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.

Is Zen explosive?

When I first read Zen stories, I was confused by the way monks became enlightened as though struck by lightning just because the master made some apparently trivial remark. "Have a cup of tea!" the master would say, the monk instantly became enlightened. Why?

Actually, it doesn't happen like that. You spend many years practicing zazen and your understanding gradually deepens. Then something may happen that causes the dam to break and lets the light flood in.

~ Zen Questions ~

~ Robert Allen ~

The Essential Sound of Emptiness

The disciple approaches the master and asks, "What is the essential sound of emptiness?"

The master replies, "What is the essential sound of emptiness?"

"You are the master. I don't know the answer, that's why I'm asking."

The master strikes him on the head. The disciple becomes enlightened.

~ The Finger and the Moon: Zen Teachings and Koans ~

~ Alejandro Jodorowsky ~

FAITH-BASED SPIRITUALITY AND EXPERIENCE-BASED SPIRITUALITY

Japanese mothers used to try to curb their children’s mischief by saying, “If you aren’t good, a spook will get you,” or “a child snatcher will come for you.”

I remember being scolded like that myself as a child. Spirituality based on faith follows a similar model of trying to guide people using certain images and ideas. On the other hand, spirituality based on experience leads people to peace by having them perceive reality clearly, thereby ridding them of fear:

Wither’d pampas grass —

that was all it really was,

the ghost that I saw.

…

Zen is at the forefront of experience-based religions. I often say that Zen is not a religion. But if salvation is considered the task of religion, it is. However, unlike faith-based religions, Zen rejects concepts and beliefs as a means of knowing the truth. Instead it aims to help us perceive reality and to find peace of mind based on that reality. Reality is what we really are: namely, our True Self. When we discover what we are, we experience peace of mind and continue to live day by day in infinite tranquility and complete satisfaction. What more do we need?

~ Zen: The Authentic Gate ~

~ Zen Master Koun Yamada ~

Zen Stick

To attain to awareness, first, a student has to bear many whacks from a Zen Master, whenever the student slips into heedlessness. This book is a collection of such weird stories where the Zen masters teach zen with their stick. A MUST-READ for serious investigators of Zen!

Zen Stick: A Collection of 91 Weird Zen Stories

Solution

A man used to complain to his teacher that he couldn’t meditate.
‘I can’t hold my thought on it for long. I start thinking about what we’ll be having for breakfast or about some argument we’ve had in the family or about whether I shall be transferred at work.’
One day the teacher suddenly flared up and shouted, ‘I am a fool to have taken on a fool like you at all!  I’m going to finish with you. Why should I go on?  Come back tomorrow and unless you can give me one good reason why I should still see you, you can take your things and go.’
The pupil tried to stammer out an apology but the teacher cut him short and physically pushed him out.
That night the man couldn’t sleep: he was wondering what he could do to get the teacher to keep him on as his student.  He had great respect for the teacher and really wanted to continue under him.  Next day he brought a present for him and timidly gave it to the attendant who then announced his name. The teacher came out quickly and said, ‘Come in and sit down.  How have you been?’ The man answered, ‘I couldn’t sleep for thinking how I could appeal to you – please keep me on. I can’t think of a good reason, but please keep me on as your student.’
‘You couldn’t sleep for thinking about it? That’s good, that’s what you needed,’ the teacher told him. ‘When you have trouble with your mind, think back to that and meditate with the same concentration. You’ve learned what it is to meditate’.