Nánquán Beheads a Cat: Difficult Songs Find Few Singers
Record of Going Easy, Case 9 In Full
Above, you’ll find my reading of the ninth case in The Record of Going Easy without annotations (thanks go to Martin Kaku’on for editing the recording). You’ll find annotations below in the text version of the full case, explaining the terms that are in need of explaining and identify the various Zen masters.
If this is your first time here for a full case, and as a reminder to those of you who are making a return visit, The Record of Going Easy was compiled by the renowned Hóngzhì Zhēngjué (1091-1157; referred to as Tiāntóng in this text) who also wrote a verse for each case. The introduction, commentaries, and capping phrases were written by Wànsōng Xíngxiù (1166–1246). Both were great teachers in the Cáodòng/Sōtō lineage of Zen. Below, the capping phrases are indented and italicized.
This is not an easy read. One barrier that you will encounter in the verse and verse comments below and for many of the kōan in The Record of Going Easy is the many references to ancient Chinese history, as well as references to ancient Confucian and Daoist texts. Tiāntóng uses a great deal more of such references than Xuědòu, for example, who played a similar role in compiling The Blue Cliff Record. One point about those references that’s worth a reflective pause is this: Tiāntóng selects references from the long history of Chinese culture to support inquiry into the buddhadharma, unlike many today who selectively cite snippets from the buddhadharma to support their views and/or contemporary cultural beliefs.
That said, as before, the translation and annotations are my work - so the buck stops here for errors, misconceptions, and all manner of misses.
Below, you will also find easy access to my interview with Karin Kempe Rōshi about this case as well as my brief commentary.
Comments and questions are welcome.
Case 9: Nánquán Beheads a Cat
Presenting to the assembly, saying:
Kick over the blue-green ocean, and the great earth’s dust flies. Shout, scattering the white clouds, and empty space itself is shattered. Awe-inspiring conduct is the true imperative—but that’s just half the story. How can you disclose the great function’s complete manifestation?
舉
One day Nánquán’s east and west halls vied for a little cat.
Calm people don’t speak. Calm water doesn’t flow.
Nánquán saw this, held up the cat, and said, “Speak and I won’t behead the cat.”
Who dares to take the place [of the cat] before the blade?
No one in the assembly responded.
Wait until rain drenches your head….
In the end, Nánquán chopped the little cat in two.
A drawn blade is not returned to its sheath.
Later, Nánquán retold the preceding and asked Zhàozhōu about it.
Second time around, just half a word.
Zhàozhōu took off his straw sandals, put them on his head, and went out.
It’d be proper to put the two parts together with one stroke of the blade.
Nánquán said, “If my offspring had been there, they’d have saved the little cat.”
A biased heart doesn’t know the mouth is awry.
The teacher [Wànsōng] said,
The excellent Zen Master Fǎyún Yuántōng saw two monks standing around talking.1 He went up to them, pounded his walking staff several times, and said, “A single piece of karmic ground.”
Let alone the assemblies that argued over a cat.
Nánquán did not mediate the dispute or reprimand the monks.2 He was an original- color person-of-the-Way who used the original endowment. For their benefit, he lifted the cat and said, “Speak and I won’t behead the cat.”
Just at this time, he exhausted the ten-direction world and showed no mercy for living beings. At the same time, everyone hangs in Nánquán’s hand, begging for life. If only someone at once had come forward with both arms stretched out. Or if someone had grabbed Nánquán by the throat and said, “The Venerable will now stop the workings of marvelous functioning.”
Even if Nánquán had then gone ahead with his special functioning of the true imperative, you must dare to save the cat. But this den of dead rats didn’t even have a little breath of life. Nánquán would not withdraw but effectively exhausted the imperative and left.
The Liáo Dynasty’s Master Xīn wrote The Mind Mirror Record.3 He criticized Nánquán and his assembly for committing a wrongdoing, taking a life. Head Seat Wén wrote The Inexhaustible Lamp and recognized the error. Aiming to assist Nánquán, he said, “In the older sources, Nánquán just made the gesture of cutting the cat. Had Nánquán used a knife to cut the cat in two, blood would have sprayed out.”
Of these criticisms of Nánquán, the Honorable Wén’s crime is serious, the Honorable Xīn’s crime is minor.
Meanwhile, as before, Nánquán is in a herd of water buffalo, nodding his head and wagging his tail.4
Haven’t you heard that Fórì was participating in a tea ceremony with the assembly when a cat wandered in? Fórì pulled a pigeon from his sleeve and tossed it toward the cat.5 The cat received the pigeon and then nonchalantly left. Fórì said, “Excellent! Empty functioning cannot be faked.”
Nánquán thought to himself, “Difficult songs find few singers,” so he raised the previous conversation with Zhàozhōu.6 Zhàozhōu then took off his straw sandals, put them on his head, and went out. Sure enough, drumming and singing going along together, perfectly clapping out the time.
Nánquán said, “If my offspring had been here, they’d have saved the little cat.”
Offspring have some usefulness. Although difficult to understand, it’s easy to see. Just look at the place where you hold the spoon and lift the chopsticks. Then you’ll see that beheading the cat and putting straw sandals on the head are not different. If it still isn’t so for you, continue looking. Tiāntóng has created some ploys for you:
Verse
The clouds and water monks of both halls were exhausted by the chaotic struggle.
In the loud voice, reason does not exist.
Wang Rōshi has the ability to check right and wrong.7
A clear mirror on its stand, when something comes, it is reflected.
The sharp blade completely extinguished the image.
How much wind does the Dragon King use?
Throughout the ages, causing people to love the adept.
There is one person who does not agree.
This path has not yet died out.
What use is the head of a little dead cat?
An intimate friend can appreciate it.
Don’t say there will be none, only that there will be few.
Only honor Yu the Great for boring through the mountains to let the water pass through to the sea.
The meritorious deed is not dissipated by giving.
Only the worthy Nǚwā could smelt rock and mend the heavens.
Lacking one is not possible.
For Zhàozhōu there is always life.
Casually grasping arrival at no no.
Putting straw sandals on his head is more than a little bit.
For the time being, trust half of that.
Arriving within difference also reflects the clear mirror.
The kesa is difficult to slander.
Only this true gold is not mixed with sand.
It’s truly difficult to extinguish.
The teacher [Wànsōng] said:
“The clouds and water monks of both halls were exhausted by the chaotic struggle.”
Until now it hasn’t been resolved. Were it not for Tiāntóng’s understanding of how Nánquán’s precedent went beyond the clues, wrong and right would usually not be distinguished. How can you assess when wrong and right are clearly distinguished? That’s easy. Cut them through with a sharp sword and bury them in the same grave. Not only will this terminate a lifetime of not understanding the koan, but it also will make the timeless breeze clarify the whole world.
At Nánquán’s, the teacher was outstanding and the disciple was strong. Yet, it appears the assembly had nothing to say. Nánquán seems to have raised the issue with Zhàozhōu to demonstrate that among the assembly there was one person.
“Zhàozhōu took off his straw sandals, put them on his head, and went out.” Sure enough, “This path has not yet died out/An intimate friend can appreciate it.”
Confucius said, “The heavens do not yet wish to destroy this refinement.”
Look how the paths of the teacher and student unite, drumming and singing together. Don’t take this as a metaphor.
In the method of assigning posthumous names, it says that those who spread from the fountainhead are to be called “Yǔ.”8 Also, those who successfully accept another’s abdication are to be called “Yǔ.” In The Book of History, it says that Yǔ offered tribute, then guided the Yellow River to gather stones for the Dragon Gate.
The South of the River Annal says the army of the Water God clan was unyielding, fearful, and violent. They contended with the emperor of Yáo and held onto the Bùzhōu Mountains until their power was exhausted and they all died. Because of this, the pillars supporting the heavens broke. Nǚwā smelted a stone rainbow to patch the hole in the heavens.9
Lièzǐ said, “When either yin or yang are imbalanced, this is called ‘deficiency.’10 Smelting common stone into the five cardinal virtues, this is called ‘repair.’”11
Yúngài Běn brought up the story of Dòngshān removing the fruit from High Seat Tài using outstanding words, saying: “Although Dòngshān has the hammer and tongs to smash empty space, in short, he lacked the needle and thread to mend it.”12
Nánquán was like the Great Yǔ who drilled through mountains and penetrated the ocean, manifesting marvelous function. Zhàozhōu was like Nǚwā who smelted stone to mend the heavens while perfecting the keyword.
I, Wànsōng, say, Zhàozhōu broke up the family and scattered the house eighteen times. I don’t know how long he lived. “Putting straw sandals on his head is more than a little bit.”
Oh, my! There’s nowhere to go. Then make this a singular going.
Bǎofú Zhǎn said, “Although it is thus, these are just broken sandals.”13
Nánquán leveled the lofty and spoke to the downtrodden: “If my offspring had been here, they’d have saved the little cat.”
Cuìyán Zhī said, “At any rate, Zhàozhōu just saved himself.”14
Tiāntóng said, “Arriving within difference also reflects the clear mirror/Only this true gold is not mixed with sand.”15
He can only push the boat with the current, but he is puzzled about how to use the rudder to go against the wind.
Those of you gathered here - approach! What dog shall we argue about? I’ll seize the advantage with my staff!
Fayun Yuantong (1027-1090) an eighteenth-generation successor in China in the Yunmen line.
Nanquan Puyan (748-834), a ninth-generation successor in China through Mazu.
Liao Dynasty, aka, Khitan, was in the northern portion of China from 916-1125.
See Case 69: Nánquán’s White Ox. For example: “Another time, Nanquan went up to the main hall and said, ‘Ever since I was young, old teacher Wáng has been raising water buffalo. I planned to herd them east of the creek, but could not avoid having them eat the water grasses of that country. I tried to herd them west of the creek, but also could not avoid having them eat the water grasses of that country. Nowadays, they don’t avoid complying with whatever small amount they’re allotted. Anyway, they’re nowhere to be seen.’” And: “When Nanquan was about to accord with the world [i.e., die], the head seat asked, ‘Venerable, your lifetime is behind you. Where will you go now?’ Nanquan said, ‘I’ll go to the foothills to become a water buffalo.’ The head seat said, ‘Can I follow the Venerable, or not?’ Nanquan said, ‘If you follow me, you must come with a single blade of grass in your mouth.’”
Hangzhou Fori (nd), a thirteenth-generation successor in China of Yunju Daoying in the Dongshan line.
Zhaozhou Congshen (778–897), a tenth-generation successor in China in the Nanquan line.
Wang Roshi, 王老師, a sobriquet that Nanquan often used to speak of himself in the third person. Wang may have been his family name, as Yamada Roshi states, but it was also a common clan name. He also called himself a water buffalo.
Yu, 禹, DDB: “The great king Yu; the legendary founder of the Xia dynasty in the 3rd millennium BCE. It is said that he stopped the floods of the Yellow River by channeling the water through a mountain to the Yellow Sea.”
Nuwa, 女媧, MDBG: “Creator of humans in Chinese mythology.”
Liezi, 列子, MDGB: “A Daoist text in eight chapters, said to be by Liezi, probably compiled during Weijin times.”
five cardinal virtues, 五常, DDB: “The five virtues as taught in the Confucian classics: humaneness, due-giving, propriety, wisdom, and trust. East Asian Buddhist authors such as Zhiyi, Zongmi and Gihwa, who worked in the area of Buddhist-Confucian dialogue, sought to associate these with the five basic precepts of Buddhism.”
Yungai Zhiben (1035-1107), a twentieth-generation successor in China in the Linji line. Dongshan Liangjie (807-869; aka, Wuben), an eleventh-generation successor in China through Yunyan in the Shitou succession. Although Powell has “nuts” rather than “fruit,” it seems to be the same incident. From The Record of Tung-shan, trans. William F Powell, 46: “The Master was eating some nuts with Head Monk T’ai during the festival of the winter solstice when he suddenly said, ‘There is something the upper part of which props up heaven, the lower part of which props up the earth, is as black as lacquer, and is always in motion. In the midst of this motion, it can’t be grasped. Tell me where it is passing now.’ ‘It is passing where its motion takes it,’ said T’ai. The Master called his attendant and had him clear away the nut tray.”
Baofu Congzhan (860-928), a thirteenth-generation successor in China through Xuefeng in the Deshan line.
Dayu Shouzhi (nd; aka, Cuiyan Zhi), a seventeenth-generation successor in China in the Linji line.
Arriving within difference, 異中來, is usually 正中來, as in the third of five ranks.