Be You.
The World will adjust!!!

-- Tao --

 A monk asked Wei-kuan: "What is Tao?"

Wei-kuan replied: "What a fine mountain!"

"I am asking you about the Tao -- why do you talk up the mountain?"

"As long as you only know about the mountain," said Wei-kuan, "you can never attain the Tao."  

--Any question?--

One day Te-shan gave a sermon, in which he said, "When you question, you commit a fault.  When you do not, you give offense."

A monk came forward and began to bow, whereupon the master struck him. 

"I have just begun my bowing!"  said the monk.  "Why did you strike me?"

"If I wait for you to open your mouth, all will be over."

--Lotus Blossoms and Leaves--

A monk asked Chimon, "Before the lotus blossom has emerged from the water, what is it?" Chimon said, "A lotus blossom." The monk pursued, "After it has come out of the water, what is it?" Chimon replied, "Lotus leaves."

-- Why? --

A monk saw a turtle in the garden of Daizui's monastery and asked the teacher, "All beings cover their bones with flesh and skin. Why does this being cover its flesh and skin with bones?" Master Daizui took off one of his sandals and covered the turtle with it.

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

A meditator sees what is and enjoys it! You cannot ask nature that why gravitation pulls downwards? Why doesn't it throw upwards? Remember! Zen comes from the root Dhyana. Hence all these Zen Stories are related to what happens to a meditator. If you are not meditating and just reading these Zen Stories then you are just wasting your time!

--Where to Meet after Death--

Dogo paid a visit to his sick fellow monk, Ungan. "Where can I see you again if you die and leave only your corpse?" Dogo asked. "I will meet you where nothing dies," Ungan replied. Dogo criticized his response saying, "What you should have said is that there is no place where nothing is born and nothing dies and that we need not see each other at all."

-- Returning to the Ordinary World --

A monk asked Kegon, "How does an enligthtened one return to the ordinary world?"

Kegon replied, "A broken mirror never reflects again; fallen flowers never go back to the old branches."

-- Bodhidharma and the Emperor Wu --

Emperor Wu of China was a very benevolent Buddhist. He built many temples and monasteries, educated many monks, and performed countless philanthropic deeds in the name of Buddhism. He asked the great teacher Bodhidharma, "What merit is there in my good works?" Bodhidharma replied, "None whatsoever." The Emperor then asked, "What is the Primal meaning of Holy Reality?" Bodhidharma answered, "Emptiness, not holiness." The Emperor then queried, "Who, then, is this confronting me?" "I do not know," was Bodhidharma's reply. Since the Emperor did not understand, Bodhidharma left his kingdom.

Later, the Emperor related this conversation to an adviser, Prince Shiko. Shiko reprimanded him, saying that Bodhidharma was a great teacher possessed of the highest truth. The Emperor, filled with regret, dispatched a messenger to entreat Bodhidharma to return. But Shiko warned, "Even if all the people in the land went, that one will never return."

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

A knowledgeable person cannot be adamant about any particular theory, because he sees many aspects. But if you see so called religious people they are too adamant about their faith system. And since the faith of one person cannot match with the faith of person of another religion, they start fighting!!!

Zen is the only scientific religion in the world because Zen is all about meditating without any faith system, without any pre-conceived notion.

--The Short Staff --

Shuzan held out his short staff and said, "If you call this a short staff, you oppose its reality. If you do not call it a short staff, you ignore the fact. Now what do you wish to call this?"

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

Science is borne out of fear of ignorance. To overcome ignorance, it labels everything. Labels like Tree, Stars, Leaves, Sun, Book, House etc. But just by naming do you think things become known? Do you think that you know tree? No! A meditator understands that all the nomenclature are just for the sake of practicality. Nothing can be known and there is no necessity. Existence is to be enjoyed. Who cares about names!

पड़ा न फ़र्क अनोखी जुबान लिखने से

ज़मीं ज़मीं ही रहा आसमान लिखने से !

Means

It brought no change by using great words

The earth remained earth even by naming it as sky!

-- No Cold and Heat --

A monk asked Tozan, "How can we escape the cold and heat?" 

Tozan replied, "Why not go where there is no cold and heat?" 

"Is there such a place?" the monk asked. 

Tozan commented, "When cold, be thoroughly cold; when hot, be hot through and through."

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

Zen is not about running away from a situation. Zen is observing anything and everything with meditative silence. If you are not meditating and just reading these stories then you are just wasting your time!!!

-- Two Monks --

Hogen of Seiryo monastery was about to lecture before dinner when he noticed that the bamboo screen lowered for meditation had not been rolled up. He pointed to it. Two monks arose from the audience and rolled it up.

Hogen, observing the physical moment, said: `The state of the first monk is good, not that of the other.'

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

There is a branch of psychology called Behavioral Psychology. Your behavior, your action says what's going in your mind. One monk might have rolled the screen meditatively, while other might have done it very restlessly. The other monk must not be meditating regularly and seriously. Doing same action doesn't mean that both are on same spiritual level!

सजाये रहते हैं चेहरे पे जो हँसी की किरण 

न जाने रूह में कितने शगाफ रखते हैं !!!

Means
Those who are having smiles on their faces,

At times have many cracks in their heart!

Don't be a fake person. Don't just show off to the society that you are a great meditator. Be a meditator indeed.

-- Without Words, Without Silence --

A monk asked Fuketsu: `Without speaking, without silence, how can you express the truth?'

Fuketsu observed: `I always remember spring-time in southern China. The birds sing among innumerable kinds of fragrant flowers.'

-- The Original Face --

The monk Hui-ming was one of those who were running after Hui-neng - the Sixth Patriarch of Zen in China - for the robe and bowl that had come down from the Buddha Himself, they were the symbols of Buddha Dharma transmission in Zen tradition. When he caught up Hui-neng, he realized that the ultimate things are not the robe and bowl, but something else. He said, "Venerable Sir, I came for the Dharma (teaching), not for the robe and bowl."
Hui-neng then said, "Since you have come here for the Dharma, you should shut out all objects and not conceive a single thought, then I will expound the Dharma for you."
Hui-ming was silent for a long while. Hui-neng said, "When you do not think of good and do not think of bad, what is your original face?"
At these words, Hui-ming had a deep insight. Then he asked, "You have given me the secret words and meanings. Is there yet a deeper part of the teaching?"
Hui-neng said,"What I have told you is no secret. If you reflect inwardly, the secret is in you."

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

Actually google was not available at that time. We are smart! No meditation is needed now. We can google out 'what is the original face' and get the answer in seconds!!!

-- The Enlightened Man --

Zen Master Shôgen asked: “Why does the enlightened man not stand on his feet and explain himself?” And he also said: “It is not necessary for speech to come from the tongue.”

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

No word can encompass that which is experienced in deep meditation. So Zen doesn't give you a clear cut theory to you to have faith upon. Zen is utterly against all the faith systems because all the faith systems are collection of words. So, Zen is against Hinduism, against Islam, against Christianity. Zen is against all the religions. Zen is both : A religion and a rebellion against all the religion.
People stick to some particular words and think that they have known. Then they fall prey to what psychology terms as 'Confirmation Bias'. They seek all sorts of proof which can confirm that their faith is correct and disregard all those points which goes against their faith system. Someone is an atheist. He will find all kinds of logic which can prove that there is no God. He will disregard all kinds of things which can lead him to God. Someone is a theist. He will ignore all points which can prove that there is no God.
Did you notice - Not a single scientist and philosopher till date have thought that why everything should be logical? Why there should be logic behind everything? You can consult any advanced book of 'Logic Design'. It cannot be proved that there should be logic behind everything. But these so called scientists keep on playing the game of logic. This science doesn't seem to be scientific.
No! Zen doesn't suggest you to become a theist or an atheist. Zen is the purest form of science because it doesn't give you any assumption. Science is based upon assumptions, Zen is not!
Zen has only one message : Meditate!

-- The Three Calls --

Chu, called Kokushi, the teacher of the emperor, called to his attendant: `Oshin.'

Oshin answered: `Yes.'

Chu repeated, to test his pupil: `Oshin.'

Oshin repeated: `Yes.'

Chu called: `Oshin.'

Oshin answered: `Yes.'

Chu said `I ought to apologize for you for all this calling, but really you ought to apologize to me.'

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

The true self is not Oshin! It just is.

-- Joshu Washes the Bowl --

A monk told Joshu: `I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me.'

Joshu asked: `Have you eaten your rice porridge?'

The monk replied: `I have eaten.'

Joshu said: `Then you had better wash your bowl.'

At that moment the monk was enlightened.

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

What is the monk looking for? Stay in the present moment! That's all Zen has to say.

-- The World-Honored One Ascends the Teaching Seat --

One day the World-Honored One (The Buddha) ascended the teaching seat and the assembly came together.
Mahākāśyapa struck the mallet and announced: “The World-Honored One has just expounded the dharma.”
The World-Honored One descended from the teaching seat.

~ Case 141 of Dogen's 300 Koans ~

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

Why did the World-Honored One ascend the teaching seat in the first place??? Is there anything to be imparted???
From the story, it looks like not only Buddha was insane, he had crazy disciples too!!!  :D

--Worse Than a Clown--

There was a young monk in China who was a very serious practitioner of the Dharma.

Once, this monk came across something he did not understand, so he went to ask the master. When the master heard the question, he kept laughing. The master then stood up and walked away, still laughing.

The young monk was very disturbed by the master’s reaction. For the next 3 days, he could not eat, sleep nor think properly. At the end of 3 days, he went back to the master and told the master how disturbed he had felt.

When the master heard this, he said, “Monk, do you know what your problem is? Your problem is that YOU ARE WORSE THAN A CLOWN!”

The monk was shocked to hear that, “Venerable Sir, how can you say such a thing?! How can I be worse than a clown?”

The master explained, “A clown enjoys seeing people laugh. You? You feel disturbed because another person laughed. Tell me; are you not worse than a clown?”

When the monk heard this, he began to laugh. He was enlightened.

-- Time To Learn --

 
A young but earnest Zen student approached his teacher, and asked the Zen Master: 
"If I work very hard and diligent how long will it take for me to find Zen." 
The Master thought about this, then replied, "Ten years." 
The student then said, "But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast -- How long then?" 
Replied the Master, "Well, twenty years." 
"But, if I really, really work at it. How long then?" asked the student. 
"Thirty years," replied the Master. 
"But, I do not understand," said the disappointed student. "At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that?" 
Replied the Master," When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path."

--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 to Bankei with the request that the culprit be expelled. Bankei ignored the case.

Later the pupil was caught in a similar act, and again Bankei disregarded the matter. This angered the other pupils, who drew up a petition asking for the dismissal of the thief, stating that otherwise they would leave in a body.

When Bankei had read the petition he called everyone before him. “You are wise brothers,” he told them. “You know what is right and what is not right. You may go somewhere else to study if you wish, but this poor brother does not even know right from wrong. Who will teach him if I do not? I am going to keep him here even if all the rest of you leave.”

A torrent of tears cleansed the face of the brother who had stolen. All desire to steal had vanished.

--Present Moment--

A Japanese warrior was captured by his enemies and thrown into prison. That night he was unable to sleep because he feared that the next day he would be interrogated, tortured, and executed. Then the words of his Zen master came to him, “Tomorrow is not real. It is an illusion. The only reality is now.” Heeding these words, the warrior became peaceful and fell asleep.

--One Note of Zen--

After Kakua visited the emperor he disappeared and no one knew what became of him. He was the first Japanese to study Zen in China, but since he showed nothing of it, save one note, he is not remembered for having brought Zen into his country.

Kakua visited China and accepted the true teaching. He did not travel while he was there. Meditating constantly, he lived on a remote part of a mountain. Whenever people found him and asked him to preach he would say a few words and then move to another part of the mountain where he could be found less easily.

The emperor heard about Kakua when he returned to Japan and asked him to preach Zen for his edification and that of his subjects.

Kakua stood before the emperor in silence. He then produced a flute from the folds of his robe, and blew one short note. Bowing politely, he disappeared.

--Letter to a Dying Man--

Bassui wrote the following letter to one of his disciples who was about to die:

“The essence of your mind is not born, so it will never die. It is not an existence, which is perishable. It is not an emptiness, which is a mere void. It has neither color nor form. It enjoys no pleasures and suffers no pains.

“I know you are very ill. Like a good Zen student, you are facing that sickness squarely. You may not know exactly who is suffering, but question yourself: What is the essence of this mind? Think only of this. You will need no more. Covet nothing. Your end which is endless is as a snowflake dissolving in the pure air.”

-- Way Without Mistakes --

A monk asked Joshu, "What is the way without mistakes?"

Joshu said, "Knowing one's mind, seeing into one's nature, is the way without mistakes."

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

Zen is all about meditation. But people are very strange. They don't want to meditate.People have made their mind a mad-house and when things go on to the extreme, they somehow want to silent their mind by reading good quotes or reading these Zen stories. It is not going to happen instantly. The more you evade from meditation, the worse the probelm will become. And there is no button which you put off and the thoughts will disappear!

Also, Zen is not about silencing the mind. In fact the more you try to silence you mind, the more agitated it will become. No! Zen is about observing the mind.

उलझी निगाहों से मुसल्सल मुझे देखता रहा,
आईनें में खड़ा शख्स परेशान बहोत था...!!
Means
With confused eyes, he kept staring at me continuously
The person standing in the mirror was quite distressed!!!

But if you keep on observing patiently and persistently without discrimination, slowly slowly you will find that all the stress are on the periphery and you are just a watcher on the hill.
Zen is not about controlling the mind. Zen is about observing the mind. If you can't observe your thoughts directly, start with observing the breath and body sensations! But don't evade from meditation.

-- Mystery of Mysteries --

Once, a monk asked Tozan, "What is the mystery of mysteries?"

Tozan said, "It is like the tongue of a dead man."

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

The world is revealing its mysteries to us. It is up to us whether we understand it or not. The world is always motivating us to look within and meditate. It is up to us whether we meditate or not.The world will not come like a living man and shout at you to meditate. You have to yourself learn from life.

-- Zuigan Calls His Own Master --

Zen Master Zuigan called out to himself every day: `Master.'

Then he answered himself: ‘Yes, sir.'

And after that he added: ‘Awake! Awake!'

Again he answered: ‘Yes, sir.'

‘And after that,' he continued, `do not be deceived by others.'

‘Yes, sir; yes, sir,' he answered.

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

A meditator has to motivate himself to meditate. People around you are worldly. They never meditate. How will they come to motivate you to meditate? It is against their ego. Because if they suggest you to meditate and are themselves not meditating then it creates cognitive dissonance. You have to keep yourself motivated.

उठाना खुद ही पड़ता है, थका टूटा बदन अपना

कि जब तक सांस चलती है कोई कन्धा नहीं देता |

Means
One has to uplift his own tired body
Because till one breaths, no one comes to support him!

-- Xizhòng made Carts --

Zen Master Yuèān (1079-1152) said to a monk, “Xizhòng, the first wheel maker, made a cart whose wheels had a hundred spokes.
Now, suppose you took a cart and removed both the wheels and the axle.
What then becomes clear?”
(Case 8 of the Gateless Gate)

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

Zen starts from awareness of body and mind, but it goes beyond both! Are you only a composition of mind and matter? Or something else as well? You can think about this and then come to an answer. You can even mug up its answers from scriptures. Those answers may become right but you shall remain wrong. Only your own authentic experience of truth can save you.
Remember! Zen is not about information. Zen is about transformation! Though Master Yuèān is asking this question, he is not asking you to think or google out its answer. No! He is asking you to meditate and have the direct experience of the truth. So don't blindly conclude that there is nothing beyond mind and matter or there is a soul or there is a God. No! Just meditate.

-- The Meaning --       

Great Master Kyōgen Chikan was a Dharma heir of Great Master Isan Reiyū. He once said to his assembly, “Imagine someone climbing up a tree at the edge of a thousand-foot-high cliff.( ‘Climbing a tree’ is a metaphor for doing one’s training and practice) He grabs hold of a branch with his mouth, since he cannot get a hold with his feet and he is unable to pull himself up with his hands. Just at that moment, a man at the bottom of the tree asks him, ‘Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?’ At such a time, were he to open his mouth to answer the man, he would lose his grip and forfeit his life. Were he not to answer, he would make a mistake due to the nature of what was asked. (That is, by not answering a spiritual question, he would be acting contrary to the Bodhisattva vow to spiritually help all sentient beings.) Speak up! What, for goodness sake, should he do at such a time?”

At that moment, a novice monk named Kotō Shō came forth from the assembly and said, “I have no question about the time when the man has gone up the tree but, Venerable Monk, please tell me, what about the time before he has climbed the tree?”

The master thereupon gave a great laugh, “Ha ha.”

--Nothing exists--

Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku.

Desiring to show his attainment, he said: “The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received.”

Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth quite angry.

“If nothing exists,” inquired Dokuon, “where did this anger come from?”

--Non-Attachment--

Kitano Gempo, abbot of Eihei temple, was ninety-two years old when he passed away in the year 1933. He endeavored his whole life not to be attached to anything. As a wandering mendicant when he was twenty he happened to meet a traveler who smoked tobacco. As they walked together down a mountain road, they stopped under a tree to rest. The traveler offered Kitano a smoke, which he accepted, as he was very hungry at the time.

“How pleasant this smoking is,” he commented. The other gave him an extra pipe and tobacco and they parted.

Kitano felt: “Such pleasant things may disturb meditation. Before this goes too far, I will stop now.” So he threw the smoking outfit away.

When he was twenty-three years old he studied I-King, the profoundest doctrine of the universe. It was winter at the time and he needed some heavy clothes. He wrote his teacher, who lived a hundred miles away, telling him of his need, and gave the letter to a traveler to deliver. Almost the whole winter passed and neither answer nor clothes arrived. So Kitano resorted to the prescience of I-King, which also teaches the art of divination, to determine whether or not his letter had miscarried. He found that this had been the case. A letter afterwards from his teacher made no mention of clothes.

“If I perform such accurate determinative work with I-King, I may neglect my meditation,” felt Kitano. So he gave up this marvelous teaching and never resorted to its powers again.

When he was twenty-eight he studied Chinese calligraphy and poetry. He grew so skillful in these arts that his teacher praised him. Kitano mused: “If I don’t stop now, I’ll be a poet, not a Zen teacher.” So he never wrote another poem.