who is the Master? (Zen)

[Engyo]

It all depends on who's asking and on who's answering.

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by koan

everyone is still missing the point, Who is the master?

Perhaps the answer you want is that there is no master?

I say this considering the Buddhist teaching of anatta, and so the man who said "Be Alert! Be Alert!" had ceased to exist a moment later when the man who replied "Yes, Yes, be alert", who then himself ceased to exist a moment later.

And frankly zenzero's answer is also misleading, of course a master will know that he has mastered something, or at least that he understands/practices it exceedingly well. If he doesn't then that's a fairly good sign that he does not understand what he is looking for. The Buddha certainly understood when he had achieved his goal.
A master won't go around advertising himself as a master though, so the real answer is not that the master does not know that he is a master, but that other people do not know that he is a master.

Also, I don't think the koan is very good. Koans are supposed to shock the mind into a higher level of thought, such as the one hand clapping, this one simply confuses the reader with nonsensicalness.

Sorry to be blunt.

[koan]

This is not a made up koan. The first part of Halcyons answer is right in the overal Buddhist aspect. Now how would one answer this in the Zen way?

[Guitar's Cry]

The master is the need for alertness.

[Francine]

Originally Posted by koan

An old Master used to arise every morning and say, "Be alert! Be alert!" He would then answer, "Yes, Yes, be alert." Which one is the real master?

Master Blaster run Bartertown.

[methylatedghosts]

We are all masters. We have simply forgotten.

[Francine]

Originally Posted by methylatedghosts

We are all masters. We have simply forgotten.

Then how can we be masters in general if we can't master our memory?

[Halcyon]

Originally Posted by koan

This is not a made up koan.

Well, someone must have made it up, I don't think they hatch from eggs .
I didn't mean to imply that you had made it up though, sorry. I still don't think it's all that good though.

Originally Posted by koan

The first part of Halcyons answer is right in the overal Buddhist aspect.

Yay!

[methylatedghosts]

Then how can we be masters in general if we can't master our memory?

You can't?

[zenzero]

Friend Halycon,
There are two aspects.
One is the realm of the mind, which knows and the other is the No-mind part where the individual merges with the whole there he individual is no more even to claim that he is.
It is in that respect that the master does not know that he is a master. BUT when interacting with others; knowledge flows like water seeks to fill the lower levels and so automatically the master and the disciple stands out on its own accord Neither has to prove who is what as between them they know.
Love & rgds