(Hiting the table three times with the Zen staff)

Zen-Master said, “What is the dharma?”  Buddha says “all that has forms is unreal and false.  If you view all forms as non-forms, then the Tathagata (true nature) can be seen.”

The meaning of this doctrine is that you should cut off  attachment to all forms and attain your true self.

(Holding up the Zen staff):

“When you see this staff and give rise to even a thinking, you are already attached to this stick’s form.”

(Hitting the table with the):

“When you hear this sound, if you have even an opinion separately, you also fall into the sound.“

Then how can you be free from such an attachment to forms and sounds?

Ark!.................. (“A shouting”, called ‘Hal’ in Korean)
Put it all down!

What is it that sees and hears? Whosoever, if entering this gate, must relinquish everything and make his mind clear.

(After a pause):

Good evening.  I wholeheartedly welcome you and thank you for your attending this 10-day intensive retreat despite your busy schedule.

Chanting a Zen Song : Going through a dense forest, seeking for my old home.

From wooden Cock crowing at the peep of dawn,
I knew I had finally returned home
Entering the yard of my old house
Willow is still green and flower still red...

What is your true home?  Where about is it located?

An eminent teacher chants;

Coming empty handed to this world,
Going empty handed to the other world,
This is our Life.
When I was born, where did I come from?
When I die, where will I go?
Life is like a floating cloud that appears,
Death is like a floating cloud disappearing.
Originally, no floating cloud itself,
The same is true of Birth and Death, coming and going.
But one thing is there, always clearly shining.
Originally, it is free from Life and Death...............

What do we live for?  What is a real aim of our life?

Above Zen verse says,  “One thing is there, always clearly shining.”

What does this one thing mean? Above verse is a good expression of a life of serene enjoyment always gazing at one's own mind. Quite so, gazing at one's mind is the greatest pleasure of a practitioner, and keeping one's mind pure and clear is the real aim of a practitioner's life.

What thing is this one.......?
If you clearly know this message,
Even though a body, covered in ragged garment
Mind, leisurely and peaceful,
Always strolling on Prajna Peak.....

2500years ago, Buddha once was giving a sermon on Lotus Sutra at the Grdhrakuta (Vulture’s Peak). One time, Buddha went up to the dharma rostrum, sat and was mute for a long time. The large congregation of practitioners were puzzled looking at him, curious... out of this silence Buddha slowly held up a lotus flower in his hand and showed it to the Congregation. None could fathom why Buddha held up a flower before them... Sat far back in the crowd, wearing a rag, Mahakashyapa, had a big smile on his face. Seeing him, declared Buddha to the congregation,

“The authentic enlightenment of the Tathagata has now been passed on to Mahagashyapa!”

This is why Mahagashyapa succeeded ‘the Dharma Seal of Buddha’ and became the first of the Patriarch lineage.

But, of course, for practitioners like us, this is but a history told by man... completely irrelevant to our Life. What is important to us is why Buddha presented lifting of a flower instead of a Dharma sermon, and why Mahakashyapa smiled: This is of paramount importance to practitioners.

We must know that Buddha was undoubtedly using an expedient trying to awaken us to something, and also that Mahakashyapa must have penetrated into the very intended meaning of Buddha.

Therefore, if only we penetrate into the meaning of Mahakashyapa’s smile, we can penetrate also into the meaning of Buddha's raising a flower.

Then, what really was the meaning of Mahakashyapa's smile?

Naturally, this meaning should not be narrated in words, owing to the fact that exposing the key of the Gongan is strictly forbidden. But here, borrowing some words from an eminent teacher, I would like to present you with a hint.

An eminent teacher said;  “Mahakashyapa’s smile was a mocking smile.....!”

Then I want to ask you again;  “Why did Mahakashyapa laugh at Buddha’s holding a flower?”

Honorable Practitioners, what do you behold now? What do you listen now? And what do you intend to achieve through this ten day intensive retreat?

Buddha has declared; “There is no separative seeing, no separative hearing,” and he continued, “there is no separate thing to gain nor is there something to accomplish...”

Hence, we, pratitioners should, sitting for our lifetime on our meditation cushions, see only what must be seen, and hear only what must be heard, and realize the original message of no separate gain and no loss. That is, Seeing only what must be seen means to see his true self. When you see your true self, you and all forms become one, and hearing only what must be heard means to hear his true self's sound. When you realize that all sounds are your own sound, you and the sound become one. Thus when you and all phenomena really become one, this is called samadhi. -“no mind“. But there is actually even nothing that can separately be called one or no mind. Right now, if you, practitioners truly see only a thing that must be seen, while listening to my dharma speech, you cannot help but smile like Mahakashyapa, i.e. it can even be called a mocking smile, but being attracted to my voice or my form, without seeing what must really be seen, some of you might even go mad.

That is to say, one who seeks for dharma outside his mind or separately inside his mind, is constantly attracted to names and forms. Such a person, even if Buddha were to raise a flower in front of him at this very moment, would be attracted to the form of the flower or immediately contemplate upon any motive or reason hidden behind Buddha's action. Why? Because of his lacking in the mind eye to look back to his true Self, when an abnormal phenomenon should appear, he would lose his mind easily and fall victim to the situation. This sort of person, deluded by his own thinking, always believing that his thoughts are Buddha or God... how will he ever be able to realize the truth?

A Seon (Jap. Zen) practitioner must, encountering any kinds of barrier, at one single thought, open the mind eye that would turn the light of awareness back to its source and gaze at his true nature. Then, realizing there is no separate thing apart from him, he will come to know that all is his true self, that is, nothing other than ‘Mountain is Mountain, and Water is Water’.

......Originally there is no trace of eye and ear

In the midst of this, who really has the bright awareness?
Once turning up one's body where even emptiness has ended,
Dogs barking, donkies braying, are all but way of life...

I ask you one more time,

How do you understand Mahakashyapa’s smile?

If you would like to realize this meaning, relinquish all your thoughts and only hang on to the question, what is this? (Who am I?).....  That is, looking back to one self with pure question, one comes to know that out of this entire universe, only one thing that he has been completely ignorant of is in fact his true Self. One has to steadfastly drive into the Unknown with an intense question. But here, producing an analytic thinking and therein obtaining an answer would be as pathetic as catching the tail of a ghost. So, when such a pleasant or glorious answer arises, immediately turn back in with doubt, and ask ‘who is the one that knows this answer?’

Now, I ask you one more time,

Under Buddha's holding a flower in his hand, what did Mahakashyapa see?

If you answer, “Mahakashyapa saw his mind!”.  I will give you 30 blows with this staff, why?  What then is Mahakashyapa’s mind?

Even if you answer, “Mahakashyapa did not see his mind!”.  I will again hit you 30 times, because, what is now Mahakashyapa’s no-mind? Who makes his mind and his no mind?

Now, then, how can you dodge my 30 blows?

Relinquish everything! And if returning directly back to “What is this?” Gong An, then your mind will be pure and clear. And then this world will be empty like the space....

Like this, anyone who finds his true Self and keeps it will never lose the smile like that of Patriarch Mahakashyapa anytime and anywhere, and just like Buddha finding ragged clothed Mahakashyapa even though he was sitting far back hidden behind the crowd, Buddha will always watch and protect you.

I hope you all practitioners would practice hard for 10 days and obtain excellent results.

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