Zen Master Unmon said: "The world is vast and wide. Why do you put on your robes at the sound of a bell?"

(Koan)

First reaction

Why would you put on your robes when the bell sounds?


Exploration

Unmon indicates that reality is immense. Why?
What purpose does his reminder serve?
When he asks why, what is he questioning?
The conditioning?
The behaviour?
The formality?
Is he suggesting that people lose their sense of what the study is about?

Robes and bells suggests ceremony. Pageantry and costume are about outward show, not substance.

Possible meaning

Robes and bells are ceremonial trappings and have nothing whatsoever to do with reality.
You cannot gain truth through the observance of rituals.
Such things are distractions that enslave the mind and mislead the unwary.
We experience reality through our interaction with it.

Are you studying zen or the religion of zen?
The danger with tradition is that you learn to eat the menu and ignore the food.

Orthodoxy is about submission to authority.

Who can tell you what is and what is not?
You must forsake all rituals, traditions, gurus and leaders. Find out for yourself.

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Page created 19 May 2005