Above, you’ll find my reading of the fifth case in The Record of Going Easy without annotations (thanks go to Sam Kigen for editing the recording!). You’ll find annotations below in the text version of the full case explaining unusual terms and identifying the various Zen masters.
In case this is your first reading here (and a reminder, if not), The Record of Going Easy was compiled by Hóngzhì Zhēngjué (1091-1157; referred to as Tiāntóng in this text) who also wrote a verse for each case - both of these are bolded. 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. The translation and annotations are my work.
Comments and questions are welcome.
For a quick look at the case, see:
Qīngyuán’s Price of Rice
With this post, I begin again. My purpose here on Substack is to share the received tradition of the buddhadharma with any folks who might be interested in such a thing. I haven’t turned paid subscriptions on. However, if you are inclined to offer your financial support, you can do that at
And here is my interview with Shodhin Geiman Sensei about koan work, bodhisattva practice, and this koan:
Case 5: Qīngyuán’s Price of Rice
Presenting to the assembly, saying:
Sheti cut off his own flesh to provide for his parents.1 He did not have an entry in the records of filial children. Devadatta pushed over a mountain to crush the Buddha.2 How come he didn’t fear the rolling thunder? Even if you’ve passed through the forest of thistles and thorns, and chopped down the sandalwood tree, if you wait till the end of the year, spring will still be cold as always.3 Where is the dharma body to be found?
舉
A monk asked Qīngyuán, “What is the great meaning of the buddhadharma?”
A petty official studies the law extensively.
Qīngyuán said, “What is the price of Lúlíng rice?”
An old general does not talk about the army.
The teacher [Wànsōng] said,
Qīngyuán Xíngsī of Jízhōu on Yuánshān first practiced with the Sixth Ancestor.4 Qīngyuán asked, “How can the work be done so as not to fall into stages?”5
The Ancestor said, “What have you already done?”
Qīngyuán said, “The Noble Truths also are nondoing.”
The Ancestor said, “Then what falls into stages?”
Qīngyuán said, “When the Noble Truths are nondoing, what stages are there?”
The Sixth Ancestor deeply respected Qīngyuán and allowed him to become his disciple, helping to lead the assembly. It was like the Second Ancestor having no words and Shàolín saying, “You have attained the marrow.”6
According to this monk’s question [in the main case] about the buddhadharma’s great intention, their true form suddenly entered the monastic assembly. He wants to roam with Manjushri through the circular range of iron mountains.7
Qīngyuán is also a person who hasn’t done the holy truths. Yet he makes it into an ordinary meeting with an advisor, saying, “What is the price of Lúlíng rice?”
There are those who say, “The price of Lúlíng rice is beyond haggling.”
They scarcely realize that they have already visited a shop with a measuring cup in hand. It would be desirable to avoid entering this protection racket.
Ask Tiāntóng about it:
Verse
Governing in great peace has no form.
The star on the banner has not yet appeared.
The hometown style is most genuine.
“How does that compare to us here farming and eating lots of rice?”
Just singing village songs and drinking.
Poor devils are happy but don’t penetrate!
How would they know the goodness of Shùn or the kindness of Yáo?
Thus only achieving loyalty and filial piety.
The teacher [Wànsōng] said,
In the sixth year of Great Peace (832 CE) during the Táng Dynasty reign of Wénzōng, Niú Sēngrú served as minister.8 The Emperor said, “When will there be great peace under heaven?”
Niú Sēngrú said, “Great peace has no form. Today the four barbarian nations at the borders are not working together to invade. The farmers have not dispersed. Even though we are not stable or prosperous, still, we are moderately well off. Your Majesty seems to be seeking great peace beyond this. Such a thing is beyond your servant’s ability.”
Niú Sēngrú then withdrew and worked with family members to get the Emperor to dismiss him from his position. Later, he was sent to Huáinán to serve as the provincial governor.
I, Wànsōng, say, this is already creating a pattern.9 Therefore, in plain hometown style, stomp on the earth and celebrate in song, rites, music, and poetry translated for this special purpose.
The price of Lúlíng rice can expose the dark mystery. As for the goodness of Shùn or the kindness of Yáo, the pure wind transforms the self. Village songs and drinking clubs - that’s it!10
The bright moon, the pure wind - everything has its share of peace.
Do you understand yet?
Then, one-by-one, return to the zazen hall.
From Koun Yamada Roshi’s commentary: "This story is found in one of the Buddhist sutras. Long ago in a faraway country lived Prince [Sheti]. A political disturbance forced him to flee the country with his parents. On the way they ran out of food. Since the prince was extremely filial he cut off the flesh on the calf of his leg and fed it to his parents to keep them alive."
From Koun Yamada Roshi’s commentary: “Because Devadatta’s deed was extremely evil, the earth opened and he fell into hell. Heaven and earth responded to this. Although it was a perfectly blue sky, suddenly there was a peal of thunder. But Devadatta did not fear that thunder in the least. Shakyamuni took pity on Devadatta, who had fallen into hell, and sent Ananda to see how he was doing in hell. Devadatta said, ‘Being here in hell is like the wondrous joy of the third dhyana heaven of form.’”
From Koun Yamada Roshi’s commentary: “If we pass through the world of illusion we reach the world of enlightenment. It is the world where there is not one thing. The world of illusion is the world of dualistic opposition between subject and object, self and other, illusion and enlightenment, gain and loss, Buddha-views and phenomenal views. It is a matter of transcending all such dualities and arriving at the world of satori, where there is not one thing. This world of satori is referred to here as the sandalwood forest consisting only of highly fragrant sandalwood. The next step involves overturning that sandalwood forest of satori and brushing everything, even satori, away. Only when we have transcended the world of illusion and the world of satori and completely rid ourselves of illusion and enlightenment can we die the great death where not a thing is left.”
Qingyuan Xingsi (660-740), a seventh-generation successor in China through the Sixth Ancestor.
the Sixth Ancestor, aka, Dajian Huineng (638-713; aka Caoxi), a sixth-generation successor in China.
stages, 階級, DDB: “Esp., stages for the spiritual progress of a practitioner, such as the stages leading to the attainment of Buddhahood.”
Shaolin is Bodhidharma (d. ~530), the first-generation successor in China.
circular range of iron mountains, 鐵圍山, DDB: “Cakravāla, Cakravāḍa. In Buddhist cosmology, the range of iron mountains that encircles the earth (or Mt. Sumeru), forming the periphery of a world. Mount Meru is the center and between it and the iron mountains are the nine mountains and eight seas. The term also refers to the range of mountains said to surround a major chiliocosm.”
Wenzong ceded the throne to his brother, Wuzong, in 840. In 845, under the influence of a Daoist advisor, Wuzong launched the Huichang Abolition of Buddhism in which 4,600 temples were destroyed and 260,500 monks and nuns were defrocked. Wuzong died in 846 after drinking a poisonous elixir for immortality. His successor reversed his policies. So there seems to be some irony here in sharing this anecdote about great peace before all hell broke loose.
Although it isn’t clear from the translation, after Wansong says “This is already creating a pattern,” he then speaks in eleven lines with four characters each, clearly playing with the notion of creating a pattern.
Shun (c. 2200 BC), a mythical sage and leader. Yao (c. 2200 BC), one of Five legendary Emperors.