The Zen monk Shuiliao had a meeting with Master Mazu. He asked the Master, “What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?” Mazu immediately gave him a kick in the chest and knocked him down. Shuiliao was suddenly enlightened. He jumped to his feet and laughed out loud with big uproarious laughter.
Later, when Shuiliao was asked what his enlightenment was, he answered, “Since the Master kicked me, I have not been able to stop laughing.”
Chinese Text:
問馬祖曰。如何是祖師西來意。馬祖當胸一蹋蹋倒。水潦忽然大悟。不覺起來呵呵大笑。
自從一喫馬師蹋。直至而今笑不休。
The Chinese text can also be found in the Chinese Buddhist Canon, Taisho Tripitaka (大藏經), Vol. 47, No. 1998A, page 882b-c.
HyC