Blue Cliff Record, Case 5

Hsueh Feng, teaching his community, said, “Pick up the whole great earth in your fingers, and it’s as big as a grain of rice. Throw it down before you: if, like a lacquer bucket, you don’t understand, I’ll beat the drum to call everyone to look.”

Reflections
Xuefeng Yicun (822-908) was a student of Deshan. He and Yantou were close friends and studied together at Deshan’s place. Before going to Deshan’s Xuefeng studied with Dongshan where he served as cook. But Dongshan told him to go to study with Deshan. At Deshan’s he was the cook in the koan about old Deshan who come out of his room, bowls in hand, to eat, before the dinner bell had struck. Yantou was the one Xuefeng told about the old befuddled Master. Yantou then said the Deshan still didn’t know the “last word.” And the rest is found in the thirteenth koan of the Wumenkuan.

Xuefeng was contemporary of Zhaozhou. It is not known if they ever met. But it was Xuefeng who call Zhaozhou the “Ancient Buddha of Zhaozhou.” Continue reading →

Blue Cliff Record, Case 2
Chao-chou, teaching the assembly, said, “The Ultimate Path is without difficulty; just avoid picking and choosing. As soon as there are words spoken, ‘this is picking and choosing,’ ‘this is clarity. This old monk does not abide within clarity; do you still preserve anything or not?”

At that time a certain monk asked, “Since you do not abide within clarity, what do you preserve?”

Chao-chou replied, “I don’t know either.”

The monk said, “Since you don’t know, Teacher, why do you nevertheless say that you do not abide within clarity?”

Chao-chou said, “It is enough to ask about the matter; bow and withdraw.” Continue reading →

Blue Cliff Record, Case 1
Emperor Wu of Liang asked the great master Bodhidharma, “What is the highest meaning of the holy truths?”

Bodhidharma said, “Empty, without holiness.”

The Emperor said, “Who is facing me?”

Bodhidharma replied, “I don’t know.” The Emperor did not understand. After this Bodhidharma crossed the Yangste River and came to the kingdom of Wei.

Later the Emperor brought this up to Master Chih and asked him about it. Master Chih asked, “Does your majesty know who this man is?” The Emperor said, “I don’t know.”

Master Chih said, “He is the Mahasattva Avalokiteshvara, transmitting the Buddha Mind Seal.”

The Emperor felt regretful, so he wanted to send an emissary to go invite Bodhidharma to return. Master Chih told him, “Your majesty, don’t say that you will send someone to fetch him back. Even if everyone in the whole country were to go after him, he still wouldn’t return.” Continue reading →

Art by Margaret Loftin Whiting

It was deep in the dark and quiet hours as the third watch of the night was approaching. The venerable monk Subhuti looked about the garden. All of the assemblage was asleep, except for the World Honored One who was in a deep state of communion, where he offered his teaching to the gods of the many worlds. Subhuti smiled and prepared for his own rest. Here in Anathapindink’s garden in Jeta Grove in the city of Shravasti, monks and nuns from all over India were gathered to hear the teachings of the Great Teacher, Shakyamuni. As usual, the rounds of questioning had continued well into the evening, as all of the 1250 gathered here thirsted for the knowledge of the Buddha’s Path. Now the fragrance of the garden’s flowers drifted across the unconscious host.

Subhuti’s head had no more than touched the ground, when he was startled upright by a tremendous clamor. Looking into the shadows at the entrance of the garden, he saw a strange figure staggering among the sleeping bodies. Whoever this clumsy being was, they knocked against body after sleeping body, alternately kicking the sleeper and stumbling forward toward the next unconscious form. Those being kicked jumped up frightened out of their comfortable sleep. Continue reading →

Oh the zazen of the Mahayana!
To this the highest praise!
Devotion, repentance, training,
the many paramitas—
all have their source in zazen.
From “Song of Zazen,” by Hakuin Zenji

Why is it that we practice zazen? I would like to begin to examine that question in a short series of talks. While this question may appear basic, in fact it goes deep into the very core of our practice. We all have times when zazen is difficult. Sometimes we are beset with physical pain. Sometimes our minds are unsettled and we feel that we would rather be anywhere else, doing almost anything else. There are times when we do not see any changes occurring as a result of our practice and become frustrated, wondering if all this is really worthwhile. There are times of just plain boredom, when we realize that the jikido has fallen asleep or perhaps fallen into a deep coma, leaving us in zazen posture for eternity. Continue reading →

Luoshan asked Yantou, “When arising and vanishing go on unceasingly, what then?”

Yantou shouted and said, “Whose arising and vanishing is it?”

Before I go into this any further, let me just comment that this is the epitome of the stupid question. In grade school, they used to tell us that the only stupid question is the unasked question. They lied to us in grade school. I’m not sure why they did. Maybe to prepare us for adult life. Anyway, this is the ultimate stupid question, at least for a Zen student. If you sit Zazen for about ten minutes, you know this is true. One thought fades and the next one rises.

Continue reading →

Probably all human beings spend a lot of time and energy trying to keep their lives under control, but I think we Americans are particularly obsessed with it. We do everything we possibly can to prevent any kind of accident or unpleasant experience. There is a whole mail order catalog full of things to keep life safe: fool-proof burglar preventions, ladders to hang out of windows in case of fire, “the club” to prevent our cars from being stolen. We have warning labels on everything. On ladders, warning us that we could get hurt if we fall off. On candles, warning us that the curtains could catch on fire if we light candles near them. And we have insurance for every possible disaster: health insurance (if we can afford it, that is), mortgage insurance, life insurance, credit-card insurance. You name it. If it can be insured, it will be.

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Mark 10:17-27

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good – except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus, looking at him, loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

The disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The disciples were even more astonished, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

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2 Kings 5:1-19 (RSV)

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little maid from the land of Israel, and she waited on Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the maiden from the land of Israel.” And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten festal garments. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” And when the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you rent your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and halted at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry, and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had commanded you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather, then, when he says to you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”

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Art by Pia Ravenari

After each of the assembled bodhisattvas-mahasattvas had come forward to pay homage to the World Honored One, it was time for the animals who were also gathered there to do likewise. One by one they came forward, prostrating before the high seat of the Beloved Teacher and leaving the gifts they had brought. Four legged, winged ones, finned ones and creepy crawlies were all there. The procession went on for three days, as all sentient beings even the grasses the tree people and the stone people had a representative there. Each came forward in turn, prostrating themselves and leaving their simple gifts.

When the seemingly endless procession had ended, the Venerable Subhuti came forward to dismiss the assemblage so that Shakyamuni could enter a state of rest. “Wait,” Shakyamuni spoke. “Among all of the being who have gathered here, one is missing, Coyote.” All those gathered turned about looking for the missing creature. Suddenly a gasp arose from the bodhisattvas-mahasattvas and the representatives of the sentient beings. There in the back stood Coyote, distractedly urinating on the wall. Continue reading →