Dogen maintained an unshakable conviction that women and men, equally, were vessels of true dharma, capable of complete realization without the slightest distinction between them. This may seem obvious in our contemporary world, but in thirteenth-century Japan, Dogen’s revolutionary view challenged his students to go far beyond the constraints of culture and time.
[The Buddha’s] one hundred thirty-eighth vow says, “May I attain a true awakening in the future and may women who want to leave the household in my dharma, study the way, and receive the great precepts accomplish their wishes. Until this is achieved, I will not be fully awakened.”
[Question:] Should zazen be practiced by laymen and lay-women, or should it be practiced by home leavers alone?
[Dogen’s answer:] The ancestors say, “In understanding buddha dharma, men and women, noble and common people are not distinguished.”
Having wondrous enlightenment is an unsurpassable stage. When women become buddhas of this stage, what in all directions cannot be thoroughly experienced? Who can try to block them and keep them from arriving at this stage? They attain the power of broadly illuminating all the ten directions.
Those who are extremely stupid think that women are merely the objects of sexual desire and treat women in this way. The Buddha’s children should not be like this. If we discriminate against women because we see them merely as objects of sexual desire, do we also discriminate against all men for the same reason?
What is the fault of women? What is the virtue of men? There are unwholesome men, and there are wholesome women. The aspiration to hear dharma and leave the household does not depend on being female or male.
If you vow for a long time not to look at women, do you leave out women when you vow to save numberless sentient beings? If you do so, you are not a bodhisattva. How can you call it the Buddha’s compassion? This is merely nonsense spoken by a soaking-drunk shravaka. Humans and devas should not believe in such a practice.
Why are men special? Emptiness is emptiness. Four great elements are four great elements. Five skandhas are five skandhas. Women are just like that. Both men and women attain the way. You should honor attainment of the way. Do not discriminate between men and women. This is the most wondrous principle of the buddha way.
Before becoming free from delusion, men and woman are equally not free from delusion. At the time of becoming free from delusion and realizing the truth, there is no difference between men and women.
Zhixian [Guanxi]81 of China was a revered teacher in the lineage of Linji. Once Linji saw Zhixian approaching and grabbed him.
Zhixian said, “I understand it.”
Linji let him loose and said, “You are free to have a meal here.”
Thus Zhixian became a student of Linji.
After leaving Linji, he went to see Moshan.82
She said, “Where are you from?”
Zhixian said, “From the entrance.”
Moshan said, “Why don’t you close it off?”
Zhixian was silent. He made a bow and expressed himself as a student of Moshan’s. Then he asked, “How is Moshan [Mount Mo]?”
Moshan said, “It does not show its peak.”
Zhixian said, “Who is the person inside the mountain?”
Moshan said, “It is beyond man and woman.”
Zhixian said, “How come you don’t change?”
Moshan said, “I am not a wild-fox spirit. Why should I change?”
Zhixian bowed. Then he aroused the aspiration for enlightenment and worked as head of the garden for three years.
Later he became the abbot of a monastery and said to the assembly, “I received half a ladle [of gruel] at Old Man Linji’s and another half at Old Woman Moshan’s. So I had a full ladle and have been satisfied up to this moment.”
[After Miaoxin83 was appointed director of the guesthouse,] there was a group of seventeen monks from Shu, in the west, who were on the road in search of a master. On their way to climb up to Yangshan’s84 monastery, they stopped and stayed at the guest-house. While they rested in the evening, they discussed the story about the wind and the banner of Huineng, High Ancestor of Caoxi. The seventeen monks’ interpretations were all wrong.
Miaoxin, who overheard the discussion outside the room, said, “How wasteful! How many pairs of straw sandals have these seventeen blind donkeys worn out? They haven’t even dreamed of buddha dharma.”
Her assistant worker told them that Miaoxin had not approved their understanding. Instead of being upset with her disapproval, the monks were ashamed of their lack of understanding. They got formally dressed, offered incense, bowed, and ask her to teach.
Miaoxin said, “Come closer.”
When the seventeen monks were still getting closer, Miaoxin said, “It is not that wind flaps. It is not that the banner flaps. It is not that your mind flaps.”
Hearing her words, all seventeen monks had realization. They thanked her and formally became her students. Soon after, they went back to Shu without climbing up to Yangshan’s monastery. Indeed, this is nothing the bodhisattvas of three classes or ten stages can come up with. It is work transmitted by buddha ancestors from heir to heir.
Deshan,85 who would later become Zen Master Xuanjian, was proclaiming that he had mastered the Diamond Sutra,86 calling himself Diamond King Chou. He claimed that he was particularly familiar with the Xinlong Commentary.87 He had collected twelve bundles of commentaries. It appeared that he was incomparable. However, he was merely a descendant of dharma teachers of letters.
Once, hearing about the unsurpassable dharma transmitted heir to heir in the south, Deshan felt very competitive. He learned about the assembly of Longtan,88 Zen Master Chongxin, so he crossed mountains and rivers carrying his books to meet him. On his way he stopped to catch his breath and saw an old woman.
Deshan said to her, “What do you do?”
The old woman said, “I sell rice cakes.”
Deshan said, “Please sell me some.”
The old woman said, “What would you do with them, reverend?”
Deshan said, “I will eat them to refresh myself.”
The old woman said, “What are you carrying?”
Deshan said, “Haven’t you heard of me? I am Diamond King Chou. I specialize in the Diamond Sutra. There is no part of it I haven’t mastered. These are important commentaries on the sutra.”
The old woman said, “May I ask you a question?”
Deshan said, “Of course, ask me anything.”
The old woman said, “I was told that the Diamond Sutra says, ‘The past mind is ungraspable. The present mind is ungraspable. The future mind is ungraspable.’ With which mind will you satisfy your hunger with these cakes? If you can answer, I will give you some cakes. Otherwise, I will not.”
Dumbfounded, Deshan was unable to answer. The old woman flapped her sleeves and went away without giving Deshan any rice cakes.
How regrettable! The king of commentators on hundreds of scrolls, a lecturer for decades, was so easily defeated by a humble old woman with a single question. There is a great difference between those who have entered an authentic teacher’s chamber and received transmission and those who have not.
Even seven-year-old girls who practice buddha dharma and express buddha dharma are guiding teachers of the four types of disciples [monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen]; they are compassionate parents of sentient beings. They are like dragon princesses who have attained buddhahood. You should make an offering and respect them just as you respect buddha tathagatas. This is an authentic custom of the buddha way.