--The Giver Should Be Thankful--

While Seietsu was the master of Engaku in Kamakura he required larger quarters, since those in which he was teaching were overcrowded. Umeza Seibei a merchant of Edo, decided to donate five hundred pieces of gold called ryo toward the construction of a more commodious school. This money he brought to the teacher.

Seisetsu said: "All right. I will take it."

Umezu gave Seisetsu the sack of gold, but he was dissatisfied with the attitude of the teacher. One might live a whole year on three ryo, and the merchant had not even been thanked for five hundred.

"In that sack are five hundred ryo," hinted Umeza.

"You told me that before," replied Seisetsu.

"Even if I am a wealthy merchant, five hundred ryo is a lot of money," said Umezu.

"Do you want me to thank you for it?" asked Seisetsi.

"You ought to," replied Umeza.

"Why should I?" inquired Seisetsu. "The giver should be thankful."

--Ryonen's Clear Realization--

The Buddhist nun known as Ryonen was born in 1797. She was a granddaughter of the famous Japanese warrior Shingen. Her poetical genius and alluring beauty were such that at seventeen she was serving the empress as one of the ladies of the court. Even at such a youthful age fame awaited her.

The beloved empress died suddenly and Ryonen's hopeful dreams vanished. She became acutely aware of the impermanency of life in this world. It was then that she desired to study Zen.

Her relatives disagreed, however, and practically forced her into marriage. With a promise that she might become a nun after she had borne three children, Ryonen assented. Before she was twenty-five she had accomplished this condition. Then her husband and relatives could no longer dissuade her from her desire. She shaved her head, took the name of Ryonen, which means to realize clearly, and started on her pilgrimage.

She came to the city of Edo and asked Tetsugya to accept her as a disciple. At one glance the master rejected her because she was too beautiful.

Ryonen went to another master, Hakuo. Hakuo refused her for the same reason, saying that her beauty would only make trouble.

Ryonen obtained a hot iron and placed it against her face. In a few moments her beauty had vanished forever.

Hakuo then accepted her as a disciple.

Commemorating this occasion, Ryonen wrote a poem on the back of a little mirror:

In the service of my Empress I burned incense to perfume my exquisite clothes,

Now as a homeless mendicant I burn my face to enter a Zen temple.

When Ryonen was about to pass from this world, she wrote another poem:

Sixty-six times have these eyes beheld the changing scene of autumn.

I have said enough about moonlight,

Ask no more.

Only listen to the voice of pines and cedars when no wind stirs.

--Black-Nosed Buddha--

A nun who was searching for enlightenment made a statue of Buddha and covered it with gold leaf. Wherever she went she carried this golden Buddha with her.

Years passed and, still carrying her Buddha, the nun came to live in a small temple in a country where there were many Buddhas, each one with its own particular shrine.

The nun wished to burn incense before her golden Buddha. Not liking the idea of the perfume straying to others, she devised a funnel through which the smoke would ascend only to her statue. This blackened the nose of the golden Buddha, making it especially ugly.

--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 to Japan many desired to interview him and asked obscure questions. But when Shinkan received visitors, which was infrequently, he seldom answered their questions.

One day a fifty-year-old student of enlightenment said to Shinkan: "I have studied the Tendai school of thought since I was a little boy, but one thing in it I cannot understand. Tendai claims that even the grass and trees will become enlightened. To me this seems very strange."

"Of what use is it to discuss how grass and trees become enlightened?" asked Shinkan. "The question is how you yourself can become so. Did you even consider that?"

"I never thought of it that way," marveled the old man.

"Then go home and think it over," finished Shinkan.

-- Perfect Concentration --

Someone asked, "What is perfect concentration (samadhi)?"
Zen Master Yunmen replied, "Shut up unless I ask you!"

----!!!!----

What kind of Master is he? If he knows, then why doesn't he explain clearly? If he doesn't know, then how is he a master in the first place? If he can't make things easier why doesn't he keep quite?
Solve this mystery before it is too late...
तब बहुत देर हो चुकी होगी 
जब तुम्हें हम समझ में आएँगे ...
The poet says:
It would have been very late by then,
When you will understand me!

It's already very late. When will you understand that no one else can give you the answer? You have to meditate yourself to experience it! When you will progress in the journey of meditation, you will be thankful to Master Yunmen for not giving a clear cut answer! Even if someone comes to give you the answer, don't take it. Say him that you will meditate yourself and find the answer yourself. Then you will become free of these so called religious leaders and scriptures!!!

-- The First Thing --

A novice said to a master, "I want to be a great man. What is the first thing I should do?"
The master answered, "Forget about being a great man."

----!!!!----

A really great person doesn’t even know that he is great!
There is a beautiful story in Ramayana. When Rama goes to exile, his brother Bharat refuses to accept the throne and goes to forest to appease Rama. There have been many wars between brothers in the history, but this was the only case where brothers were fighting not to take the kingdom!
Such pious people! But, when Bharat was about to reach the place where Rama lived in forest, he thought that Ram must be thinking that Bharat is evil. Bharat thought that Brother Rama must be thinking that Bharat has conspired Rama’s exile. Bharat thought that Brother Rama might leave this place and go somewhere else if he hears that Bharat is coming!!!
रामु लखनु सिय सुनि मम नाऊँ। उठि जनि अनत जाहिं तजि ठाऊँ॥
(भरतजी सोचते हैं) श्री राम, लक्ष्मण और सीताजी मेरा नाम सुनकर स्थान छोड़कर कहीं दूसरी जगह उठकर न चले जाएँ॥
“(Bharatji thinks that) God forbid that Shri Rama, Lakshmana and Sita leave the place on hearing my name and shift to some other place!”
~ Ramcharit Manas (Ayodhya Kaand, 233/8) ~
This is religiousness!!
A real religious person won’t be even knowing that he is religious. But if you see these so called religious people - they are filled with great pride and ego. And they even preach others to be proud of being a Hindu or a Mohemmadan or a Christian or so on! They think that they are one of the chosen few and hence they will go to heaven and all others who do not follow their religions are bound to go to hell! People have made even their so called religions a matter of ego and pride! These so called religions have made people utterly irreligious by giving them superiority complex!
No! Master is saying that a great man is not egotist!

--Everything is Best--

When Banzan was walking through a market he overheard a conversation between a butcher and his customer.

"Give me the best piece of meat you have," said the customer.

"Everything in my shop is the best," replied the butcher. "You cannot find here any piece of meat that is not the best."

At these words Banzan became enlightened.

--No Water, No Moon--

When the nun Chiyono studied Zen under Bukko of Engaku she was unable to attain the fruits of meditation for a long time.

At last one moonlit night she was carrying water in an old pail bound with bamboo. The bamboo broke and the bottom fell out of the pail, and at that moment Chiyono was set free!

In commemoration, she wrote a poem:

In this way and that I tried to save the old pail

Since the bamboo strip was weakening and about to break

Until at last the bottom fell out.

No more water in the pail!

No more moon in the water!

---The Voice---

After Bankei had passed away, a blind man who lived near the master's temple told a friend: "Since I am blind, I cannot watch a person's face, so I must judge his character by the sound of his voice. Ordinarily when I hear someone congratulate another upon his happiness or success, I also hear a secret tone of envy. 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.
"In all my experience, however, Bankei's voice was always sincere. Whenever he expressed happiness, I heard nothing but happiness, and whenever he expressed sorrow, sorrow was all I heard!"

---The Silent Temple---

Shoichi was a one-eyed teacher of Zen, sparkling with enlightenment. He taught his disciples in Tofuku temple.

Day and night the whole temple stood in silence. There was no sound at all.

Even the reciting of sutras was abolished by the teacher. His pupils had nothing to do but meditate.

One day, an old neighbor heard the ringing of bells and the recitation of sutras. Then she knew Shoichi had passed away!!!

-- The Upright Listening --

A monk asked, "What is upright listening?"

Zen master Xita Guangmu said, "It doesn't enter through your ear."

The monk said, "How can that be?"

Xita said, “Do you hear it?"

----!!!!----

Crazy Zen stories can be understood only when you go crazy for meditation! Fall in love with meditation. Go very deep within yourself. Only then you will realize the meanings of these Zen Stories.

अब और गर्दिश-ए-तक़दीर क्या सताएगी ?

लुटा के इश्क़ में नाम-ओ-निशान बैठे हैं...!

The poet says:
What more, misfortune can harm me?
I am here after having destroyed my existence in love!

Only when you meditate so passionately, the meaning of these stories are revealed. Otherwise all you will do with these stories is either play a game of philosophies or just entertain your mind and move on!

If you ask a Hindu “What is upright listening?” He will say: listening to Vedas. If you ask a Mohemmadan “What is upright listening?” He will say: listening to Koraan! And same is the dogma of all the religions! Anything which goes against their scriptures is wrong and anything which is in favor of their scriptures is right! This is the dogma! Hence a Mohemmadan cannot endorse Vedas. A Hindu cannot endorse Bible and so on so forth! This is why a philosopher cannot understand these Zen Stories.

And also if someone is here only for entertainment, he cannot understand these stories. Remember! If you do not meditate and just read these stories merely for entertainment then you are doing a big harm to yourself. Very soon you will get bored of these stories. A non-meditator is carrying a monkey mind with himself! A non-meditator is bound to become bored of these stories sooner or later. Only if you are a meditator then each and every story will motivate you to meditate. Otherwise very soon you will too get bored, move on and hence yourself close this door of Zen. Thus would yourself make yourself devoid of knowing the treasure which was already yours! Start meditating before this happens. Don’t just read these stories for the sake of entertainment.

-- The True Prostration --

One day, when Zen Master Huangbo was bowing before a Buddha image, the novice Xuan asked, “If we should 'seek nothing from the Buddha, seek nothing from the Dharma, and seek nothing from the Sangha,' then what does your venerable seek by bowing to the Buddha?”
Master Huangbo replied, “Seeking nothing from the Buddha, seeking nothing from the Dharma, seeking nothing from the Sangha - that's how I always do prostrations.”
“Why bow then?” Xuan insisted.
Master Huangbo slapped the novice.
“How rude!” Xuan said.
“What sort of place is this to be talking about rudeness or courtesy?” Master replied and he slapped Xuan again.

-------!!!!-------
People go to temples and churches and mosques and they complain to their so called Gods and they think that they are religious. Have you ever noticed what your prayers are? They are just complains. Someone couldn't get a good job, someone couldn't get a promotion, someone couldn't get a good husband/wife - they go to these so called religious places and complain and they think they are doing prayer!! They also give bribe to God. They say - do this for me and I will offer this to you. Get me a good job and I will make an offering to you. They are businessman. And if by mistake, their wish is fulfilled they feel they are great devotee and if not they become more discontented. This is how people live. They are worshippers of world. They are not a worshipper of God. They have a long list of demands. If some God fulfils those demands and thereafter commits suicide also, it is ok for them.
They bow, but deep down they have not bowed at all. You will see same ego in them as it was before they went to temple. This is the whole trick! They go to temple simply because they can't face themselves - they can't meditate. Going to temple is a trick to evade from themselves, evade from meditation.
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF IRRELIGIOUS PEOPLE IN THE WORLD: ONE WHO KNOW THAT THEY ARE IRRELIGIOUS AND OTHER WHO DON'T KNOW THAT THEY ARE IRRELIGIOUS! Most of the people fall in second category. They are irreligious and they think they are great devotees of God!
On the other hand, there are some atheist, who think they are very rational man! They do not meditate, but they think they are in Zen, just because they are atheist.
People always complain. People always see what they do not have - what is NOT and the truth always IS. A meditator lives a different quality of life. He is thankful for whatever he has got from the life and he is so happy that he wants to pay gratitude. You are living - you have got life. If the next breath doesn't come, can you go and claim someone that I must get the next breath? No! We have got more than we can claim, more than we deserve. This understanding brings a thankfulness. He is thankful not because he expects anything in return, he is just thankful. That thankfulness is the real prayer. Only a meditator can pray, others can just complain! No matter how religious they think about themselves, but I tell you - they are IRRELIGIOUS.
Zen people are thankful to Buddha, not because they expect something in return. It is because of the great debt we have on him. Buddha could have become enlightened and then could have not shared his meditation technique Vipassana with us. But he did not do so. He spread it all over. This is his true compassion. Master Huangbo respects Buddha, just because he is grateful to him.
The other aspect of this story is about duality. Master Huangbo says, "What kind of place is this to talk about duality? Insult and Honor? Rudeness or courtesy?" Master is pointing about non-dualistic state.

 

-- In the Hands of Destiny --

A great Japanese warrior named Nobunaga decided to attack the enemy although he had only one-tenth the number of men the opposition commanded. He knew that he would win, but his soldiers were in doubt.

On the way he stopped at a Shinto shrine and told his men: "After I visit the shrine I will toss a coin. If heads comes, we will win; if tails, we will lose. Destiny holds us in her hand."

Nobunaga entered the shrine and offered a silent prayer. He came forth and tossed a coin. Heads appeared. His soldiers were so eager to fight that they won their battle easily.

"No one can change the hand of destiny," his attendant told him after the battle.

"Indeed not," said Nobunaga, showing a coin which had been doubled, with heads facing either way.

-- Misunderstood --

One Zen master in Japan was continuously being sent to jail for small things... stealing. And a great master -- even the magistrates respected him. They asked him, "Why do you do this? You have thousands of disciples; even the emperor comes to touch your feet -- and you have stolen somebody's shoes...!"

He simply smiled. And his whole life it continued -- three months in jail, then two or three months outside. Then again he would find a way... and finally everybody became accustomed to the fact that he is incurable.
But there must be some secret....

The day he was dying, one disciple asked, "Don't leave us before telling the secret. Why did you continue your whole life stealing absolutely unnecessary things? We were ready to offer you anything you wanted; you never asked for anything."

The man, before dying opened his eyes and he said, "The reason was that in the prison are the most drunk, asleep people -- murderers, rapists, thieves, all kinds of criminals. I had to be with them to awaken them; there was no other way."

-- The Buddha Demon --

Zen Master Linji Yixuan (Japanese: Rinzai) once said to a monk, 

"If you seek the Buddha, you will be caught by the Buddha Demon;

if you seek the patriarchs, you will be bound by the patriarch-Demon.
Whatever you are seeking, all becomes suffering."

~ The Record of Linji ~

----!!!!----

These Zen Masters are wonderful! Such type of fun is possible only in a Zen environment. If you go to a Christian society and there you say 'Jesus Demon', or if you go to a Mohemmadan society and there you say 'Mohammad Demon', then your life is in danger!
Zen is the only religion which has made humor and iconoclasm religious!
People are egotist. Their way of living bring misery. But they want to remain as they are and seek the grace of some Buddha or some deity and think that those deities can bring them out of their miseries!!! They think that God or that deity has created miseries for them…

ये ज़रा ज़रा सी बात पर,

तरह तरह का आज़ाब क्यों ?

जो किसी से भी खफा ना हो,

मुझे उस खुदा की तलाश है !

The poet says:

“Why so many punishments for small things?
I am seeking a God who doesn’t become angry at anyone!”

Master Linji is saying, stop searching for your imaginary concepts and start looking within. As soon as one starts meditating, it starts becoming clear what the things are which are making him miserable. Then one starts becoming free of them :)

-- The Most Important Principle of Zen --

A monk besought Zen Master Zhaozhou to tell him the most vitally important principle of Zen.

The master, excusing himself: "I must now go to make water. Think even such a trifling thing I have to do in person."

-- The Thief and the Zen master --

One evening, Zen Master Shichiri Kojun was reciting sutras when a thief entered his house with a sharp sword, demanding "money or life". Without any fear, Shichiri said, "Don't disturb me! Help yourself with the money, it's in that drawer". And he resumed his recitation. 
The thief was startled by this unexpected reaction, but he proceeded with his business anyway. While he was helping himself with the money, the master stopped and called, "Don't take all of it. Leave some for me to pay my taxes tomorrow". The thief left some money behind and prepared to leave. Just before he left, the master suddenly shouted at him, "You took my money and you didn't even thank me?! That's not polite!" This time, the thief was really shocked at such fearlessness. He thanked the master and ran away. The thief later told his friends that he had never been so frightened in his life. 
A few days later, the thief was caught and confessed, among many others, his theft at Shichiri's house. When the master was called as a witness, he said, "No, this man did not steal anything from me. I gave him the money. He even thanked me for it." 
The thief was so touched that he decided to repent. Upon his release from prison, he became a disciple of the master and many years later, he attained Enlightenment.

----!!!!----
An enlightened person can never condemn you. He knows that all these sins are superficial. Deep down you are the same consciousness as he is.
But religions have done the reverse. They have condemned you a lot. They say pray to God and your prayers will be heard to. When your prayers get fulfilled, they say: See what I said? And when it doesn't get heard, they say you are a sinner. Unless you are pure and perfect, your prayers will not be heard. Now how a man can be perfect? So you start feeling guilty. You start feeling imperfect; you start feeling sinful. And then the priest says, come to me, I will show you the path of purity. Follow my religion. This is the whole trick of the religions! To make you feel guilty, to make you feel sinner and then entangle you in their trap!
No! Zen says, everyone has their own nature. At most it may not be in tune with your nature. There's nothing wrong in keeping distance from those whose nature do not resonates with you, but don't judge them; don't condemn them.

-- The Intention --

One day a monk asked Master Shishuang, “Is the intention of our ancestor Bodhidharma contained within the scriptures?”

    The master said, “It's there.”

    The monk asked, “What is this intention of our ancestor within the scriptures?”

    The master said, “Don't search for it within those pages.”

-- Old Shakyamuni --

[Many times Zen Masters are known by the mountain where their monastery was located. For Example: Zen Master Baizhang Huaihai was known by the name of the Mount Baizhang. His actual name was Huaihai.]
Zen Master Yangqi addressed the monks, saying, “There is no great meaning on Yangqi. What you sow you’ll reap! Old Shakyamuni was talking in a dream. Where will you find any trace of it now?”
Yangqi then struck the meditation platform and shouted, “Practice!”

----!!!!----

There are two types of knowledge: One which can be transferred and other which cannot be transferred. If a Newton comes to know about Law of Gravitation, you do not need to reinvent it again. You can just read any book and come to know that. But life experiences cannot be transmitted so easily. You have to reinvent again.

This is what Master Yangqi is saying. Practice! Meditate yourself. Don’t just cram the words of Buddha!

-- Forest Of Thorns --

A monk asked Zen master Xiyuan, "What is a Zen monastery?"

Xiyuan said, "A forest of thorns."

----!!!!----

We have filled our mind with so much nonsense that now we feel afraid to look within. If we look within, we find all kinds of crazy thoughts going on. Hence people evade from meditation because they find it arduous to look within themselves. Talking about bliss, enlightenment, god is interesting because you get momentary peace from such talks. Meditation is arduous. Hence people find all kinds of excuses to evade from meditation!!!

Meditation is painful for such people!

हाल ये है के अपनी हालत पे
गौर करने से डर लगता है ....!!

The poet says that his situation is such

That he is afraid of even concentrating on it!

This is what people do. People don’t want to look within. They keep themselves busy in so many activities so that they can forget that they are so crazy! They don’t want to meditate because they have made their mind a mad house, yet they want others to understand them!  

मुझे देख कर जो एक नज़र, मेरे सारे दर्द समझ सके

कोई ऐसा हो जो हमसफ़र, मुझे उस शख्स की तलाश है!

 “I am looking for such a partner, who, just by looking at me

Can understand all my pains!”

People don’t want to meditate themselves, they want others to pay attention on them!!!

This is what Master Xiyuan is saying because in Zen Monastery people meditate continuously. Even when they are working, eating, bathing they keep on meditating. Since, I am an old student now, whenever I go to ten days residential meditation program, I have to constantly remain aware. No break for old students!

If you don’t get afraid and keep meditating then all the problems which you were facing initially in meditation will disappear. It is just like when you learn to swim. Initially you get submerged in water again and again. Slowly slowly when you learn swimming then it becomes fun. It becomes enjoyable!

-- The Correct Question --

A monk asked, "What is the correct question and answer?"
"It is that which one does not speak from the mouth," replied the Master.
"Then if there is someone who asks you about it, do you answer him?" the monk asked further.
"I have not yet been asked," answered the Master.

---!!!!---

Zen is not the way of words and discussion and philosophy and quotes from scriptures! Zen is all about meditative silence.

Words always remain insufficient in cases of life experiences. When you love someone you have to hug him. When you are angry at someone you have to slap him. No word can replace that hug or that slap!

हज़ार बार हुई है उस से गुफ्तगू लेकिन

हज़ार बार कोई बात रह गयी मुझसे ...!!

“Thousand times I have talked to that person,

Thousand times I missed to say something…!!”The Master is saying that the actual matter is beyond words!

--The Way--

A seeker asked a Zen Master: "If you follow any way, you will never get there; and if you do not follow any way, you will never get there. So one faces a dilemma."
The Zen Master said, "Let the dilemma be your way!"