Which Zen Master, old or new, is the correct Zen Master? Which Zen Master, old or new, is the most useful Zen Master? Which Zen Master, living or dead, is the real Zen Master?
This koan points out that as long as masters are thought to be "out there" somewhere, either old or new, the real master continues to go unnoticed. Who IS Lao Tzu? Who IS Chuang Tzu? Who ARE the patriarchs of Zen? Where are they NOW?
If we throw away all of the old and new masters and throw away all of their words, what's left?
This koan points out that as long as masters are thought to be "out there" somewhere, either old or new, the real master continues to go unnoticed. Who IS Lao Tzu? Who IS Chuang Tzu? Who ARE the patriarchs of Zen? Where are they NOW?
If we throw away all of the old and new masters and throw away all of their words, what's left?
