What is Zen? 不立文学，教外别传，直指人心，见性成佛。 Not reliant on written word A special transmission separate from the scriptures Direct pointing at one’s mind, seeing one’s nature, becoming the Buddha Fish forget that they live in lakes and rivers; people forget that they live in the magic of the Dao. – Confucius If one engages in self-cultivation with [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Zen’
Zen Stories: the Staff and Shout of the Venerable Ones
Posted: December 23, 2011 in Book Notes, ChineseTags: Change, Dance, Present, Tao, Zen
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Once upon a time a very wicked man died and ended up in Hell. As he was brought before King Yama, (the Lord of Hell in Buddhism), he pleaded to the King, “I am asking your Majesty to be merciful because I always recited Namo Amitabha Buddha.” pleaded the wicked man. “Can you give me [...]
In the lush bushes beside a small pond there lived a family of frogs. ♫ Heaven is there for frogs, and earth is there for frogs – so that we have room in which to live. ♫ Yippie! ♫ Water is there for frogs, and the air is there for frogs. ♫ Yippie! ♫ The bugs in the air are [...]
There was once a very wealthy man who was so miserly that he couldn’t bear to spend even a single cent of his vast wealth. One day the Zen master Mokusen paid him a visit. “If I held my hand in a fist like this forever, what would you call it?” he asked the man, [...]
There was once a monk who was bothered by a great big spider whenever he tried to meditate. He spoke to his Master: “Every time I try to meditate, this big spider appears, and no matter what I do, I just can’t get rid of it.” “Hmmm… Next time you go to meditate, grab a [...]
A blind man left his village and followed the winding path through the forest. He was on his way to see his friend in the neighboring hamlet. After his arrival, the two friends spent many happy hours together. At last, it was time for the blind man to return to his village. “Here,” his friend [...]
A general was toying with his prized antique. As he handled it, he dropped it and it almost shattered into pieces had he not caught it in time. He thought to himself, “I have commanded tens of thousands of troops to risk my life in battle, and was never afraid. Why then did I become [...]
Story One One evening as Shichiri Kojun was reciting sutras a thief with a sharp sword entered, demanding either his money or his life. Shichiri told him: “Do not disturb me. You can find the money in that drawer.” Then he resumed his recitation. A little while afterwards he stopped and called: “Don’t take it [...]
Four monks made a pact: they would meditate in silence for seven days. During which time, no one was to say a single word. Late at night on the first day, their one candle suddenly started to flicker… “Oh no ! The candle is about to go out !” The first monk shouted. The second [...]
One day, a scholar went to see a Zen monk named Nanin to inquire about Zen. Nanin treated his guest to a cup of tea. He poured the tea into a cup, and when the cup was full, he kept right on pouring… The scholar observed the overflowing tea bowl, until he could no longer [...]
