The Case:
A sailor was cleaning a horizontal surface with a sponge and a bucket of water. His chief walked up to him. The sailor said, "Chief! I cleaned this horizontal surface yesterday. It is clean. Why am I cleaning it again?" The chief whacked the sailor with a foxtail. The sailor was greatly enlightened.
Verse:
Bucket, sponge, water, horizontal surface
Cleaning something that is already clean
Abiding in non-duality, one does not suffer
Commentary:
Careful, sailor, not to drown in your bucket of water! That horizontal surface was never sullied, nor will it ever be clean. "Again," is spoken, but therein lies delusion. If Dogen could hear this lie, he would drive him from the Propulsion Plant Space with a whisk! Though we are already enlightened, still we must practice. With no gaining idea, we all must clean a clean horizontal surface.
