Zen X-files : Case #2 (禪門國際公案2)

Case #2 : I Am The One

A Buddhist monk asked a Zen master : “Where is Buddha[1]?”'

Zen master answered : “It’s not around you.”

Buddhist monk : “Then how could I find it , if it’s not around me?”

Zen master : “You are(I am) the one[2].”

[1] Buddha in this case has many meanings. It can refer to Buddha himself, or the state of enlightenment – Buddhahood, or the path to find Buddhahood. So the monk were asking the core meaning of Buddhism generally, and how to achieve Buddhahood (becoming Buddha).

[2] If you are thinking about the movie – “The one” by Jet Li, that’s not what we are talking about right here, but the phrase “I am the one” (in Chinese 唯我獨尊) does originally come from Buddhism. In a superficial way of understanding this is that you should find Buddha in you, and it’s always in you. You just need to understand the teaching of Buddha, and then you will find the answer not from others but from yourself. So “YOU(yourself)” are the answer, You are the one, I am the one.

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公案 2 : 唯我獨尊

僧問相州天平山從漪禪師曰：「如何是佛？」

從漪禪師曰：「不指天地。」

僧曰：「為什麼不指天地？」

師曰：「唯我獨尊。」

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