*I would like to begin by saying that I do not in any way support or endorse abusive or exploitative behaviors rooted in greed, hatred or delusion. Please read this post keeping this in mind.
There are many aspects of the spiritual path that can be difficult to understand or to swallow. In this post I would like to share some thoughts on what might be called “The Zen Slap” and other forms of what seem to be “wrathful teaching” methods.
The Zen Slap involves a moment when something sudden (and generally outside of expectation) catches the mind off guard. This type of interaction generally leads to a being experiencing the setting down of the discriminating mind and following that, realization of true nature.
Interestingly, the Mahdupindika (Honeyball) Sutta describes some of the possible mechanics for this path of awakening.
“When there is no intellect, when there are no ideas, when there is no intellect-consciousness, it is impossible that one will delineate a delineation of contact. When there is no delineation of contact, it is impossible that one will delineate a delineation of feeling. When there is no delineation of feeling, it is impossible that one will delineate a delineation of perception. When there is no delineation of perception, it is impossible that one will delineate a delineation of thinking. When there is no delineation of thinking, it is impossible that one will delineate a delineation of being assailed by the perceptions & categories of objectification.
“So, concerning the brief statement the Blessed One made, after which he entered his dwelling without analyzing the detailed meaning — i.e., ‘If, with regard to the cause whereby the perceptions & categories of objectification assail a person, there is nothing there to relish, welcome, or remain fastened to, then that is the end of the obsessions of passion, the obsessions of resistance, the obsessions of views, the obsessions of uncertainty, the obsessions of conceit, the obsessions of passion for becoming, & the obsessions of ignorance. That is the end of taking up rods & bladed weapons, of arguments, quarrels, disputes, accusations, divisive tale-bearing, & false speech. That is where these evil, unskillful things cease without remainder’
Madhupindika Sutta
This can occur in many ways, but some of the more unorthodox approaches can involve surprising behaviors from a teacher that bring the discriminating mind to a halt including being struck, frightened and shouted at.
I think it is important to note that this type of interaction is not performed recklessly, or driven by the three poisons of greed, hatred and ignorance. When executed correctly, this is an act of compassion timed so that what stands in one’s way can all be set down in one fell swoop.
Below I have collected a few stories and references to these types of teachings for the curious.
Mazu
Sometimes Ma-tsu resorted to rough tactics to expedite the process of self-discovery. When the monk Shui-liao called on him asking, “What was the purpose of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?” (In the jargon of Ch’an, this question is equivalent to: What is the essential principle of Buddhism?) Instead of answering, Ma-tsu bade him to bow down in reverence. No sooner had Shui-liao bowed down than Mat-su stamped him to the ground. Curiously enough, Shui-liao, was enlightened right on the spot. Rising up, he clapped his hands and laughed aloud, saying, “How marvellous! How marvellous! Hundreds and thousands of Samadhis and innumerable spiritual insights have their root and source in the tip of a feather!” After bowing once more in reverence, he retired. When Shui-liao became an abbot, he often told his assembly, “Ever since I received Ma-tsu’s stamping, I have never ceased to laugh.”
From what we read in the records, Ma-tsu must have been of strong physical build and a man of extraordinary vigor. It is said that he walked like an ox and gazed like a tiger. His tongue was so long that it could touch the tip of his nose. Although the books do not tell us that he could roar like a lion, it is certain that he had a tremendous voice, as is clear from the story of Paichang’s final enlightenment. As Pai-chang was attending upon the master, the latter looked at the duster hanging at a corner of his couch. Pai-chang remarked, “In the very act of using it, you are detached from its use,” and then took up the duster and held it straight. Ma-tsu said, “In the very act of using it, you are detached from its use.” Pai-chang then placed the duster in the original place. Thereupon Ma-tsu uttered such a terrific shout that the disciple’s ears were deafened for three days. It was that shout that wrought a complete enlightenment in Pai-chang.
The Golden Age of Zen by John C. H. Wu
Linji/Rinzai
A monk asked, “What is the basic meaning of Buddhism?” The Master gave a shout. The monk bowed low. The Master said, “This fine monk is the kind who’s worth talking to!”
The use of the katsu stands in a tradition of antinomian methods, such as striking disciples with a stick or a fly whisk, which developed within the Mǎzǔ Dàoyī (709–788) lineage. Linji greatly developed and used the katsu technique. In one of his lectures, often termed as “Linji’s Four Shouts” he distinguished four different categories of katsu:
The Master said to a monk, “At times my shout is like the precious sword of the Diamond King. At times my shout is like a golden-haired lion crouching on the ground. At times my shout is like the search pole and the shadow grass. At times my shout doesn’t work like a shout at all. Do you understand?” The monk started to answer, whereupon the Master gave a shout.
Linji-lu
Naropa and Tilopa
One day, they went together to the river and Naropa asked Tilopa for more instructions. He had come to the final instruction. Tilopa took his shoe and slapped Naropa on his head. Then he said that there is nothing more to teach. “The final realization is in your own mind.”
At that moment the last veils dissolved from Naropa’s mind. Whatever Tilopa had realized of the nature of mind Naropa had also realized. He had accomplished the Mahamudra (Great Seal).
12 Hardships of Naropa
Chuanzi Decheng the Boat-Monk
Upon meeting young master Chia-shan, who knew all the correct words but had no direct taste of reality, Teh-cheng opened up the conversation by asking, “What temple do you dwell in, oh virtuous one?”
Chia-shan answered with words that point to the Tao, though of course he did not have that stage of attainment: “I do not dwell in a temple. Dwelling is not like it.”
Why did he say this? Because the original nature is not a state, and if you dwell or abide in any state it is NOT the Tao. Chia-shan was saying he understood the Tao by answering in such a way because a regular monk would simply have mentioned the name of his city or monastery.
The boatman then asked, “It is not like what?”
Chia-shan once again correctly answered the correct intellectual response, “It is not the phenomena before our eyes.”
Because Chia-shan kept answering correctly, but without without possessing the true dharma experience himself, it was like someone who would respond with the right scriptural retort from the Bible … though everything said was everything right and you could not find any fault with it, you could tell they were wrong. I’m sure you’ve had that experience because it is hard to explain.
A little bit disgusted at these canned responses, the Boat monk Teh-Cheng then asked, “Where did you learn all this (way of answering)?”
Chia-shan answered, “It is not something that the eyes or ears can reach,” meaning it ultimately comes from the Tao. This time Chia-shan replied in such a way that you could take it as a smirk, with the hidden meaning being, “I know this and you don’t? Who are you that you don’t know these things?”
With that response, the Boatman monk then uttered a famous line, “A fitting sentence can be a stake that tethers a donkey for 10,000 aeons.“
In other words, if you just cling to scripture, or intellectualization, or the words of this or that holy text without arriving at a genuine experience of the true meaning, if you don’t experience the original nature, you will tie yourself up in ignorance (non-enlightenment) for aeons and never become free. Why? Because you cling to the intellect, in which case you are wrong. Words will not save you, scripture will not save you. Only cultivation practice and realization will save you!
How many people follow this pattern today? They quote the Torah and cling to it, all the while being correct in words, but WRONG. They cling to the Bible, reciting verses and sentences correctly, and yet they lack any attainment or any means for getting anywhere. They cling to the Koran, the Buddhist sutras, Taoist works and they are all wrong. They never fathom the meaning of the texts. They never reach enlightenment or samadhi or any genuine stage of attainment. They can talk about things all they want, but these are just intellectuals rather than spiritual leaders, people who know a lot about religious things but cannot lead you to the Tao. This is all you find today in churches, temples, mosques and monasteries. No one has the enlightenment eye, or even an inkling that it exists … and they are even oblivious on how to get there.
“A fitting sentence can be a stake that tethers a donkey for 10,000 aeons” — Master Teh-cheng was saying that Chia-shan was clinging to the dharma and relying on verbal tricks, and that this was stupid. It would get you absolutely nowhere on the path of true spiritual practice and striving and progress. It was just mental games, verbal tricks and memorization. REAL accomplishment comes from the cultivation practice of letting go and detaching from the realm of mentation to get to the substrate underneath it and EVERTHING.
“A fitting sentence can be a stake that tethers a donkey for 10,000 aeons” … Chia-shan was stunned at this reply.
Zen master Teh-cheng then said, “The fishing line is hanging down a thousand feet, and the intent is deep in the pond. You’re just three inches away from the hook. Why don’t you say something?”
He was saying, “You’ve done so much meditation work your life and are so close you’re ready to reach it. Why not say something expressing your original nature?”
Chia-shan was standing there, his mind emptied a bit because of the shock, and was just about to say something intellectual again when the Boat monk hit him with his oar and knocked him into the water.
Wham!
Chia-shan had just been ready to open his mouth again and say something that was in the scriptures when the Boat monk knocked the daylights out of him and he flew into the water.
As soon as Chia-shan’s head popped up above the water again, the Boat monk once again shouted, “Speak! Speak!” and just as Chia-shan was about to open his mouth again, Wham! … the Boat monk hit him again.
Now if you’ve had any sudden taste of emptiness where everything empties out (a religious experience), you can understand what happened next. Here’s a man with a belly full of learning and it’s all suddenly knocked out of him. He’s been thrown into the water, he’s worried for his life, and all his false thoughts have been whacked away.
That’s the method the Boat monk used with Chia-shan.
The Boat Monk – William Bodri
We also find mention of some of what is at play in these methods in the Sutra of Earth-store Bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha.
“Those held by a spiritual teacher will have their negative karma – which could cause them to wander in bad migrations for innumerable millions of eons – purified by ripening in this life as plague, famine, and so forth, or as various ordeals of body and mind, or it might even be purified by a harsh scolding from the teacher, or even by a mere dream.”
Sutra of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
And finally, a link to something I came across a few years ago. Some musings on similar things.