Wash Your Bowl

Text

A monk told Zhaozhou, "I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me." Zhaozhou asked, "Have you eaten your rice porridge?" The monk replied, "I have eaten." Zhaozhou said, "Then you had better wash your bowl." At that moment the monk was enlightened.

license: public_domain

Attribution

• Speaker
  Zhaozhou Congshen

Lineage: Nanyue line

By Zhaozhou Congshen

• Joshu's Dogkoan
• Joshu Washes the Bowlkoan
• Joshu Examines a Monk in Meditationkoan
• Everyday Life Is The Pathkoan
• Joshu Investigateskoan

From Traditional Zen Encounter Dialogues

• My Mind Is Not at Peace
• Thinking of Not-Thinking
• Not Knowing Is Most Intimate
• The Boat Monk's Transmission
• The Sound of Bamboo
• Vast Emptiness, Nothing Holy
• Ordinary Mind Is the Way
• Nanquan Kills the Cat
• The Oak Tree in the Garden
• This Very Mind Is Buddha

Sources

• contentWikisource — English-language free library

  Mumonkan Case 7; Zhaozhou Yulu

  Traditional Zen Encounter Dialogues: Wash Your Bowl