https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7796/2016-PDF/web/viewer.html
Back
The Shobogenzo
Timebeing
The Life of Eihei Dogen
Scroll from Shoji 2, Antei 1 (1200-1227 CE)
有時 Yuji
Nansen Cuts a Cat
無門慧開 Wumen Huikai (1183-1260 CE)
Timebeing
A Gift Extends...
The True Dharma Insight Archive
姚勔 Yao Mian (1216-1262 CE)
and more translations of Ryan Solomon Davis
The Tiger Story
Email me
永平道元 Eihei Dogen (1243 CE)
The Shobogenzo
《正法眼蔵》
Tiger Story
正法眼蔵
Nansen
Cuts a Cat
A Gift
Extends...
祖獨往江西晚入荒村路値猛虎鼓开而欲食也祖直攛向拍
ancestor independently journeyed to jianxi and evening entering a wild-terrained settlement path was a worthy fierce tiger with a desire to eat present ancestor throwing off powerfully ahead and as openly as a drummer on a drum striking
杖避于巖上而坐虎瞋窯杖尾而失輿去下巖視之
with his walking stick he escaped going to the rock above and sat, the tiger's hungry glare stoking the branch’s tail end and the mountain slope's tail end and the tiger's tail end losing balance and descending down the rock as seen here
始知杖頭化龍身坐其頭上也宋主禪林崇稱而圖
begins wisdom's branch's beginning to grow body of knowledge of a dragon seated holding steady that beginning that head that top being dwelling head zen buddhist grove esteemed named and pictured
畫崢事傳以偉之
illustrated lofty transmission by means of eminent one
Ryan Solomon Davis
慧開
Wumen Huikai
Translated by Ryan Solomon Davis
南宋
Southern Song
南泉斬貓
Nansen Cuts a Cat
南泉和尚・因東西堂爭貓兒・泉乃提起云・
Nansen and yet Springwater Coin Mouth and yet a mix and yet to compose a poem and yet the reason East and West Halls fighting about a cat, Springwater Coin Mouth therefore sprung up and said・
大眾道得即救・道不得即斬卻也
"Everything-under-the-sun way to get saved・the way not gotten promptly cut!"
・眾無對・泉遂斬之・
Many aren't right, many aren't matched, many aren't suitable, many aren't answering, many aren't facing, and Springwater Coin Mouth say facing cut.
晚趙州外歸・泉舉似州・州乃脫履・安頭上而出・
Evening enters as Zhao Zhou (the name of a warring state during the Chinese Warring States period 475-221 BCE, and specifically the last warring state where the overrunning it ended the Warring States period) returned from outside, Nansen, Springwater Coin Mouth, raised the matter with Zhao Zhou, The State, The State to be shed, a shoe, a head, on top, as well, to go...and showed a strange parting-part, a clean pair of heels playing hard to get on ahead.
泉云・子若在・即救得貓兒
Springwater Coin Mouth said・
"The point child is in the middle・so you ought to save the cat for the final part."
慧開
Wumen Huikai, as translated by Ryan Solomon Davis
南宋
Southern Song
南泉斬貓
Nansen Cuts a Cat
南泉和尚・因東西堂爭貓兒・泉乃提起云・
Nansen and yet Springwater Coin Mouth and yet a mix and yet to compose a poem and yet the reason East and West Halls fighting about a cat, Springwater Coin Mouth therefore sprung up and said・
大眾道得即救・道不得即斬卻也
"Everything-under-the-sun way to get saved・the way not gotten promptly cut!"
・眾無對・泉遂斬之・
Many aren't right, many aren't matched, many aren't suitable, many aren't answering, many aren't facing, and Springwater Coin Mouth say facing cut.
晚趙州外歸・泉舉似州・州乃脫履・安頭上而出・
Evening enters as Zhao Zhou (the name of a warring state during the Chinese Warring States period 475-221 BCE, and specifically the last warring state where the overrunning it ended the Warring States period) returned from outside, Nansen, Springwater Coin Mouth, raised the matter with Zhao Zhou, The State, The State to be shed, a shoe, a head, on top, as well, to go...and showed a strange parting-part, a clean pair of heels playing hard to get on ahead.
泉云・子若在・即救得貓兒
Springwater Coin Mouth said・
"The point child is in the middle・so you ought to save the cat for the final part."
南宋
Nán Sòng
The Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279)
姚勉
Yao Mian (1216–1262)
Seven-character quatrain (七言绝句)
Translated by Ryan Solomon Davis
Part 1:
贈敷上人遊五山
Zèng fū shàng rén yóu wǔ shān
A gift extends skilled practitioner roaming the Five Peaks
讀君桑葦疎籬句，知得猶存用世心。
Dú jūn sāng wěi shuō lí jù, zhī dé yóu cún yòng shì xīn.
I read your mulberry and reed poetic line, I know for serving the world you still have a heart and spine.
拄杖借將來解虎，不須深卧白雲深。
Zhǔ zhàng jiè jiāng lái jiě hǔ, bù xū shēn wò bái yún shēn.
Leaning on a cane making use of what is giving rise to solve the tiger, there is no need for that deep crouch in the deep white clouds of time.
Part 2:
寄感山 二詩僧 其二 寄 半顛
Jì gǎn shān èr shī sēng qí èr jì bàn diān
I draw forward these mountainous feelings to the poet-priests this second poem forwarding half-falling-forward.
拄杖挑雲過五山，無心出岫倦飛還。
Zhǔ zhàng tiāo yún guò wǔ shān, wú xīn chū xiù juàn fēi huán.
Leaning on my staff I part the clouds passing over the Five Mountains, not-intentionally I leave the mountain peak weary to fly home.
參禪未用多行脚，道在如如不動間。
Cān chán wèi yòng duō xíng jiǎo, dào zài rú rú bù dòng jiān
To seek zen one need not go wayfaring, the way is being as is not moving voidward.
南宋
Nán Sòng
The Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279)
姚勉
Yao Mian (1216–1262)
Seven-character quatrain (七言绝句)
Translated by Ryan Solomon Davis
Part 1:
贈敷上人遊五山
Zèng fū shàng rén yóu wǔ shān
A gift extends skilled practitioner roaming the Five Peaks
讀君桑葦疎籬句，知得猶存用世心。
Dú jūn sāng wěi shuō lí jù, zhī dé yóu cún yòng shì xīn.
I read your mulberry and reed poetic line, I know for serving the world you still have a heart and spine.
拄杖借將來解虎，不須深卧白雲深。
Zhǔ zhàng jiè jiāng lái jiě hǔ, bù xū shēn wò bái yún shēn.
Leaning on a cane making use of what is giving rise to solve the tiger, there is no need for that deep crouch in the deep white clouds of time.
Part 2:
寄感山 二詩僧 其二 寄 半顛
Jì gǎn shān èr shī sēng qí èr jì bàn diān
I draw forward these mountainous feelings to the poet-priests this second poem forwarding half-falling-forward.
拄杖挑雲過五山，無心出岫倦飛還。
Zhǔ zhàng tiāo yún guò wǔ shān, wú xīn chū xiù juàn fēi huán.
Leaning on my staff I part the clouds passing over the Five Mountains, not-intentionally I leave the mountain peak weary to fly home.
參禪未用多行脚，道在如如不動間。
Cān chán wèi yòng duō xíng jiǎo, dào zài rú rú bù dòng jiān
To seek zen one need not go wayfaring, the way is being as is not moving voidward.