The woman at the inn

There was a woman who kept the pilgrims' inn at Hara under Mount Fuji. Her name is unknown, and it is not known when she was born or died.

She went to hear a talk by Hakuin who said "They say there's a pure land where everything is only mind, and that there's a Buddha of light in your own body. Once that Buddha of light appears, mountains, rivers, earth grass trees and forests suddenly glow with a great light. To see this, you have to look inside your own heart. Then what should you be looking for? When you are looking for something that is only mind, what kind of special features would it have? When you are looking for the Buddha of infinite light in your own body, how would you recognize it?"

When she heard this the woman said, "This isn't so hard." Back at home she meditated day and night holding the questions while she was awake and during her sleep. One day, as she was washing a pot, she had a sudden breakthrough. She threw the pot aside and rushed to see Hakuin.

She said, "I've met Buddha in my own body, and everything on earth is shining with a great light! It's wonderful!" She danced for joy.

"Is that so?" said Hakuin, "but what about a pit of shit, does it also shine with a great light?"

The woman ran up and slapped him. She said, "You still don't get it, you old fart!"

Hakuin roared with laugher.

Japanese koan, retold by John Tarrant in Bring me the Rhinoceros

Commentary:

I thought the blog needed a little humor today! This koan is retold and expanded upon in John Tarrant's book Bring me the Rhinoceros. There is more than one message in the koan. The first is that during one's ordinary day, doing ordinary things, one can reach enlightenment (or see the beauty in all life, or whatever you may want to call it). Tarrant speaks about two others in the same chapter who 'saw the light' while scrubbing pots in their kitchens. I like this, as it means there is hope for me yet! Maybe I can start looking forward to doing dishes. :)

Another message the koan brings is best summarized by Tarrant himself: "When you forget your carefully assembled fiction of who you are, you can find a natural delight in people, in the planet, the stones and the trees." In the expanded version of the above koan, the innkeeper began to see the light in everything around her, only after having a near out-of-body experience, where she completely forgot who she was and all of her past life experiences. When she re-awakened, all her past life experiences where given a new 'light', and she even saw herself in a new way. In our modern day, so much of our identities are tied up in our accomplishments and the things we can tell others about ourselves. But this 'fiction of who you are' can ultimately become a trap. Forgetting your sense of self is the key to seeing the Buddha of light.

Another layer to the koan is the reference to the 'pit of shit.' It is a test to see if indeed the innkeeper has now become enlightened, then even a pit of shit must glow. It is far easier to see the beauty in beautiful autumn trees and vast mountainscapes, in the faces of strangers, or the tools of man; than it is to see beauty in darkness, painful memories and death. But darkness, pain and death have purpose in our lives. Understanding their purpose and seeing how difficult situations may actually further our spiritual growth, will help us see the Buddha of light.

Does a pit of shit actually serve a purpose? Well I don't know. But accepting that 'shit happens' makes facing the hardships of life just a little easier. And accepting the fact that 'everyone poops', makes poop itself seem a little less dark and evil (I am reading this book now to my son, in the hope that he will one day make the transition from diapers to toilet!).

So there you have it. I never thought I would be talking about poop on a zen-inspired blog!