Japan Discovery Zen words is The best word “妙手多子無しMyoushutashinasi”
There is no easy way to live a better life
Zen is difficult. Zen word is also difficult. That’s why I interpret it as I please. I think that’s fine. Enou Zenji, Dogen Zenji, Ikkyu-san, and Ryokan-san are likely to say, “That’s fine, that’s fine. Let it be."
Today is “妙手多子無し Myoushutashinasi"It means “There is no easy way to live a better life.“
There is no easy way to live a better life
”Myoushu tashinashi" is a word written in Hekiganroku. There is nothing easy to understand in Zen language. This word is also very difficult. A good move in Shogi or Go is called Myoushu. “Tashi “is a detailed mess. “Tashinashi" is a state without “Tashi", so it is refers to a state of being refreshed.Combining “Myoushu" with “Tashinashi “makes a good move neat. “Tashinashi “also has a succinct meaning, so a excellent move becomes a succinct move. What does it mean that an excellent move is neat and clear?
Rinzai Zenji and Obaku Zenji
When Zen Master Rinzai was young, a senior monk encouraged him to go to train under Zen Master Obaku. The monk was a famous monk, and Rinzai decided to go, but he couldn’t think of what to ask him. When he asked the senior monk, he was told, “Ask him what is the most important thing in Buddhism."
Rinzai visited Obaku and asked him. “In Buddhism…"
Before he had finished his question, Obaku suddenly picked up a stick and struck Linji, sending him away.
Linji “…" didn’t know what had happened.
He was persuaded again to visit Obaku. “Buddha…"
Obaku again took the stick and struck Linji. Linji was stunned.
Still, he pulled himself together and visited him a third time.
This time, he was struck the moment he opened his mouth. He had no idea what was going on.
Rinzai was dejected. That’s to be expected, he was hit before he could even open his mouth. Nowadays, this would be considered severe power harassment. However, there was no suggestion box or compliance department at the Zen temple. He didn’t understand what was going on, so he consulted his master, Zen Master Daigu.
Daigu says, “How kind of you, Obaku Zen Master, that he was so exhausted for you."
Rinzai realized, “Obaku’s Buddhism is “tashinashi."
Obaku’s Buddhism was straightforward and free of impurities. The most important thing about Buddhism is not something you can ask others about. It’s not something you can understand by listening to others. Obaku taught this to Rinzai.
“Tashi nashi" is simple without impurities
Zhuangzi wrote, “The friendship of a gentleman is light like water, the friendship of a petty man is sweet like sweet wine." Good wine is free of impurities, so you won’t get drunk. The friendship of a gentleman is free of impurities, so it is light like water and lasts forever. The best is like water. “Tashi nashi " seems to be important anytime, anywhere.
In Zen, it’s not good to get caught up in the interpretation of words. You have to understand the meaning intuitively. Obaku taught not with words, but through the pain of being hit.
Life has no brillrant move
A brilliant technique is simple and straightforward. There is no special technique. When people do something, they tend to think of easy ways or shortcuts. In life, too, we try to find easy ways or shortcuts, but there are no such paths to begin with. It is faster to go straight ahead than to waste time looking for shortcuts.
Painters sketch repeatedly, musicians perform repeatedly. Athletes train repeatedly. Through rigorous training, they can become first-class artists and athletes. There is no other way than to practice repeatedly.
There is no trick “myousyu" to skip that.
The modern age is an age of efficiency. Society places emphasis on increasing productivity and efficiency. Everyone is always looking for tricks"myousyu". Whether it’s YouTube, stocks, or FX, everyone is obsessed with making money the easy way. The whole society is desperately searching for tricks. However, only a few people actually make money. Even those few people are working hard as experts. It’s never easy.
It’s the same with life. There are no tricks to life. If you have a goal, you just have to keep walking towards it. There is no way out. If you feel like you’ve reached a dead end, just remember “there are no ”myousyu" to life the easy way."