Zen Koans

[cdnvic]

Water heats gradually and boils suddenly.

We cannot force the natural course of events; everything happens in its 'right' time. The process is gradual, and hence may appear slow to us as we are often too impatient with expectations, but the change takes place within an instant.

Similarly, awakening can not be forced, but may be encouraged; just like a seed which sprouts naturally when the right conditions prevail.

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Do what you will, but not because you must.

Often our habits shape our decisions and choices in life. What we fail to realize is that our habits link us to the past and prevent us from making the most of life's offerings within the present moment.

But life is fresh in each moment and changes take place within the present moment. So, in order to experience the mystery and the magic of "now", we must break the habitual patterns of 'must's and 'must not's and live life as it comes.

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When walking - walk.

When sitting - sit.

But don't wobble!

When asked how he disciplined himself in Zen, a master replied, "When hungry, I eat. When tired, I sleep."

The questioner responded in a surprise, "But that is what everyone does!"

"Not at all," replied the master, "Most people are constantly distracted from what they are doing."

We should try to live and appreciate every moment in complete awareness. Zen is not 'trying' to follow a certain way, it is just being what you are and doing what you do according to your true nature.

[cdnvic]

What is a koan?

Buddhist Answer: Only the questioner can answer this.

Academic Answer: The koans are mind excercises in the form of riddles, poems, and often bizzare wordplay. Koans are used to take the student outside their existing thought processes and free it from the constraints of rationalism.

cv

[bina]

[IMA_FARANG]

Water heats gradually and boils suddenly.

We cannot force the natural course of events; everything happens in its 'right' time. The process is gradual, and hence may appear slow to us as we are often too impatient with expectations, but the change takes place within an instant.

Similarly, awakening can not be forced,  but may be encouraged; just like a seed which sprouts naturally when the right conditions prevail.

-----------------------

Do what you will, but not because you must.

Often our habits shape our decisions and choices in life. What we fail to realize is that our habits link us to the past and prevent us from making the most of life's offerings within the present moment.

But life is fresh in each moment and changes take place within the present moment. So, in order to experience the mystery and the magic of "now", we must break the habitual patterns of 'must's and 'must not's and live life as it comes.

------------------------

When walking - walk.

When sitting - sit.

But don't wobble!

When asked how he disciplined himself in Zen, a master replied, "When hungry, I eat. When tired, I sleep."

The questioner responded in a surprise, "But that is what everyone does!" 

"Not at all," replied the master, "Most people are constantly distracted from what they are doing."

We should try to live and appreciate every moment in complete awareness. Zen is not 'trying' to follow a certain way, it is just being what you are and doing what you do according to your true nature.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When asked how he disciplined himself in Zen, a master replied, "When hungry, I eat. When tired, I sleep."

Once a master was delivering a lesson to his monks. A follower of magic kept interupting the master. Finally the master asked that person what he wanted to say.

"My master was a great magician", was the answer. "One day he stood before a crowd, and with great fingers of fire he wrote his name in fire on the side of a mountain many miles away". "Can you do such great miricles", he asked.

"No", said the master,"I can do no such miricles". "All I can do is this; when I am hungry, I eat; when I am tired, I sleep but the greatest miricle I can do is this; when a fool comes before me, and speaks things that are not true, I do not scold him, but speak quietly to him, so that he may gain knowledge, and by gaining knowledge, become enlightened."

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Koan: If a man is blind, deaf, and has no dense of feel, how may he come to know the truth of Buddha?

Answer: When I was young I used to awake in the early dawn, before the first glimpse of light. How magnificent is was then, before the first birds began their morning songs.

*******************************************

Edited January 9, 2005 by IMA_FARANG

[cdnvic]

Just Go To Sleep

Gasan was sitting at the bedside of Tekisui three days before his teacher's passing. Tekisui had already chosen him as his successor.

A temple recently had burned and Gasan was busy rebuilding the structure. Tekisui asked him: "What are you going to do when you get the temple rebuilt?"

"When your sickness is over we want you to speak there," said Gasan.

"Suppose I do not live until then?"

"Then we will get someone else," replied Gasan.

"Suppose you cannot find anyone?" continued Tekisui.

Gasan answered loudly: "Don't ask such foolish questions. Just go to sleep."

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Non-Attachment

Kitano Gempo, abbot of Eihei temple, was ninety-two years old when he passed away in the year 1933. He endeavored his whole like not to be attached to anything. As a wandering mendicant when he was twenty he happened to meet a traveler who smoked tobacco. As they walked together down a mountain road, they stopped under a tree to rest. The traveler offered Kitano a smoke, which he accepted, as he was very hungry at the time.

"How pleasant this smoking is," he commented. The other gave him an extra pipe and tobacco and they parted.

Kitano felt: "Such pleasant things may disturb meditation. Before this goes too far, I will stop now." So he threw the smoking outfit away.

When he was twenty-three years old he studied I-King, the profoundest doctrine of the universe. It was winter at the time and he needed some heavy clothes. He wrote his teacher, who lived a hundred miles away, telling him of his need, and gave the letter to a traveler to deliver. Almost the whole winter passed and neither answer nor clothes arrived. So Kitano resorted to the prescience of I-King, which also teaches the art of divination, to determine whether or not his letter had miscarried. He found that this had been the case. A letter afterwards from his teacher made no mention of clothes.

"If I perform such accurate determinative work with I-King, I may neglect my meditation," felt Kitano. So he gave up this marvelous teaching and never resorted to its powers again.

When he was twenty-eight he studied Chinese calligraphy and poetry. He grew so skillful in these arts that his teacher praised him. Kitano mused: "If I don't stop now, I'll be a poet, not a Zen teacher." So he never wrote another poem.

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The Most Valuable Thing in the World

Sozan, a Chinese Zen master, was asked by a student: "What is the most valuable thing in the world?"

The master replied: "The head of a dead cat."

"Why is the head of a dead cat the most valuable thing in the world?" inquired the student.

Sozan replied: "Because no one can name its price."

[cdnvic]

Letting Go Of Things -"The Muddy Road"

Tanzan and Ekido were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling.

Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.

"Come on, girl" said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.

Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself. "We monks don't go near females," he told Tanzan, "especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?"

"I left the girl there," said Tanzan. "Why are you still carrying her?"

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[els17]

I seem to vaguely remember one about an orange...

Can anyone refresh my memory?

Thx

[cdnvic]

I seem to vaguely remember one about an orange...

Can anyone refresh my memory?

Thx

I looked through my collection and did a search on Altavista and Google. Found nothing, yet I can remember there being one. I'll make a few inquiries and get back to ya.

cv