禅Toyo Eicho

proverb

Compiling the Zen Forest

Zenrin Kushū

Muromachi

Traditionally attributed

Text

I gathered capping phrases as a forester gathers cuttings — not because the trees needed gathering, but so that students who could not climb would still hear the wind in the branches.

tr. Zen Lineage editorial

license: cc_by

Attribution

Lineage: Rinzai

By Toyo Eicho

Sources

  • contentZen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Koan Practice

    Hori, Victor Sōgen

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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