The Forest of Brambles

Text

A monk asked Guizong, "What is Buddha?" Guizong said, "I will tell you, but I am afraid you won't believe it." The monk said, "How could I not believe the teacher's sincere words?" Guizong said, "You—you yourself are it." The monk said, "How can I preserve it?" Guizong said, "When your eye has the slightest fault, flowers fall from the sky." Xuedou later commented: "A forest of brambles—and yet right through it is the ancient road."

license: public_domain

Attribution

• Speaker
  Guizong Zhichang

Lineage: Nanyue line

By Guizong Zhichang

• Guizong Kills a Snakedialogue

From Blue Cliff Record

• Tianhuang's Bowl Washing
• The Rhinoceros Fan
• Don't Think
• The Condolence Visit
• The Seamless Tower
• Alive or Dead in Sitting
• All Sounds Are Buddha-Sound
• All Three Bodies of Buddha
• End-of-Summer Address
• Daguang's Laughing

Sources

• contentZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation

  Zen project editorial

  Blue Cliff Record, Case 17 (commentary); Jingde Chuandenglu, Guizong chapter

  Blue Cliff Record: The Forest of Brambles