Tozan had a question about whether inanimate objects expound the dharma. Tozan visited Isan, who recommended that he go to see Ungan.
With Ungan, Tozan was first made aware of the truth, and he composed the following gatha to record his experience:
”How wonderful! How wonderful!
The inanimate expounding the dharma – what an ineffable truth!
If you try to hear it with your ears, you will never understand it.
Only when you hear it through the eye, will you really know it.”
Ungan asked him, ”Are you happy now?”
Tozan answered, ”I do not say that I am not happy, but my happiness is like that of someone who has picked up a bright pearl from a heap of garbage.”
For a while after his enlightenment, Tozan continued to travel around China. One day he arrived at leh t’an and met the head monk, Ch’u.
Ch’u greeted Tozan and said: ”wonderful, wonderful – the inconceivable realms of Tao and Buddha!”
Tozan responded, ”I don’t know about these realms. Who is talking of them?”
Ch’u remained silent, and Tozan shouted, ”Speak!”
Ch’u then said, ”No need to fight about it. That is the way to miss.”
Tozan replied, ”if it has not been mentioned, how can there be fighting and missing?”
Ch’u could make no answer to this.
Tozan then said, ”Buddha and Tao – next you will talk of sutras.”
Ch’u replied, ”what do the sutras say about this?”
Tozan responded, ”when all is understood, words are forgotten.”
Ch’u said, ”This is sickness of the mind.”
Tozan said, ”Is this sickness slight or severe?”
Ch’u could make no reply to Tozan .
