This time, let's take a look at the koan "The workings of the Iron Ox," which teaches, "When you do not settle what is to be settled, instead you bring about disorder."

In the middle reaches of the Yellow River, which is about 5,464 km long and flows through northern China before emptying into the Bohai Sea, the Peiligang culture (5935 B.C. - 5195 B.C.), Yangshao culture (5000 B.C. - 2500 B.C.), and Longshan culture (2500 B.C. - 1700 B.C.) emerged in succession.

However, in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, which originates in Qinghai Province and passes through Gansu, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and Shanxi provinces before flowing into the North China Plain east of Meng County in central Henan Province, large amounts of sediment carried by its many tributaries accumulated, and the waterways changed, making the area extremely unstable and completely uninhabitable.

For this reason, the remains of these cultures are found not in the lower reaches, but on the hills overlooking the many tributaries in the middle reaches.

Emperor Yao, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors (Huangdi, Zhuanxu, Di Ku, Huangdi Yao, and Huangdi Shun) who appear in the mythology of the Yin-Yang and Five Elements, was based in Pingyang (the area around Linfen, Shanxi Province) in the Yellow River basin, and ordered his subordinate Gun to control the floods of the Yellow River.

Gun tried to stop the flood using a meshod calling "yIn(堙)", that is, filling up the low-lying land, but nine years passed without any results.

As a result, Shun, who succeeded Yao to the throne as emperor, dismissed Gun and entrusted the task of flood control to Gun's son Yu.

Yu used a method called "shu(疏)" to open waterways and build levees, successfully completing the flood control work over the course of 13 years. At that time, Yu cast "iron oxen" and submerged it in the embankments and bridge piers as a water god. In the "Five Elements Theory," it is said that "ox" corresponds to "earth," and "earth overcomes water."

Yu, who succeeded Shun as ruler, is said to have established the hereditary dynasty "Xia", which continued to the 17th king, Jie.

However, during the Xia dynasty, although bronze tools existed, most of the tools used were stone and bone tools inherited from the Longshan culture, and it appears that the technology to cast "iron oxen" did not exist.

In August 1989, four iron oxen, each measuring 1.9 meters high, 3 meters long, and 1.3 meters wide and weighing 45 to 75 tons, were discovered in Pujin, located on the east bank of the Yellow River, about 13 kilometers west of Yongji City, Shanxi Province. They are said to have been submerged on both sides of the river as weights to stabilize a suspension bridge when it was constructed at Pujin Ferry in the 12th year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (724). The same suspension bridge was rebuilt once in the 8th year of the Jiayou era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1063), but had been buried under soil since the 1930s.

The iron artefacts, including the iron oxen, were excavated in 1991 and are currently on display 12.2 meters away from the excavation site.

One day, a governor of Yinzhou District, which is located in Xinyang Prefecture of Henan Province, invited FengXue YanZhao chanshi (Zen master), who was a chief priest of FengXueShan Temple in Ruzhou District, to his district office and held a Buddhist mass during the later part of the five dynasties and ten kingdoms period (907-960) in China.

FengXue chanshi stepped up to the rostrum and said, "The mind seal of Bodhidharma is like the workings of the huge iron ox which was made by Yu the Great, the founder of the Xia Dynasty (B.C.2070-B.C.1600) for the flood control of the Yellow River. When the seal is stamped on, the impression is made. When it is removed, the impression appears." "Now," he asked audience, "When it is neither stamped nor removed, at that very moment, is it sealed or not sealed? Tell me your answers!"

At that point, Elder LuPi stepped forward and declared, "I have the workings of the iron ox and do not need to be transmitted the mind seal of Bodhidharma from you." Fengxue said, laughing, "I am accustomed to fishing for whales and to calming the great ocean. However, today, I may have made a frog to wriggle in the mud." Fengxue looked at LuPi being stunned and he shouted, "Show me your workings of the iron ox."

Lupi seemed to be debating with himself about what to do. Fengxue beat him with his whisk and asked, "Do you get it? If so, show me the evidence." When Lupi was about to speak, Fengxue gave him another blow.

The governor, who had been watching the exchange of Fengxue and Lupi, said, "Buddha's law and the sovereign's law have the same nature." Then, Fengxue asked, "What principle have you seen?" The Governor replied, "When you do not settle what is to be settled, instead you bring about disorder."

Fengxue thereupon descended from the rostrum.

Elder LuPi showed his mettle as one who lives on the summit of a solitary peak and goes on scolding the Buddhas and reviling the Patriarchs through declaring, "I have the workings of the iron ox and do not need to be transmitted the mind seal of Bodhidharma." However he showed his cloven hoof, being stunned when he was asked by Fengxue chanshi, "Show me your workings of the iron ox."

The patriarchal master's mind seal and the baptism of the Holy Spirit may be good-for-nothing for ones who have already enlightened or been spiritually reborn. However, we still need one who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit or transmits the mind seal of Bodhidharma, such as Jesus and Fengxue chanshi in this world.

According to "The Book of Serenity", Elder LuPi is said to have been one of the Linji School's elders. If so, the above debate between FengXue chanshi and Elder LuPi may have been prepared to lead to the governor's words, "Buddha's law and the sovereign's law have the same nature," and "When you do not settle what is to be settled, instead you bring about disorder."

The Crucifixion, too, may have been separately and carefully prepared to realize following objects, such as the essence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, "One who binds start in his life with its end and makes steps forward is a man who lives in heaven while staying in this world", the High Priest Caiaphas' aspiration "to call back the scattered children of God to Jerusalem, bring them together and make them one" and Paul's doctrine of "justification by one's faith."

At the government headquarters in YingZhou , FengXue entered the hall and said, "The Patriarchal Master's Mind Seal is formed like the workings of the Iron Ox: when the seal is stamped on, the impression is made; when it is removed, the impression appears. Now when it is neither stamped nor removed, at that very moment, is it sealed or not sealed?"

At that time there was a certain Elder LuPi who came forth and said, "I have the workings of the Iron Ox: please, Teacher, do not impress the seal."

Xue said, "I am accustomed to fishing for whales and to calming the great ocean. However, today, I may have made a frog to wriggle in the mud."

Pi was stunned.

Xue shouted and said, "Elder, Show me your workings of the iron ox."

Pi hesitated;

Xue hit him with his whisk.

Xue said, "Do you get it? If so, show me the evidence."

As Pi was about to open his mouth, Xue hit him again with his whisk.

The Governor said, "The Buddhist Law and the Law of Kings are the same."

Xue said, "What principle have you seen?"

The Governor said, "When you do not settle what is to be settled, instead you bring about disorder."

Xue thereupon descended from his seat.

According to the dialectic of the Gospel of John,

How then can a man possess eternal life?

When he said, "You are Huichao," Zen Master Fayan thrusted vivid Self in Huichao in front of his eyes.