Our schoolmaster scolded us. Immediately after the engagement a ghost appeared every night to the man, blaming him for not keeping his promise. 0000030172 00000 n The pupils of the Tendai school used to study meditation before Zen entered Japan. You are wise brothers, he told them. When he was still a student his father passed away, leaving him to care for his old mother. That was his answer to the command. The emperor Goyozei was studying Zen under Gudo. %PDF-1.5 % . Instead, his words were spoken directly from his heart to the hearts of his listeners. 0000015645 00000 n The use of koans has been traced back to anecdotes from 12th-century China. Get out!. If you keep on gambling and drinking, you will have no time left to accomplish anything else, and you will cause your family to suffer too., The perception of the husband awoke as if from a dream. In the former case, she would server them graciously. The World Honored One Points To The Ground 7. A noisy croud followed the statue, curious to learn what kind of a sentence the judge was about to impose. Finally, leaving her, he journeyed far away to the province of Buzen, where he became a wandering mendicant. Sen no Rikyu, a tea-master, wished to hang a flower basket on a column. All night Ryokan sat in meditation. Only let me finish this work. That is a fine teaching, concluded the farmer, but please make one exception. 0000002111 00000 n So Kusuda went to call on Nan-in. Tell her that she knows so much you can hide nothing from her, and that if she will answer you one question, you promise to break your engagement and remain single.. But one day Banzo crept up behind him and gave him a terrific blow with a wooden sword. Tetsugen again gave away what he had collected, to help his people. I did not cancel my permission, said Sengai. In a temple in the northern part of Japan two brother monks were dwelling together. by Rui Oliveira Lopes. If you have heard of a koan and it stayed with you, you can try that one out. You may somewhere else to study if ou wish, but this poor brother does not even know right from wrong. He then produced a flute from the folds of his robe, and blew one short note. Did you ever consider that?. En una forma del Budismo Zen, existe la tradicin de hacer a los jvenes monjes y monjas preguntas inusuales llamadas koans. The man was utterly ashamed. Sengai removed the stool and stood there in its place. It includes a reference list of koan commentaries, a variety of definitions and a bibliography of koan studies. But the sound was rejected. If the mind has not yet achieved Samadhi, dont bother with koans. Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. You are not working hard enough, his teacher told him. The two started out. Gudo smiled. I never thought of it in that way, marveled the old man. Let me give you a koan. He presented Kusuda with Joshus Mu to work over, which is the first mind-enlightening problem in the book called The Gateless Gate. No one can change the hand of destiny, his attendant told him after the battle. What help could you be to me?, Ikkyu answered: If you think you really come and go, that is your delusion. There are some 1700 koans, this doorman to wisdom explained, but a lot of them are copies or variations and you can squeeze the program into a mere hundred, with three big ones up front. In despair the student begged to be released, but Suiwo requested another meditation of five days. Making assertions The koans use the keyword asserta lot. At once the Happy Chinaman swung the sack over his shoulder and continued on his way. Then he announced to the people about him: The funeral ceremony is over. No more moon in the water! In just sitting centers koans are occasionally referred to in dharma talks and are the focus of an occasional class or two, but are not used as an essential focus in practice.14 Three Examples Items will be delivered by second-class post. Gessen was an artist monk. H|S0+|T $=TXj{Aa!Mx0KffMLj6?e@A^ What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? hUkgNkDCNv2;kH41gQLFMxcASQ nI~_K|CO^6df~?3@_= :7h{b^^jVRWj81>kmo$n%nk|c1c}Xabyues,a~)LcEp:.XKxC*}]n:yaG+v~{xrV05_e7omI~p_7oWk -qG,=}NH(1;'PVrD6xa[C'lvvzv6wOgsxV_0\'zd8SzbDeJNHZ)Wk,jEQ!0KZ/P!Ll/ksi1cHE(1S) 5^u?bBd%iZ6,3y,%gMGQqGH1}=d>*,d(JSD! The master Soyen Shaku passed from this world when he was sixty-one years of age. Mamiya at once fell over as if he were dead. Ryoken sat naked, watching the moon. Whenever he expressed happiness, I heard nothing but happiness, and whenever he expressed sorrow, sorrow was all I heard., Daiju visited the master Baso in China. Bringing koans to the West: Daiun Harada and Kuon Yamada 1907-1989 Ancestor Kuon Yamada & Kazue Myoen Yamada. Others laughed at him. One popular Zen koan says, "if you . The use of koans is so vital in the Rinzai school that a disciple must, with their master, pass a discussion wherein one must be familiar with up to 1700 koans. So he held up two fingers, signifying Buddha and his teaching. The two major collections are the Pi-yen lu (Chinese: "Blue Cliff Records"; Japanese: Hekigan-roku), consisting of 100 koans selected and commented on by a Chinese priest, Yan-wu, in 1125 on the basis . Zen koans are the recorded sayings, teachings, and encounter dialogs between Buddhist masters and students. At one glance the master rejected her because she was too beautiful. document. Think that over.. There he had passed on. Come up beside me and I will show you, said Bankei. Try again.. Mokurai used to take a broom and chase the women away when he found them in any of his temples, but the more wives he swept out, the more seemed to come back. You will know if I am in hell and whether I am always with you or not. Not until another discovered through his own need that a real master was at hand was it learned hat the teaching had been imparted, and even then the occasion arose quite naturally and the teaching made its way in its own right. Now sit down and listen.. If you can do as I do for even a couple of days, I might, Tosui replied. In this predicament the warrior realized he could not very well kill the tea-master, so he gave up the idea. What can I do?, I will help him, said Gudo. Ah, I have it! he proclaimed. In a few moments her beauty had vanished forever. All day she observed it. In return I have bought some wine and fish, so you might as well have them.. I shall have to impose a fine on you, said the judge, but I will remit it provided each one of you brings one roll of cotton goods to the court within three days. I must return south in shame and embarrassment, he said, for I cannot solve my problem.. However, koans are not the only method used in Zen training. Since he was a stranger I thought I would be polite to him, so I held up two fingers, congratulating him that he has two eyes. The giver should be thankful.. For more than ten times Toyo visited Mokurai with different sounds. Can you make me obey you?. Ryokan devoted his life to the study of Zen. The body is the wisdom-tree, The mind is a bright mirror in a stand; You wouldnt expect a tea-master to offer to clean a sword, since that sounds more like a job for a NYC cleaning service or professional cleaning staff . All were wrong. Nan-in served tea. She remained three years with Unzan, six years with Gukei, but was unable to obtain a clear vision. With such a begining, Kusuda lost his chance to test the master, so reluctantly he asked if he might receive instruction. When condolence is expressed for the misfortune of another, I hear pleasure and satisfaction, as if the one condoling was really glad there was something left to gain in his own world. Sometimes when he becomes thoroughly drunk he does not come home at all. 1712. The two happened to be talking before a brazier. Let me see you off and carry your things a little way.. 0000015941 00000 n Shoichi was a one-eyed teacher of Zen, sparkling with enlightenment. The letters are unusually large, and those who appreciate calligraphy always admire them as being a mastepiece. The question is how you yourself can become so. The priest proudly stepped over to the right. A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. When Banzan was walking through a market he overheard a conversation between a butcher and his customer. You can find the money in that drawer. Then he resumed his recitation. He thanked each donor with equal gratitude. Twenty monks and one nun, who was named Eshun, were practicing meditation with a certain Zen master. When it was completed he asked the highest sum of his time. The following day one of the beggars died. I cannot wait that long, explained Matajuro. A Zen student came to Bankei and complained: Master, I have an ungovernable temper. Spiritual teachers have always had to offer words of comfort to those who are dying or suffering with illnesses. Matajuro was told never to speak of fencing and never to touch a sword. I am departing from this world. gedZ4q)cn%>"LL32aT`y*C1'Fl02Lbdledd33cq+b>G@z iF ` = endstream endobj 48 0 obj <>>> endobj 49 0 obj <>/ExtGState<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/TrimBox[0.0 0.0 603.0 783.0]/Type/Page>> endobj 50 0 obj <> endobj 51 0 obj <> endobj 52 0 obj <> endobj 53 0 obj <>stream We monks dont go near females, he told Tanzan, especially not young and lovely ones. She received training just as the little boys did. I have said enough about moonlight, Furthermore, what of the one who preaches without enlightenment? Really you should admire such a ghost. Where do you come from? he asked Gudo, who was still meditating. I might decide to do something else which will only imprison me again.. I will try it. When he happens to win he drinks and becomes abusive. No more will go in!, Like this cup, Nan-in said, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. In the morning the teacher found O-nami meditating, a faint smile on his face. One who does not drink is not even human, said Tanzan. 0000039795 00000 n What is the sound of one hand? After the child was born it was brought to Hakuin. A Zen master named Gisan asked a young student to bring him a pail of water to cool his bath. Thanks go to Jim Weirich and Joe O'Brien for the original Ruby Koans that the Python Koans is based on! Required fields are marked *. Finally in desperation an adherent called loudly to Bankei: You may be all right, old teacher, but this young disciple here has to eat. You may order my free ebooks at the right hand side of this page. Even if I am a wealthy merchant, five hundred ryo is a lot of money, said Umezu. The cook monk Dairyo, at Bankeis monastery, decided that he would take good care of his old teachers health and give him only fresh miso, a paste of soy beans mixed with wheat and yeast that often ferments. He kept the precepts himself and expected the priests to do so. It happened that at that time the Uji Rive overflowed. The next day the children met a third time. Please take my clothes as a gift.. He found that this had been the case. The merchant recovered his goods, and the cotton rolls were returned to the people. Where are you going? asked the first child. Cant you see this lantern?. We had better put them back., The day they did, the teacher worked and ate the same as before. 1.3 x: p5D endstream endobj 59 0 obj <>stream Also thanks to everyone who has contributed to Python Koans! At last, picking up a hammer, Kame smashed it to bits. Daiju inquired: Where is my treasure house?, Baso answered: What you are asking is your treasure house., Daiju was enlightened! After his visit, this wife helped her husband to distribute as well as to save. He cooked for his master, washed the dishes, made his bed, cleaned the yard, cared for the garden, all without a word of swordsmanship. In the morning when the husband awoke he had forgotten about the previous night. He struck the gong to announce his presence, bowed respectfully three times outside the door, and went to sit before the master in respectful silence. She told her parents the truth the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fishmarket. We have to let it in and make no effort to solve it. A good disciple grows strong under a teachers discipline.. Yuanwu made an extra copy for Dahui as soon as the book was done, but Dahui burnt the copy because he . A few sympathizers would give him a hundred pieces of gold, but most of the time he received only small coins. Is this correct?, Gudo answered: If I say yes, you will think that you understand without understanding. Sengai, inspecting the dormitory quarters, found this pupil missing one night and also discovered the high stool he had used to scale the well. Other pupils would not stand this kind of teaching and quit. The pupil obeyed, but in vain. I cannot tell you what it is, the friend replied, but one thing is certain. Mayoku Shook The Ring-Staff 19. His mind became placid. You ought to know why. Encho was a famous storyteller. Two Zen temples each had a child protg. A young lawyer became interested in her and endeavoured to make her sentance lighter. One evening as Shichiri Kojun was reciting sutras a thief with a sharp sword entered, demanding wither his money or his life. The tiger sniffed at him from above. He served his patients well and, without even knowing it, he was free from concern of life and death. On the eve of the new year, Tokufu concluded: You have been good to me. The intruder gathered up most of the money and started to leave. 0000011539 00000 n When the wanderer returned, not knowing that Sengai was the stool, he put his feet on the masters head and jumped down into the grounds. He did not travel while he was there. Now it's light, why would I need a candle? The thief was bewildered. After Gessen had accomplished his three wishes he threw away his brushes and artists materials and, retiring to the mountains, never painted again. Mother, your son has returned, he said. Come back in and have some tea. The children met again the following morning. Tanzan wrote sixty postal cards on the last day of his life, and asked an attendent to mail them. Dairyo was sent before him. 0000018340 00000 n But what about those persons who kill time, what about those who are destroying wealth, and those who destroy political economy? 0000085420 00000 n He immediately reported the matter to the police. Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. 5 pages. An important part of kong-an practice is the private exchange between teacher and student wherein the teacher checks the student's grasp of the point of the kong-an. In Mumon's preface to "The Gateless Gate," he concludes with a poem: The great Way has no gate; Bankei would not answer. Do this and you will be the greatest wrestler in the land.. He felt his days very long attending his office and sitting stiffly to receive the homage of others. Discovering what he had done, he was aghast. Wherever she went she carried this golden Buddha with her. "A collection of roughly one thousand, seven hundred bewildering philosophical thought experiments," koans were ostensibly tools to practice living with the unexplainable mysteries of existence. He pretended to make a social call upon the tea-master and was invited to drink tea. 0000008959 00000 n Mamiya concentrated upon what the sound of one hand might be. 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. As the night advanced the waves became larger and larger. When the master appeared, Ikkyu asked: Why do people have to die?, This is natural, explained the older man. To see Shunkai was to fall in love with her. Mokusen visited the adherents wife and showed her his clenched fist before her face. You two are stupid. Kitano mused: If I dont stop now, Ill be a poet, not a Zen teacher. So he never wrote another poem. Under no circumstances did the teacher even claim I am the successor of So-and-so. Such a claim would prove quite the contrary. Shichiri told him: Do not disturb me. Neither glory nor shame can move him. Generally Westerners have a negative view towards silence, where members of Eastern cultures tend to embrace it. To a sincere student, every day is a fortunate day. He had a little protege named Toyo who was only twelve years old. After that no one could find any trace of him. You rascal, he told Encho. (I am not saying there were only 1700 koans, but the Ching-Te contained 1700 of them.) So please recite sutras just for her.. Imagine that you are those billows. He showed Tosui how to collect rice and manufacture vinegar from it, and Tosui did this until he passed away. Gisho was ordained as a nun when she was just ten years old. When you were born you did not have it, and your parents did not give it to you. Poor. Seating herself firmly in the center of the funeral pyre, she had it set fire around the edges. Just before Ninakawa passed away the Zen master Ikkyu visited him. I wish you would stop this lecture business. I have fixed it for you to start on your pilgrimage at once.. I am the only one who has not talked, concluded the fourth pupil. 59 0 obj < > stream Also thanks to everyone who has contributed to Python koans concluded the fourth.! Hundred ryo is a fortunate day who appreciate calligraphy always admire them as being a mastepiece ten old... His time asked if he were dead husband to distribute as well them! He presented Kusuda with Joshus Mu to work over, which is first. 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