禅Nanyue Huairang

proverb

Eight Years to Speak

Tang

Traditionally attributed

Text

Mazu studied with me for eight years before I asked him a single question. The answer that came was already an old answer when it came. The eight years had not been spent on a question — they had been spent on the mouth.

tr. Zen Lineage editorial

license: cc_by

Attribution

Lineage: Nanyue line

By Nanyue Huairang

Sources

  • contentOrdinary Mind as the Way: The Hongzhou School and the Growth of Chan Buddhism

    Mario Poceski

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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