Nanquan's "Content and Container"

Main Case
One day Nanquan saw Deng Yinfeng of Mount Wutai coming. Nanquan pointed to a water jar and said to Yinfeng, "The jar is the container. There is water in the jar.(1) Bring the water to this old monastic without moving the container."(2)

Yinfeng took the jar and poured the water in front of Nanquan.(3)

Nanquan shut up.(4)

Commentary
Since they are from the same household, Nanquan, seeing Yinfeng coming, wants to see if the waters are deep or shallow. He says, "Bring the water without moving [disturbing] the container [circumstances]." Knowing fully the nondual nature of content and container, [Yinfeng]] takes up the jar and pours the water in front of Nanquan.

We should understan that in the reality of circumstances (container) there is water, and in the reality of water there are circumstances (container). Since they are not two, neither water nor circumstances are disturbed.

Individual and community, entity and surroundings, practitioner and samgha, organism and environment, subject and object, watershed and inhabitants, are likewise a single interdependent reality. What transpires for the least significant member transpires at once for the whole.

Capping Verse
It has been spoken to us-

the time of light and dark, hand in hand.

North, south, east, west;

let us return to the deep river

in its journey to the great ocean.

Appearances

 * 1) The True Dharma Eye (case 64 of 300)