piercing gimlet.

　　　　  In this  year's  poverty  even the gimlet  is no

　　　　  more.

　　   These lines include  a recognition  of past error on

　　   Hsiang-yen's   part,  an  admission   that   he  had

　　   misjudged  his  situation.  The previous  sprout  of

　　   wisdom  now  displays  a  bud.   The  reference   to

　　   "poverty" connotes detachment from artificiality and

　　   superficiality, and is consistent  with the negative

　　   formulation  of the second level reflected  in Great

　　   Doubt.  The  "piercing  gimlet"symbolizes  lingering

　　   attachment, which  he now believes  he has  removed.

　　   Note that this poem is both shorter  than  the first

　　   and more simply stated.

　　　　  Yang-shan acknowledged this to be an improvement

　　　　 over the first effort, yet still found  it somewhat

　　　　 lacking.  He dismissed it with the remark. "You may

　　　　 have the Ch'an  of Tathaagata, but as for the Ch'an

　　　　 of the Patriarchs, you have not even dreamed of

　　　　 it." In other  words, Hsiang-yen  is adrift  on the

　　　　 sea  of  voidness, and  has  yet  to  land  on  the

　　　　 opposite   shore.   Inspired   by  this   critique,

　　　　 Hsiang-yen immediately retorted:

　　　　  I have my secret.

　　　　  I look at you with twinkling eye.

　　　　  If you do not understand this.

　　　　  Do not call yourself a monk.

　　   In  this  briefest  and  most  vague  of  the  three

　　   gaathaas Hsiang-yen has finally demon-

　　　　　　　　　　　　  P.371

　　   strated that he has arrived  at the deepest level of

　　   awareness.  The bud has burst into full bloom Unlike

　　   the others, it asserts  no claims  of awakening.  It

　　   makes   no   attempt   at  either   description   or

　　   symbolization,but simply presents a phenomenological

　　   exposition  of the present  moment (being-here-now).

　　   The sentiment it contains runs parallel to Lao Tzu's

　　   lines "Whoever knows does not speak;/Whoever  speaks

　　   does not know" (Tao Te Ching, chapter 56). Yang-shan

　　   responded  approvingly, " I  rejoice   that  brother

　　   Hsiang-yen has grasped the Ch'an of the Patriarchs."

　　　　  The poetic expressions, then, become a series of

　　   vehicles for enriching  and ultimately  consummating

　　   the original glimmering  of enlightenment.  At first