Pine Nut Tree in the Garden | Zen Koan

In the Ch'an Mirror, written by the famous Korean Patriarch Chong-Ho Hyu-Jong (1520 - 1604), he commented on the Koan, "What is the essence of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?" to which Chao-Chou responded, "Pine nut tree in the garden." On this koan, master Chong-Ho commented, "This is the unconventional direct teaching which cannot even be found in the Dragon Kind Palace Scripture." And to this he added:

Fish swims, water is not clear. Bird flies, feather falls.

Episode: Master Hye-Am and Three Venerable Ones

While I (Hye-Am) was staying at the Tongdo Temple in Yang-san, an idea suddenly struck me about this. So, after dinner I went up to Naewon-Sa where Venerable Master Hye-Wol was the temple head master. I greeted him and he asked me, "Why did you come here this late?" I told him I had something in mind. I inquired about the Koan, Pine nut tree in the garden, and told him that Chong-Ho commented on this with a Verse:

Fish swims, water is not clear. Bird flies, feather falls.

I asked, "Do you think that is right?" "True enough." "Why?" I immediately asked. "Nothing special," he said. "When fish swims, water is not clear. Isn't that the right way of nature?" "Master," I suggested, "I have read the Son Mirror; let me read it once more for you. Please listen carefully."

Even before I finished reading, the Venerable Master Hye-Wol was so surprised. "Alas! That is my mistake," he admitted. "You are right." And then he commented that "Fish swims, water is not clear. Bird flies, feather falls," is not correct for the Koan, pine nut tree in the garden.

Sometime later I again visited the Venerable Master Mann-Gong at Junghye-Sa and asked the same question about the correctness of Chong-Ho's comment. Master Mann-Gong said, "I don't believe he said that. Is that true?" "He said it clearly in Son Mirror." "Even if it were written in Son Mirror, still it is not right. Why don't you show me that book?" At that time, there was one Son student who always wore tattered clothing and he had Son Mirror in his sack. He took it out and opened it for the Master.

Master Mann-Gong said, "Look, do not read outside of the contents. You should carefully read the core of the book." Finally I found out that two great Masters were exactly identical and I told myself, "I should never be satisfied because one or two wise men agree with me!" Then I decided to go and see the Venerable Master Yong-Song and so set out to Taegak-Sa in Seoul.

Again I asked the same question. He also told me, "That is not correct. What the Venerable Master Chong-Ho said is simply pointing out the flaw he discovered. Therefore one should carefully observe one by one." Which means that he had the same idea as the other two masters.

Zen Master Hye-Am's Comment

Now. let me ask you once again, why did Venerable Master Chong-Ho comment on the Koan, Pine Nut Tree in the Garden, by singing a Verse, "Fish swims, water is not clear. Bird flies, feather falls?" What we must do here to find out the flaw which the Venerable Master Chong-Ho discovered. Read and repeat continuously and you will find out that the whole essence of Son Mirror is in the flaw which you can see. If someone asked me, "What is the flaw?" I would say:

Suddenly it is the Self as-it-is. As soon as thought moves, it will be disintegrated.