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CITATION from Dogen Zenji's
EIHEI KOROKU (永平広録, Volume One) [EK 1.46]
(Rational Zen: The Mind of Dogen Kigen, trans. by Thomas Cleary)
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THE FOUNDER of Zen (*) directed his disciples, "The time is about to
arrive; why don't you each say what you have attained?"
His disciple Dofuku said, "According to what I perceive, not clinging
to words and not rejecting words is the function of the Way."
The founder said, "You have attained my skin."
The nun Soji said, "My understanding is like Ananda seeing the land
of Akshobhya, the Immovable Buddha; once seen it is not seen,
a second time."
The founder said, "You have attained my flesh."
Doiku said, "The four gross material elements are empty, the five
body-mind clusters are not existent. In my view there is not a single
thing that can be grasped."
The founder said, "You have attained my bones."
Finally Eka bowed and stood there.
The founder said, "You have attained my marrow."
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Later people assumed there were differences in depth, but this
is not what the founder meant.
"You have attained my skin" is like saying,
"the lamps and the pillars."
"You have attained my flesh" is like saying,
"mind itself is Buddha."
"You have attained my bones" is like saying,
"mountains, rivers and earth."
"You have attained my marrow" is like mentioning sup>
"twirling a flower and blinking the eyes."
It is not that there are shallow and deep, superior and inferior
among these. If you can see the matter in this way, then you will
see the founder; then you will see the successor, and then you
will get the transmission of the robe and the bowl.
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And if you do not yet believe, listen to my verse:
Great is the power of the wheel of the teaching of the enlightened:
It is turned in the whole world and turned in an atom.
Though the robe and bowl enter hands worthy of transmission.
Hearing the teaching is common to all men and women.
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(*) Variations of the Bodhidarma "Skin, Flesh, Bones and Marrow" koan
appear also in Dogen's Katto, as well as EK 7, and in Osakusendaba.
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