Tag archives for Zen Masters
Wooden Statue
I am reminded of another Zen master. He must have been a man of some similar qualities to Bodhidharma; he was a disciple in the same lineage. He was staying…
Hell And Heaven
I am reminded of a great Zen master. The emperor of Japan had been wanting to come to see him but the path to his monastery was dangerous, going through…
Chuang Tzu And Butterfly
I have told you the famous story about Chuang Tzu: One morning he woke up with tears in his eyes, so sad and so depressed. His disciples had never seen…
Don’t Judge
I have told you the story of a Zen master… A thief entered his house without knowing that it was a Zen master’s house – it contained nothing. The Zen…
Trust
A Zen master creates such a tremendous trust. It is not belief – belief is in theories, theologies. Trust is a personal intimacy, a feeling that “he understands me; that’s…
Allow The Life Force
In Zen monasteries they teach the seekers only one secret, and the secret is: do something without bringing the ‘I’ into it. If you can do something without bringing the…
How Grass and Trees Become Enlightened
During the Kamakura period, Shinkan studied Tendai six years and then studied Zen seven years; then he went to China and contemplated Zen for thirteen years more. When he returned…
Wanting God
A hermit was meditating by a river when a young man interrupted him. “Master, I wish to become your disciple,” said the man. “Why?” replied the hermit. The young man…
Right and Wrong
When Bankei held his seclusion-weeks of meditation, pupils from many parts of Japan came to attend. During one of these gatherings a pupil was caught stealing. The matter was reported…