Zen Koan – Hekiganroku – No. 96 – Zen Master Joshu “Three Turning Words!”

The Case

Zen master Joshu said, "Clay Buddhas cannot pass through water. Metal Buddhas cannot pass through a furnace. Wooden Buddhas cannot pass through fire."

Verse

Clay Buddhas cannot pass through water. The divine light illumines heaven and earth. Had Shinko not stood in the snow many deceptions, many pretenses. Metal Buddhas cannot pass through a furnace. Men came to visit Shiko and found the warning notice on the board. But everywhere the gentle breezes. Wooden Buddhas cannot pass through fire. I always remember how the monk Hasoda broke down the oven of sacrifice, whose god so long had bound himself.