How to Drink the Whole River Water?
In this scorching summer heat, in Japan, we can’t help drinking lots of water; otherwise we are going to faint from heat shock. Water is our necessity, albeit drinking too much of it at once, like drinking a whole 2L PET bottle water, is impossible for a single person. Today’s Koan is about challenging that impossibility.
The main characters are Hōkoji (龐居士), a lay practitioner, and Mazu (馬祖) Zenji, a renowned Zen master from the Tang Dynasty.
One day, Hōkoji asks Mazu Zenji, “What kind of person transcends everything in this world?” to which Mazu replies, “If you can drink all the water from the West River in one gulp, then I will teach you.”
Logically, this seems impossible, but here, in the context of Zen dialogue a logic-based answer is not what is sought here.
When we hear “Utah Lake,” we possibly imagine a large lake. If one were told to drink all the water from Utah Lake, we would normally think that there is a person who should drink it and that it would take time, gulp by gulp. Thus, we conclude that drinking all the water is impossible, based on our common sense.
However, by observing what happens when we actually drink something and what occurs during the act of drinking, we start to grasp the intent behind this challenge of “drinking river water in one gulp.” To understand this, it is essential to strip away the labels of the concepts we attach to the act of drinking water.
In other words, it means experiencing the process of "drinking water" purely on a sensate level, without the concepts of water, drinking, or “you” that drinks it. By doing so, you will realize that there is no separation between “water,” “drinking,” and “self.” This is quite a significant realization, but in terms of the above challenge of drinking a river’s water in one gulp, it’s just a step in the process.
The next crucial point is “what (or who) is drinking the water.” Understanding this experientially could be considered the core of Zen practice. When this is understood, you realize that not only can you drink all the water, but you can also eat up the entire universe. To achieve this, one must constantly hold onto the question, “What (or who) is drinking the water?” Treat this question as a Koan and engage with it wholeheartedly. Although the question is simple, it requires persistence and offers a significant challenge.
If you’re interested, feel free to take on this challenge.