As It Is

 

A monk asked, ‘What is the meaning of the coming from the West?’ 

Zen Master Mingzhen Hongtao replied, ‘It is as it is.’

~ Transmission of the Lamp, Vol. 5 (Tr. R.S. Whitfield) ~

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Zen suggests to look at the truth as it is. It doesn't support positive thinking, and it doesn't promote negative thinking. Sometimes people ask me why do Zen Masters condemn religions, gurus and scriptures so much? Why don't we see the positive aspects of them and ignore the negative things? Why are we so negative? Today's post is for so-called Positive Thinkers!

In the current times, the corona has killed so many people, and scientists are working on inventing a vaccine for it. How negative they are! Due to corona, the pollution level has reduced, and the rivers have become clean. These negative scientists should practice positive thinking and create more viruses!

Suppose you have brain-tumour and you go to the doctor. Should the doctor treat you, or should he say how negative you are? You are not looking at 5 feet 8 inches of healthy body parts and merely looking at one negative micro-sized tumour!! Practice Positive Thinking. 

Suppose you have a lovely friend who has helped you in many adverse times. One day he was drunk, and he tried to misbehave with you sister. Will you allow him to do so? How negative are you to stop him? Have positive thinking. Look at the fact that he has helped you so many times and allow him to rape your sister a couple of times. But you won't. You just want to pontificate positive thinking!

Next time if you see anyone preaching you about positive thinking, immediately slap him on one cheek and ask him to stay positive because you didn't slap him on the other cheek!!

No! Zen says, see the truth as it is. If you start ignoring the negative things, they will soon overpower the positive things too!

Sozan's Four Don'ts

Zen Master Sozan said:

Do not follow the bird's road of mind;

Do not clothe yourself before you are born;

Do not say the present minute is eternal;

Do not express yourself before birth.

All Buddha's teachings are aimed at cutting off the root of human illusions and overcoming human troubles due to self imposed boundaries. However, the minute we learn something we tend to become attached to it. For this reason Sozan prescribed four antidotes. The first is not to follow the bird's road of mind. The bird flies freely in the sky, and there is no set road to fly. But even such a way of selflessness can become attachment. Second, do not clothe yourself before you are born—do not attach even to non-attachment. Third, do not say the present minute is eternal because all things are in constant change, are continuously becoming. Every minute is real, but it is passing, and you can not hold it or say it is eternal. And, lastly, the truth is beyond time and space, and even the time before birth is within time if it is once conceptualized. Whatever becomes conceptualized loses life. It is like a live fish swimming in the water. If you catch it and take it out, the fish will die. A caught fish is a dead fish. So Sozan warns, whatever it is, no matter how good, how beautiful, or how true, do not try to catch and possess it.

Zen is the path of eternity. Down the ages all the civilizations and religions have divided the humanity. The whole world was one. Few politicians and religious gurus divided it into many pieces and now they ask us to be proud of that piece. They ask us to be proud of being Indian, American, Australian or so. They pontificate us to be proud of being Hindu, Mohammedan, Christian or so. Zen says that a person who is proud of any religion can never be religious.

Be clear about this. That which connects you with eternity is true religion and that which restricts you to a boundary and asks you to be proud of self-made prison is criminal. You are infinite sky; why become limited? Civilizations and religions want to give you ego. Don't take it because ego is the root of miseries. Realize your true face before your father and mother were born.

-- 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."  

-- The Great Meaning --

Zen master Muzhou asked a monk, "Where do you come from?"

The monk said, "From Liuyang."

Muzhou said, "What does the teacher there say when a student asks him about the great meaning of the Buddhadharma?"

The monk said, "He says,'Traveling everywhere without a path.'"

Muzhou said, "Does that teacher really say that or not?"

The monk said, "He really does say that."

Muzhou took his staff and struck the monk, saying, "This fool just repeats words!"

--May be--

There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically. "May be," the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed. "May be," replied the old man. The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. "May be," answered the farmer. The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. "May be," said the farmer.

--The True Path--

Just before Ninakawa passed away the Zen master Ikkyu visited him. "Shall I lead you on?" Ikkyu asked.

Ninakawa replied: "I came here alone and I go alone. What help could you be to me?"

Ikkyu answered: "If you think you really come and go, that is your delusion. Let me show you the path on which there is no coming and going."

With his words, Ikkyu had revealed the path so clearly that Ninakawa smiled and passed away.