Four Islamic Bamboo Zen Koans for Unwary Readers

First Koan :   A Quarter, Half and One Sufi

 

A Quarter sufi speaks to Half sufi while traveling through the Forest of Schizuan Province. Look, we put to test :

 

�Don�t believe in that One sufi ahead of us from the West. Two wandering Eastern sufi who happen to pass nearby heard this remark at the road junction of Lu Xun and scolded the quarter, half and one sufi , � All Sufis are charlatans, beware ! From North and South, they pretend to drink the Tea of Ecstasy, while the Oolong and Pue erh Tea leaves still not dried in the Summer�. Three Sufi are too much and too heavy for my words to carry. Exposed. Broken. Collapsed. What more to understand ?

 (Rabbi habli hukman wa ahiqni bis-salihin)

 

 A woodcutter non-sufi who still alive today recounted this events to Master Izi and he ordered tea hut attendant Zuigan of Eastern Lake Precint of Kuang to record this in the Blue Bamboo River Koans Collection.

Neo-Hsue Tou Commentary :

 

Many seekers are being called travelers of the Path, but no one can claim to be a full sufi yet. A traveler may arrives or get lost on the Way. The Forest of Dunya is never kind to travelers who enter it without a  tested Guide. Without a Weapon of Tawhid. Without a Light of Discrimination-Furqan. Buying sufic books and reading many old jawi or Arabic kitab/texts of commentaries cannot help one to see in the night of modernists anti-sufi. On daytime the goats from the University Farms will attack and chew up the green books because they are very hungry and not trained well by their Masters and Dukturs who prefer to feed them with spiritual empty grasses and syllabus from the Orientalist wastelands.

Neo-Hsue Tou Verses

 

Nizami Mountain collect clouds
Shattari Mountain pour the rains
Half falls north of River Osama Abuya
Half falls into Bayan and Reformasi Valley
Others may be  stuck at Pondok Madrasah

 

(Wa man yataqqi�Llah yaj-allahu makhraja
Wa man yataqqi�Llahu yaj-allahu furqana
Inna Awliya Allahu la khaufun
alaihim wa la hum yahzanu)

 

 Do not say I have not warned you
A sufi a zen a monk still a name
Forest, desert and mountains
They cheat people most time
Or make them fight in politics

 Sichuan Lu Xun Pur Erh

 

The Tea of China never Smells
Three sufi will make loud Noise
One solitary wali sat facing a city Wall
Music and drums they sell Tariqats

Dr. Abdad ar-Rauwi is my Friend
Leave all books journal and papers
Took the Sun burning Path
Where Universities cannot teach
Tea Hut or Tea Shop, most welcome.

Dr. Fuad Yeoh got Three Degrees
With envy I wrote it with gold
Master in Engineering and BA
Quranic studies from Yarmuk University
Islamic Ph.D from Aberdeen !

He leave all and he possess all
Children and wives full of energy
Chinese, Malay and Maghrib
Wisdom and light shines through
Still remember the Night of Melawati

(La Syarqiyya wa la Gharbiyya
Kaukabun dhurriyun �Nurun alan nur
Yahdi�Llahu li-nurihi man yasyaau
Wa Allahu bi-kulli syain Alim)

 

We ask Allah ,the Majestic, the Exalted to
Enlighten our hearts and life journey�

 ------------------------------------------------------ -----------------------------

Second Koan :

Many Doors of A Tea Hut

 

Sufism is a science of madness and stillness. It depend where you are and how rich you are. Ha ha ha , only the poor speak this Way. Dust, dust..kuntu turaba . A sufi hut had many doors, why none dare to seek, travel and make a visit ? To enter and drink Tea is another matter. 

 

To test, we put this question to you :

 

Master Dogen asked his students one day in the assembly hall � who got a new sms today ? Where does he built his Dailin Nur College ? Do the Japanese Government approved his spiritual teaching overseas ? How many students from Granada, Weimar, Zurich, Cape Town, Jakarta, Bandung, Johor Bharu and Penang recently get enrolled for an eight weeks course in Blue Heiddegerian Studies and to organize an seminar called �The Time of  I Ching � ?  Here is the Maxis Message from Dr.Abdad of USM, former chief editor of Rumi Nusantara Journal received on 8.00pm dated 2 of Dec. 2006 :

 

 �This piece of koan need fathom.
When the door opens, whirl follows you.
You cross the line, feel that touch on the shoulder by one that beckons.

The cups are there all the time
Perfumed wine waiting for the lips
 The second whirl arrives and the touched
Shoulder warming up to a larger circle.
The flirting fire ambers till dawn

 

The whispering hearts need no filled cup now.
 Another door yonder closing in
Sufi doors opens more of whirl,
cup , touch, heart and wisper.

Suddenly Master Izi attendant Masako San brought an old message jumbled up in Chinese mandarin from our old Melawati garden Companion Dr. Muhammad Fuad Yeoh, Deputy President of Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (Macma) after a quick translation by Sidi Zuigan�it is decided to be included in this Blue Bamboo Collections as follow :

�Traveller has not been endowed with the honour to enter any of Master�s doors for the chosen only is able to taste and be intoxicated by Master�s spirits, wisdom, aura and fun. It is not a question of fear but simply to whom the bounty the Almighty grants . For which Traveller unfortunately is not one �.

Attendant Zuigan Commentary :

 

 We are extremely thankful to Allah Tabaraka wa Taala this blessed morning where two of our long time Companions and ardent readers of Zen and Sufism send us their warm greeting of peace beside penning out new koans for all of you ! You shall not forget to record this in your diary. When you finished this short course, go seek and pay visit and respect to them on my behalf. My old bones and feets not strong enough to make travels to Malaysia, Indonesia, Europe or Africa this winter. Bow three times to this two wise scholars, we feels that their Islam and Sufism are our true ally and will transform our future Way and revive the lost Wisdom !

Neo- Hsue Tou Verse

 

 To sit in sunlight or to sit in shade
It doesnt matter the sun is East or West

This light from the blessed oil and Olive
From the star, the lamp and niche
Allah guides to His light whom He will
One man enrich a whole community

 

Let wage war against Number and Papers
O Sages of  China and Nippon let appear!
The Time of Spring is here. A Tea Hut.
One traveller falters, ten will comes !
Once the door shut, the hut is gone !

 

From the Old Diary of Abu Zhulixin circa 2004.