* From Zen Koans, www.ashidaKim.com -
Muddy Road
Tanzen
and Ekido were once travelling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling.
Coming around the bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.
"Come
on girl", said Tanzen 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 Tanzen, "especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?"
"I
left the girl there," said Tanzen. "Are you still carrying her?"
Teaching the Ultimate
In
early times in Japan, bamboo-and-paper lanterns were used with candles inside. A blind man, visiting
a friend one night, was offered a lantern to carry home with him.
"I
do not need a lantern," he said. "Darkness or light is all the same to me."
"I
know you do not need a lantern to find your way," his friend replied, "but if you don't have one, someone else may run into
you. So you must take it."
The
blind man started off with the lantern and before he had walked very far someone ran squarely into him. "Look out where you
are going!" he exclaimed to the stranger. "Can't you see this lantern?"
"Your
candle has burned out, brother," replied the stranger.
Eating the Blame
Circumstances
arose one day which delayed preparation of the dinner of a Soto Zen master, Fugai, and his followers. In haste the cook went
to the garden with his curved knife and cut off the tops of green vegetables, chopped them together, and made soup, unaware
that in his haste he had included a part of a snake in the vegetables.
The
followers of Fugai thought they had never tasted such great soup. But when the master himself found the snake's head in his
bowl, he summoned the cook. "What is this?" he demanded, holding up the head of the snake.
"Oh, thank you, master,"
replied the cook, taking the morsel and eating it quickly.
* From Nozien, http://www.nozen.com/index.htm -
The Gates of Paradise
A soldier named Nobushige came to Hakuin and asked, "Is there really a paradise and a hell?"
"Who are you?", asked Hakuin. "I am a samurai.", the warrior replied.
You, a soldier!", exclaimed Hakuin. "What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? Your face looks like that of a
beggar."
Nobushige became so angry that he began to draw his sword, but Hakuin continued, "So you have a sword! Your weapon
is probably much too dull to cut off my head."
As Nobushige drew his sword, Hakuin remarked, "Here open the gates of hell!" At these words, the samurai, perceiving
the master's discipline, sheathed his sword and bowed.
"Here open the gates of paradise.", said Hakuin.
A Cup of Tea
Nan-in received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in
served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he could restrain himself no longer. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"
"Like this cup", Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations.
How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"
A Shorter Line
One day Akbar drew a line with his royal hand on the floor of the open court and told his wise men that if they wanted
to keep heir jobs they must make the line shorter without touching any part of it.
Wise man after wise man approached and stood staring at the puzzle, but they were unable to solve the problem.
Finally Birbal stepped forward and drew a longer line next to the first one, without touching the first line.
Everyone in the court look at it and agreed. The first line was definitely shorter
The Value of Education
Nasreddin had a leaky ferry-boat, and used it to row people across the river. One day his passenger was a fussy schoolteacher,
and on the way across he decided to give Nasreddin a test and see how much he knew.
"Tell me, Nasreddin, what are eight sixes?"
"I've no idea."
"How do you spell magnificence?"
"I don't."
"Didn't you study anything at school?"
"No."
"In that case, half your life is lost."
Just then a fierce storm blew up, and the boat began to sink.
"Tell me, schoolteacher," said Nasreddin. "Did you ever learn to swim?"
"No."
"In that case, your whole life is lost."
Life As A Pig
One day, a old master had a vision of his next life. He immediately called in his favorite disciple and begged a favor
of him. "Anything for you master." the disciple replied.
"In my next life, I will come back as a pig. Soon after I die, our sow will give birth and I will be the fourth pig
of the litter. You will recognize me by a mark on my brow. When that happens, please take a sharp knife and end my life quickly.
Within the year, the master passed away and the sow gave birth. The disciple sharpened his knife and found the small
piglet. Suddenly the little pig screamed "Stop! Don't kill me!"
The disciple dropped his knife in surprise and stared at the little pig. "When I was like you I didn't know what a
pig's life would be like. It's great. Just let me go."
Causality
A wise man sought to find the true nature of reality. He meditated daily in front of the fence surrounding his humble
dwelling. He would look out at the world through a missing slat in the fence. Beyond his yard was a green pasture with a small
herd of cattle. Every morning the cows would walk past the fence in single file on their way to graze. Every evening they
would return, again in single file.
As each beast passed by the wise man, he would first glimpse the snout through the missing slat, followed by the head,
body and finally the tail.
One morning after the herd had passed him, the wise man sat in deep contemplation. Suddenly, as he was struck by total
infinite understanding - he arose and proclaimed, "The nose causes the tail!"
