Recorded Saturday, July 29, 2023. (Last teisho before August break.)

Case 14 from the Gateless Barrier  (The Wu-Men Kuan | Mumonkan) - Nan-ch’üan Kills the Cat

The case:
The priest Nan-ch’üan found monks of the eastern and western halls arguing about a cat. He held up the cat and said, “Everyone! If you can say something, I will spare this cat. If you can’t say anything, I will cut off its head.” No one could say a word, so Nan-ch’üan cut the cat into two. 

That evening, Chao-chou returned from outside and Nan-ch’üan told him what happened. Chao-chou removed a sandal from his foot, put it on his head, and walked out. Nan-ch’üan said, “If you had been there, the cat would have been spared.”

Image: Kannon, photography by Rafe Martin

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