorial policy for what this means.

1 supporting citation on record (see Sources above).

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