Zen

[pai mei]

3. Is That So?

The Zen master Hakuin was praised by his neighbours as one living a pure life.

A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near him. Suddenly, without any warning, her parents discovered she was with child.

This made her parents angry. She would not confess who the man was, but after much harassment at last named Hakuin.

In great anger the parent went to the master. "Is that so?" was all he would say.

After the child was born it was brought to Hakuin. By this time he had lost his reputation, which did not trouble him, but he took very good care of the child. He obtained milk from his neighbours and everything else he needed.

A year later the girl-mother could stand it no longer. She told her parents the truth - the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fishmarket.

The mother and father of the girl at once went to Hakuin to ask forgiveness, to apologize at length, and to get the child back.

Hakuin was willing. In yielding the child, all he said was: "Is that so?"

9. The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing to steal.

Ryokan returned and caught him. "You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift."

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.

Ryoken sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, "I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon."

14. 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. "Are you still carrying her?"

More stories here :

http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/zenindex.html

http://www.rider.edu/~suler/zenstory/zenstory.html

Zen must be practiced, talking about it makes it lose it's meaning. These stories are a nice introduction

Edited July 18, 2007 by pai mei

[MaiTino]

More stories here :

http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/zenindex.html

http://www.rider.edu/~suler/zenstory/zenstory.html

Zen must be practiced, talking about it makes it lose it's meaning. These stories are a nice introduction

BRRRILIANT pai mei...THANKYOU SO much...i especially like the Muddy road one, i am definately gona check those links out

Thanks again

nn23

[KBA]

Very interesting links. One of the reasons I've always wanted to learn and have been learning Japanese is related to the Zen Buddhist culture.. it's a very interesting philosophy to me. One day I'd like to visit western Japan and meet some of these people and experience the culture. I don't consider myself a buddhist, but it's the only "religion" which I have a great respect for.

[+Sherapy]

the moon cannot be stolen wonderful parable....

[InnerSpace]

So glad you posted those pai mei...though I've read them before, they are always an inspiration to read again.

[+Sherapy]

Very interesting links. One of the reasons I've always wanted to learn and have been learning Japanese is related to the Zen Buddhist culture.. it's a very interesting philosophy to me. One day I'd like to visit western Japan and meet some of these people and experience the culture. I don't consider myself a buddhist, but it's the only "religion" which I have a great respect for.

truly peaceful loving folks are often found in buddhism.... buddha was a true teacher "seek and you shall find yourself"... i always felt "knock and it shall be oepend unto you" was borrowed from the eastern philosphys actaully the better scriptures have a eastern vibe to them, have you noticed???

[KBA]

truly peaceful loving folks are often found in buddhism.... buddha was a true teacher "seek and you shall find yourself"... i always felt "knock and it shall be oepend unto you" was borrowed from the eastern philosphys actaully the better scriptures have a eastern vibe to them, have you noticed???

I'd agree with that, I mean, it's not that the Bible is just an empty set of nothing useful to me, it does have points of good wisdom, the problem is it muddles that up with all the horrible parts of the Bible. I think a lot of simple wisdom like this is universal but eastern religions such as buddhism focus only on the pursuit of these teachings and not on the hate and intolerance of other religions .

[DДrk_Lotu§]

My grandfather and his dad and his dad and so on for as many generations as we have records of were all Buddhists from Japan so I've always been interested in the way of Buddha so thanks for the links there were a delightful read

[+Sherapy]

truly peaceful loving folks are often found in buddhism.... buddha was a true teacher "seek and you shall find yourself"... i always felt "knock and it shall be oepend unto you" was borrowed from the eastern philosphys actaully the better scriptures have a eastern vibe to them, have you noticed???

IMO they get very little application the few meaty scrips... and why keep books and books of hatred and intolerance and murder and bigotry unless you are following it, let alone teach from it as if its truth actually teach as if it is........ it is the walk of the enlightened ( simply meanning letting go of the harmful teachings) to discern what is of value and throw out the rest or just a sign of maturity maybe...

[MadMachine]

Very nice.

This has nothing to do with the stories, but I feel I should mention it anyway...

There's a high probability that the person called "Ashida Kim" is a fraud.

[__Kratos__]

This has been my favorite koan for some time now...

18. A Parable

Buddha told a parable in sutra:

A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.

Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!

----

Buddhism is really what got me into meditation a bit. Though I could never be a buddhist.

[Kazahel]

I love this kinda stuff too. Thanks for the links.