Zen Koan – Hekiganroku – No. 83 – Zen-Master Ummon “The Old Buddha Communes with the Pillar”

The Case

Zen master Ummon spoke to his disciples and said, "The old Buddha communes with the pillar. What level of spiritual activity would that be?" And he himself gave the answer for them, saying, "Clouds gather over the southern hill, rain falls on the northern mountain."

Verse

Rain on the northern mountain, clouds over the southern hill. Four sevens and two threes, I see them face to face! In Korea they assemble in the lecture hall, in China they have not beaten the drum or rung the bell. Joy in the midst of pain, pain in the midst of joy. Who dares to say, "Gold is the same as soil"?