101 Zen Stories: Compilation of Zen Koans

[Music] a japanese master during the meiji era received the university professor who came to inquire about zen non-inn served tea he poured his visitor's cup full then kept on pouring the professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself it is over full no more will go in like this cup nanin said you were full of your own opinions and speculations how can i show you zen unless you first empty your cup [Music] gudo was the emperor's teacher of his time nevertheless he used to travel alone as a wandering mendicant once when he

was on his way to edo the cultural and political center of the shogunate he approached a little village named takenaka it was evening and a heavy rain was falling kudo was thoroughly wet his straw sandals were in pieces at a farmhouse near the village he noticed four or five pairs of sandals in the window and decided to buy some dry ones the woman who offered him the sandals seeing how wet he was invited him to remain for the night in her home guru accepted thanking her he entered and recited the sutra before the family shrine

he then was introduced to the woman's mother and to her children observing that the entire family was depressed kudo asked what was wrong my husband is a gambler and a drunkard the housewife told him when he happens to win he drinks and becomes abusive when he loses he borrows money from others sometimes when he becomes thoroughly drunk he does not come home at all what can i do i will help him said gudo here is some money get me a gallon of fine wine and something good to eat then you may retire i will meditate

before the shrine when the man of the house returned about midnight quite drunk he bellowed hey wife i'm home have you something for me to eat i have something for you said kudo i happened to be caught in the rain and your wife kindly asked me to remain here for the night in return i have bought some wine and fish so you might as well have them the man was delighted he drank the wine at once and laid himself down on the floor gudo sat in meditation beside him in the morning when the husband awoke

he had forgotten about the previous night who are you where do you come from he asked kudo who still was meditating i am gudo of kyoto and i am going on to edo replied the zen master the man was utterly ashamed he apologized profusely to the teacher of his emperor gudo smiled everything in this life is impermanent he explained life is very brief if you keep on gambling and drinking you will have no time left to accomplish anything else and you'll cause your family to suffer too the perception of the husband awoke as if from

a dream you were right he declared how can i ever repay you for this wonderful teaching let me see you off and carry your things a little way if you wish i sent it gudo the two started out after they had gone three miles guto told him to return just another five miles he begged kudo they continue on you may return now suggested gudo another 10 miles the man replied return now said kudo when the 10 miles had been passed i'm going to follow you all the rest of my life declared the man modern zen

teachers in japan spring from the lineage of a famous master who was the successor of gudo his name was munan the man who never turned back [Music] the zen master haquin was praised by his neighbors as one living a pure life a beautiful japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near him suddenly without any warning her parents discovered she was with child this made her parents angry she would not confess who the man was but after much harassment at last named hakuween in great anger the parents went to the master is that so

was all he would say after the child was born it was brought to hakwin by this time he had lost his reputation which did not trouble him but he took very good care of the child he obtained milk from his neighbors and everything else the little one needed a year later the girl mother could stand it no longer she told her parents the truth that the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fish market the mother and father of the girl at once went to hakuin to ask his forgiveness

to apologize at length and to get the child back again hakoween was willing in yielding the child all he said was is that so [Music] the master bank talks were attended not only by zen students but by persons of all ranks and sects he never quoted sutras nor indulged in scholastic dissertations instead his words were spoken directly from his heart to the hearts of his listeners his large audiences angered a priest of the nichiren sect because the adherents had left to hear about zen the self-centered nichiren priest came to the temple determined to debate with

banke a zen teacher he called out wait a minute whoever respects you will obey what you say but a man like myself does not respect you can you make me obey you come up beside me and i will show you said bonke proudly the priest pushed his way through the crowd to the teacher monkey smiled come over to my left side the priest obeyed no said bonke we may talk better if you were on the right side step over here the priest proudly stepped over to the right you see observed bonkei you are obeying me

and i think you are a very gentle person now sit down and listen [Music] twenty monks and one nun who was named ishan were practicing meditation with a certain zen master ishun was very pretty even though her head was shaved and her dress plain several monks secretly fell in love with her one of them wrote her a love letter insisting upon a private meeting eshen did not reply the following day the master gave a lecture to the group and when it was over ishon arose addressing the one who had written her she said if you

really love me so much come and embrace me now [Music] there was an old woman in china who had supported a monk for over 20 years she had built a little hut for him and fed him while he was meditating finally she wondered just what progress he had made in all this time to find out she obtained the help of a girl rich in desire go and embrace him she told her and then ask him suddenly what now the girl called upon the monk and without much ado caressed him asking him what he was going

to do about it an old tree grows on a cold rock in winter replied the monk somewhat poetically nowhere is there any warmth the girl returned and related what he had said to think i fed that fellow for twenty years exclaimed the old woman in anger he showed no consideration for your need no disposition to explain your condition he need not have responded to passion but at least he should have evidenced some compassion she at once went to the hut of the monk and burned it down [Music] in the early days of the meiji era

there lived a well-known wrestler called onami great waves onami was immensely strong and knew the art of wrestling in his private bouts he defeated even his teacher but in public he was so bashful that his own pupils threw him onami felt he should go to a zen master for help hakuju a wandering teacher was stopping in a little temple nearby so onami went to see him and told him of his great trouble great waves is your name the teacher advised so stay in this temple tonight imagine that you are those billows you are no longer

a wrestler who is afraid you are those huge waves sweeping everything before them swallowing all in their path do this and you will be the greatest wrestler in the land the teacher retired onami sat in meditation trying to imagine himself as waves he thought of many different things then gradually he turned more and more to the feeling of the waves as the night advanced the waves became larger and larger they swept away the flowers in their vases even the buddha in the shrine was inundated before dawn the temple was nothing but the ebb and flow

of an immense sea in the morning the teacher found onami meditating a faint smile on his face he patted the wrestler's shoulder now nothing can disturb you he said you are those waves you will sweep everything before you the same day onami entered the wrestling contests and won after that no one in japan was able to defeat him [Music] ryokan a zen master lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain one evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing in it to steal ryokan

returned and caught him you may have come a long way to visit me he told a prowler and you should not return empty-handed please take my clothes as a gift the thief was bewildered he took the clothes and slunk away ryokan sat naked watching the moon poor fellow he mused i wish i could give him this beautiful moon [Music] the zen master hoshin lived in china many years then he returned to the northeastern part of japan where he taught his disciples when he was getting very old he told them a story he had heard in

china this is the story one year on the 25th of december tokufu who was very old said to his disciples i'm not going to be alive next year so you fellows should treat me well this year the pupils thought he was joking but since he was a great hearted teacher each of them in turn treated him to a feast on succeeding days of the departing year on the eve of the new year tokufu concluded you have been good to me i shall leave you tomorrow afternoon when the snow has stopped the disciples laughed thinking he

was aging and talking nonsense since the night was clear and without snow but at midnight snow began to fall and the next day they did not find their teacher about they went to the meditation hall there he had passed on ocean who related this story told his disciples it is not necessary for a zen master to predict his passing but if he really wishes to do so he can can you someone asked yes answered ocean i will show you what i can do seven days from now none of the disciples believed him and most of

them had even forgotten the conversation when hoshin called them together seven days ago he remarked i said i was going to leave you it is customary to write a farewell poem but i am neither a poet nor calligrapher let one of you inscribe my last words his followers thought he was joking but one of them started to write are you ready ocean asked yes sir replied the writer then hoshin dictated i came from brilliancy and return to brilliancy what is this the poem was one line short of the customary four so the disciple said master

we are one line short hoshin with the roar of a conquering lion shouted and was gone [Music] the exquisite whose other name was suzu was compelled to marry against her wishes when she was quite young later after this marriage had ended she attended the university where she studied philosophy to see shonke was to fall in love with her moreover wherever she went she herself fell in love with others love was with her at the university and afterwards when philosophy did not satisfy her and she visited a temple to learn about zen the zen students fell

in love with her shumkay's whole life was saturated with love at last in kyoto she became a real student of zen her brothers in the sub-temple of kenyan praised her sincerity one of them proved to be a congenial spirit and assisted her in the mastery of zen the abbot of kenyan mokurai silent thunder was severe he kept the precepts himself and expected his priests to do so in modern japan whatever zeal these priests have lost for buddhism they seem to have gained for taking wives moku used to take a broom and chase the women away

when he found him in any of his temples but the more wives he swept out the more seemed to come back in this particular temple the wife of the head priest became jealous of shunkai's earnestness and beauty hearing the students praise her serious zen made this wife squirm an itch finally she spread a rumor about shunke and the young man who was her friend as a consequence he was expelled and shunked was removed from the temple i may have made the mistake of love thought shankay but the priest's wife shall not remain in the temple

either if my friend is to be treated so unjustly shumkai the same night with a can of kerosene set fire to the 500 year old temple and burned it to the ground in the morning she found herself in the hands of the police a young lawyer became interested in her and endeavored to make her sentence lighter do not help me she told him i might decide to do something else which would only imprison me again at last a sentence of seven years was completed and shumkay was released from the prison where the sixty-year-old warden also

had become enamored of her but now everyone looked upon her as a jail bird no one would associate with her even the zen people who were supposed to believe in enlightenment in this life and with this body shunned her zen shonke found was one thing and the followers of zen quite another her relatives would have nothing to do with her she grew sick poor and weak she met a shinsu priest who taught her the name of the buddha of love and in this shonke found some solace and peace of mind she passed away when she

was still exquisitely beautiful and hardly 30 years old she wrote her own story in a feudal endeavor to support herself and some of it she told to a woman writer so it reached the japanese people those who rejected shunkai those who slandered and hated her now read of her life with tears of remorse [Music] in tokyo in the meiji era there lived two prominent teachers of opposite characteristics one uncho an instructor in shingon kept buddha's precept scrupulously he never drank intoxicants nor did he eat after eleven o'clock in the morning the other teacher tanzan a

professor of philosophy at the imperial university never observed the precepts when he felt like eating he ate when he felt like sleeping in the daytime he slept one day unsho visited tanzan who was drinking wine at the time not even a drop of which is supposed to touch the tongue of a buddhist hello brother tanzan greeted him won't you have a drink i never drink exclaimed unshow solemnly but one who does not drink is not even human said tanzan do you mean to call me inhuman just because i do not indulge in intoxicating liquids exclaimed

unshow in anger then if i am not human what am i a buddha answered tanzan [Music] became a teacher of soto zen when he was still a student his father passed away leaving him to care for his old mother whenever schoen went to a meditation hall he always took his mother with him since she accompanied him when he visited monasteries he could not live with the monks so he would build a little house and care for her there he would copy sutras buddhist verses and in this manner receive a few coins for food when showing

brought fish for his mother people would scoff at him for a monk is not supposed to eat fish but showing did not mind his mother however was hurt to see others laugh at her son finally she told showan i think i will become a nun i can be a vegetarian too she did and they studied together showing was fond of music and was a master of the harp which his mother also played on full moon nights they used to play together one night a young lady passed by their house and heard music deeply touched she

invited show one to visit her the next evening and play he accepted the invitation a few days later he met the young lady on the street and thanked her for her hospitality others laughed at him he had visited the house of a woman of the streets one day show one left for a distant temple to deliver a lecture a few months afterwards he returned home to find his mother dead friends had not known where to reach him so the funeral was then in progress showing walked up and hit the coffin with his staff mother your

son has returned he said i'm glad to see you've returned son he answered for his mother yes i'm glad to show one responded then he announced to the people about him the funeral ceremony is over you may bury the body when showing was old he knew his end was approaching he asked his disciples to gather around him in the morning telling them he was going to pass on at noon burning incense before the picture of his mother and his old teacher he wrote a poem for 56 years i lived as best i could making my

way in this world now the rain has ended the clouds are clearing the blue sky has a full moon his disciples gathered about him reciting a sutra and schoen passed on during the invocation [Music] a university student while visiting gassan asked him have you ever read the christian bible no read it to me said gassan the student opened the bible and read from saint matthew and why take ye thought for raymond consider the lilies of the field how they grow they toil not neither do they spin and yet i say unto you that even solomon

in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself gassan said whoever uttered those words i consider an enlightened man the student continued reading ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you for everyone that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened gassan remarked that is excellent whoever said that is not far from buddhahood [Music] buddha told a

parable in a sutra a man traveling across a field encountered a tiger he fled the tiger after him coming to a precipice he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge the tiger sniffed at him from above trembling the man looked down to where far below another tiger was waiting to eat him only the vine sustained him two mice one white and one black little by little started to gnaw away the vine the man saw a luscious strawberry near him grasping the vine with one hand he plucked

the strawberry with the other how sweet it tasted [Music] when one goes to obaku temple in kyoto he sees carved over the gate the words the first principle the letters are unusually large and those who appreciate calligraphy always admire them as being a masterpiece were drawn by cosine two hundred years ago when the master drew them he did so on paper from which workmen made the larger carving in wood as cosine sketched the letters a bold pupil was with him who had made several gallons of ink for the calligraphy and who never failed to criticize

his master's work that is not good he told kosen after the first effort how was that one poor worse than before pronounced the pupil cosen patiently wrote one sheet after another until 84 first principles had accumulated still without the approval of the pupil then when the young man stepped outside for a few moments cosen thought now is my chance to escape his keen eye and he wrote hurriedly with a mind free from distraction the first principle a masterpiece pronounced the pupil [Music] jion a shingon master was a well-known sanskrit scholar of the tokugawa era when

he was young he used to deliver lectures to his brother's students his mother heard about this and wrote him a letter son i do not think you became a devotee of the buddha because you desired to turn into a walking dictionary for others there is no end to information and commentation glory and honor i wish you would stop this lecture business shut yourself up in a little temple in a remote part of the mountain devote your time to meditation and in this way attain true realization [Music] the master of kenyan temple was mokurai silent thunder

he had a little protege named toyo who was only 12 years old toyo saw the older disciples visit the masters room each morning and evening to receive instructions in sanzin or personal guidance in which they were given koans to stop mind wandering toyo wished to do a sansan also wait a while said mokurai you're too young but the child insisted so the teacher finally consented in the evening little toyo went at the proper time to the threshold of mokurai's sons and room he struck the gong to announce his presence bowed respectfully three times outside the

door and went to sit before the master in respectful silence you can hear the sound of two hands when they clapped together said now show me the sound of one hand toyo bowed and went to his room to consider this problem from his window he could hear the music of the geishas ah i have it he proclaimed the next evening when his teacher asked him to illustrate the sound of one hand toyo began to play the music of the geishas no no no said i that will never do that is not the sound of one

hand you've not got it at all thinking that such music might interrupt toyo moved his abode to a quiet place he meditated again what can the sound of one hand be he happened to hear some water dripping i haven't imagined toyo when he next appeared before his teacher toyo imitated dripping water what is that asked mohrai that is the sound of dripping water but not the sound of one hand try again in vain toyo meditated to hear the sound of one hand he heard the sighing of the wind but the sound was rejected he heard

the cry of an owl this also was refused the sound of one hand was not the locusts for more than ten times toyo visited mokudai with different sounds all were wrong for almost a year he pondered what the sound of one hand might be at last little toyo entered true meditation and transcended all sounds i could collect no more he explained later so i reached the soundless sound toyo had realized the sound of one hand [Music] soyan shakun the first sin teacher to come to america said my heart burns like fire but my eyes are

as cold as dead ashes he made the following rules which he practiced every day of his life in the morning before dressing light incense and meditate retire at a regular hour partake of food at regular intervals eat with moderation and never to the point of satisfaction receive a guest with the same attitude you have when alone when alone maintain the same attitude you have in receiving guests watch what you say and whatever you say practice it when an opportunity comes do not let it pass by yet always think twice before acting do not regret the

past look to the future have the fearless attitude of a hero and the loving heart of a child upon retiring sleep as if you had entered your last sleep upon awakening leave your bed behind you instantly as if you would cast away a pair of old shoes [Music] when aeshon the zen nun was past 60 and about to leave this world she asked some monks to pile up wood in the yard seating herself firmly in the center of the funeral pyre she had it set fire around the edges oh none shouted one monk is it

hot in there such a matter would concern only a stupid person like yourself answered ashon flames arose and she passed away [Music] a farmer requested a tendai priest to recite sutras for his wife who had died after the recitation was over the farmer asked do you think my wife will gain merit from this not only your wife but all sentient beings will benefit from the recitation of sutras answered the priest if you say all sentient beings will benefit said the farmer my wife may be very weak and others will take advantage of her getting the

benefit she should have so please recite sutras just for her the priest explained that it was the desire of a buddhist to offer blessings and wish merit for every living being that is a fine teaching concluded the farmer but please make one exception i have a neighbor who is rough and mean to me just exclude him from all those sentient beings [Music] sweewo the disciple of hakuin was a good teacher during one summer seclusion period a pupil came to him from a southern island of japan gave him a problem hear the sound of one hand

the pupil remained three years but could not pass this test one night he came in tears to swi i must return south in shame and embarrassment he said for i cannot solve my problem wait one week more and meditate constantly advised sweewo still no enlightenment came to the pupil try for another week said sri will the pupil obeyed but in vain still another week yet this was of no avail in despair the student begged to be released but sue will requested another meditation of five days they were without result then he said meditate for three

days longer then if you fail to attain enlightenment you had better kill yourself on the second day the pupil was enlightened [Music] provided he makes and wins an argument about buddhism with those who live there any wandering monk can remain in the zen temple if he is defeated he has to move on in a temple in the northern part of japan two brother monks were dwelling together the elder one was learned but the younger one was stupid and had but one eye a wandering monk came and asked for lodging properly challenging them to a debate

about the sublime teaching the elder brother tired that day for much studying told the younger one to take his place go and request the dialogue in silence he cautioned so the young monk and the stranger went to the shrine and sat down shortly afterwards the traveler rose and went into the elder brother and said your young brother is a wonderful fellow he defeated me relate the dialogue to me said the elder one well explained the traveler first i held up one finger representing buddha the enlightened one so he held up two fingers signifying buddha and

his teaching i held up three fingers representing buddha his teaching and his followers living the harmonious life then he shook his clenched fist in my face indicating that all three come from one realization thus he won and so i have no right to remain here with this the traveler left where's that fellow asked the younger one running into his elder brother i understand you won the debate one nothing i'm gonna beat him up tell me the subject of the debate asked the elder one why the minute he saw me he held up one finger insulting

me by insinuating that i have only one eye since he was a stranger i thought i would be polite to him so i held up two fingers congratulating him that he has two eyes then the impolite wretch held up three fingers suggesting that between us we only have three eyes so i got mad and started to punch him but he ran out and that ended it [Music] after bounce had passed away a blind man who lived near the master's temple told a friend since i'm 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 bonke's voice was always sincere whenever he expressed happiness i heard nothing but happiness and whenever he expressed sorrow sorrow was all i heard [Music] ketu the great zen teacher of the meiji era was

the head of tofuku a cathedral in kyoto one day the governor of kyoto called upon him for the first time his attendant presented the card of the governor which read kitakaki governor of kyoto i have no business with such a fellows that catch you to his attendant tell him to get out of here the attendant carried the card back with apologies that was my error said the governor and with a pencil he scratched out the words governor of kyoto ask your teacher again oh is that kitagaki exclaimed the teacher when he saw the card i

want to see that fellow [Music] 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 [Music] mokusen hiki was living in a temple in the province of tamba one of his adherents complained of the stinginess of his wife moccasin visited the adherent's wife and showed her his clenched fist before

her face what do you mean by that as the surprised woman suppose my fists were always like that what would you call it he asked deformed replied the woman then he opened his hand flat in her face and asked suppose it were always like that what then another kind of deformity said the wife if you understand that much finished mokusen you are a good wife then he left after his visit this wife helped her husband to distribute as well as to save [Music] mogul again was never known to smile until his last day on earth

when his time came to pass away he said to his faithful ones you have studied under me for more than ten years show me your real interpretation of zen whoever expresses this most clearly shall be my successor and receive my robe and bowl everyone watched mokugen's severe face but no one answered incho a disciple who had been with his teacher for a long time moved near the bedside he pushed forward the medicine cup a few inches this was his answer to the command the teacher's face became even more severe is that all you understand he

asked ancho reached out and moved the cup back again a beautiful smile broke over the features of mokugan you rascal he told incho you have worked with me ten years and have not yet seen my whole body take the robe and bowl they belong to you [Music] zen students are with their masters at least 10 years before they presume to teach others non-in was visited by tenno who having passed his apprenticeship had become a teacher the day happened to be rainy so tenno wore wooden clogs and carried an umbrella after greeting him none in remarked

i suppose you left your wooden clogs in the vestibule i want to know if your umbrella is on the right or left side of the clogs tenno confused had no instant answer he realized that he was unable to carry his zen every minute he became non-inn's pupil and he studied six more years to accomplish his every minute zen [Music] subuti was buddha's disciple he was able to understand the potency of emptiness the viewpoint that nothing exists except in its relationship of subjectivity and objectivity one day sabuti in a mood of sublime emptiness was sitting under

a tree flowers began to fall about him we are praising you for your discourse on emptiness the gods whispered to him but i have not spoken of emptiness said sabuti you have not spoken of emptiness we have not heard emptiness responded to gods this is the true emptiness and blossoms showered upon sabuti as rain [Music] the show was ordained as a nun when she was 10 years old she received training just as the little boys did when she reached the age of 16 she traveled from one zen master to another studying with them all she

remained three years with unzan six years with kuke but was unable to obtain a clear vision at last she went to the master inzan inzan showed her no distinction at all on account of her sex he scolded her like a thunderstorm he cuffed her to awaken her inner nature gisho remained with ins on 13 years and then she found that which she was seeking in her honor inzan wrote a poem this nun studied 13 years under my guidance in the evening she considered the deepest koans in the morning she was wrapped in other koans the

chinese nun tetsuma surpassed all before her and since mujaku none has been so genuine as this gisho yet there are many more gates for her to pass through she should receive still more blows from my iron fist after gisha was enlightened she went to the province of banchu started her own zen temple and taught 200 other nuns until she passed away one year in the month of august [Music] the master soyan shaku passed from this world when he was 61 years of age fulfilling his life's work he left a great teaching far richer than that

of most zen masters his pupils used to sleep in the daytime during mid-summer and while he overlooked this he himself never wasted a minute when he was but 12 years old he was already studying tendai philosophical speculation one summer day the air had been so sultry that little soyen stretched his legs and went to sleep while his teacher was away three hours passed when suddenly waking he heard his master enter but it was too late there he lay sprawled across the doorway i beg your pardon i beg your pardon his teacher whispered stepping carefully over

soya's body as if it were that of some distinguished guest after this cyan never slept again in the afternoon [Music] our schoolmaster used to take a nap every afternoon related a disciple of soyenshaku we children asked him why he did it and he told us i go to dreamland to meet the old sages just as confucius did when confucius slept he would dream of ancient sages and later tell his followers about them it was extremely hot one day so some of us took a nap our schoolmaster scolded us we went to dreamland to meet the

ancient sages the same as confucius did we explained what was the message from those sages our schoolmaster demanded one of us replied we went to dreamland and met the sages and asked them if our schoolmaster came there every afternoon but they said they had never seen any such fellow [Music] joshua began the study of zen when he was 60 years old and continued until he was 80 when he realized zen he taught from the age of 80 until he was 120 a student once asked him if i haven't anything in my mind what shall i

do joshua replied throw it out but if i haven't anything how can i throw it out continued the questioner well said joshu then carry it out [Music] when mamiya who later became a well-known preacher went to a teacher for personal guidance he was asked to explain the sound of one hand mamiya concentrated upon what the sound of one hand might be you're not working hard enough his teacher told him you are too attached to food wealth things and that sound it would be better if you died that would solve the problem the next time mamia

appeared before his teacher he was again asked what he had to show regarding the sound of one hand mamiya at once fell over as if he were you're dead all right observe the teacher but how about that sound i haven't solved that yet replied mamia looking up dead men do not speak said the teacher get out [Music] tosui was a well-known zen teacher of his time he had lived in several temples and taught in various provinces the last temple he visited accumulated so many adherents that tosui told them he was going to quit the lecture

business entirely he advised them to disperse and to go wherever they desired after that no one could find any trace of him three years later one of his disciples discovered him living with some beggars under a bridge in kyoto he had once implored tosui to teach him if you can do as i do for even a couple of days i might tosu replied so the former disciple dressed as a beggar and spent a day with tosui the following day one of the beggars died tosui and his pupil carried the body off at midnight and buried

it on a mountainside after that they returned to their shelter under the bridge tosui slept soundly the remainder of the night but the disciple could not sleep when morning came tosui said we do not have to beg food today our dead friend has left some over there but the disciple was unable to eat a single bite of it i have said you could not do as i concluded tosui get out of here and do not bother me again [Music] when bonke 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 bounce with the request that the culprit be expelled bankai ignored the case later the pupil was caught in a similar act and again bonke 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 the body when bonke 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'm 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 [Music] during the kamakura period shin khan studied tendai six years and then studied zen seven years then he went to china and contemplated zen for 13 years more when he returned to japan many desired to interview him and asked

obscure questions but when shin khan 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 as tshinkon the question is how you yourself can become so did you ever consider that i never thought of it in

that way marveled the old man then go home and think it over finish ching khan [Music] 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 17 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 rionen'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 ryonan ascended before she was 25 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 tetsugi to accept her as a disciple at one glance the master rejected her because she was too beautiful ryonin then went

on to another master hakuo akual 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 ryonin 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 ryonan was about to pass from this world she wrote

another poem sixty-six times 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 [Music] the cook monk dairyo at bangkai's monastery decided that he would take good care of his old teacher's health and give him only fresh miso a paste of soy beans mixed with wheat and yeast that often ferments bonkei noticing that he was being served better miso than his pupils asked who's the cook today dario was sent before him ben kay learned that according

to his age and position he should eat only fresh miso so he said to the cook then you think i shouldn't eat at all with this he entered his room and locked the door dario sitting outside the door asked his teacher's pardon banke would not answer for seven days dario sat outside and bonke within finally in desperation an adherent called loudly to bonkei you may be all right old teacher but this young disciple here has to eat he cannot go without food forever at that bank opened the door he was smiling he told dario i

insist on eating the same food as the least of my followers when you become the teacher i do not want you to forget this [Music] a student of tendai a philosophical school of buddhism came to the zen abode of gassan as a pupil when he was departing a few years later gassan warned him studying the truth speculatively is useful as a way of collecting preaching material but remember that unless you meditate constantly your light of truth may go out [Music] while sesetsu was the master of engaku in kamakura he required larger quarters since those in

which he was teaching were overcrowded um a merchant of edo decided to donate 500 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 cecetsu the sack of gold but he was dissatisfied with the attitude of the teacher one might live a whole year on three rio and the merchant had not even been thanked for five hundred in that sack are 500 rio into umezu you told me that before replied sesetsu even if i am a

wealthy merchant 500 rio is a lot of money said um do you want me to thank you for it ase you ought to reply to meizu why should i inquired the giver should be thankful [Music] taiko a warrior who lived in japan before the tokugawa era studied channoyu tea etiquette with senno rikyu a teacher of that aesthetical expression of calmness and contentment taiko's attendant warrior keto interpreted his superior's enthusiasm for tea etiquette as negligence of state affairs so he decided to kill senor rikyu he pretended to make a social call upon the tea master and

was invited to drink tea the master who was well skilled in his art saw at a glance the warrior's intention so he invited cato to leave his sword outside before entering the room for the ceremony explaining that cha no u represents peacefulness itself cata would not listen to this i am a warrior he said i always have my sword with me no you or no no you i have my sword very well bring your sword in and have some tea consented send no re-cue the kettle was boiling on the charcoal fire suddenly senno rikyu tipped

it over hissing steam arose filling the room with smoke and ashes the startled warrior ran outside the tea master apologized it was my mistake come back in and have some tea i have your sword here covered with ashes and will clean it and give it to you in this predicament the warrior realized he could not very well kill the tea master so he gave up the idea [Music] just before nina kawa passed away the zen master eq 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 eq 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 no going with his words eq had revealed the path so clearly that nina kawa smiled and passed away [Music] a soldier named nobushigi came to hakuin and asked is there really a paradise and a hell who are you inquired ha queen i am a samurai the warrior replied you a soldier exclaimed ha queen what kind of ruler would have you as his guard

your face looks like that of a beggar nobushigi became so angry that he began to draw his sword but ha queen continued so you have a sword your weapon is probably much too dull to cut off my head as nobushigi drew his sword ha queen remarked here open the gates of hell at these words the samurai perceiving the master's discipline sheathed his sword and bowed here opened the gates of paradise said haqqueen [Music] a merchant bearing 50 rolls of cotton goods on his shoulders stopped to rest from the heat of the day beneath a shelter

where a large stone buddha was standing there he fell asleep and when he awoke his goods had disappeared he immediately reported the matter to the police a judge named oaka opened court to investigate that stone buddha must have stolen the goods concluded the judge he is supposed to care for the welfare of the people but he has failed to perform his holy duty arrest him the police arrested the stone buddha and carried it into court a noisy crowd followed the statue curious to learn what kind of sentence the judge was about to impose when oak

appeared on the bench he rebuked the boisterous audience what right have you people to appear before the court laughing and joking in this manner you were in contempt of court and subject to a fine and imprisonment the people hastened to apologize i shall have to impose a fine on you said the judge but i will remit it provided each one of you brings one roll of cotton goods to the courts within three days anyone failing to do this will be arrested one of the rolls of cloth which the people brought was quickly recognized by the

merchant as his own and thus the thief was easily discovered the merchant recovered his goods and the cotton rolls were returned to the people [Music] once a division of the japanese army was engaged in a sham battle and some of the officers found it necessary to make their headquarters in ghazan's temple ghassan told his cook let the officers have only the same simple fare we eat this made the army men angry as they were used to vary deferential treatment one came to gassan and said who do you think we are we are soldiers sacrificing our

lives for our country why don't you treat us accordingly gassan answered sternly who do you think we are we are soldiers of humanity aiming to save all sentient beings [Music] zenkai the son of a samurai journeyed to edo and there became the retainer of a high official he fell in love with the official's wife and was discovered in self-defense he slew the official then he ran away with the wife both of them later became thieves but the woman was so greedy that zenkai grew disgusted finally leaving her he journeyed far away to the province of

buzan where he became a wandering mendicant to atone for his past zenkai resolved to accomplish some good deed in his lifetime knowing of a dangerous road over a cliff that had caused the death and injury of many persons he resolved to cut a tunnel through the mountain there begging food in the daytime zenkai worked at night digging his tunnel when thirty years had gone by the tunnel was two thousand two hundred and eighty feet long twenty feet high and 30 feet wide two years before the work was completed the son of the official he had

slain who was a skillful swordsman found zenkai out and came to kill him in revenge i will give you my life willingly said zenkai only let me finish this work on the day it is completed then you may kill me so the sun awaited the day several months passed and zenkai kept on digging the sun grew tired of doing nothing and began to help with digging after he had helped for more than a year he came to admire zenkai's strong will and character at last the tunnel was completed and the people could use it to

travel in safety now cut off my head said zenkai my work is done how can i cut off my own teacher's head asked the younger man with tears in his eyes [Music] 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 [Music] gassan instructed his adherents one day those who speak against killing and who desire to spare the lives of all conscious beings are right it is good to protect

even animals and insects but what about those persons who kill time what about those who are destroying wealth and those who destroy political economy we should not overlook them furthermore what of the one who preaches without enlightenment he is killing buddhism [Music] a young wife fell sick and was about to die i love you so much she told her husband i do not want to leave you do not go from me to any other woman if you do i will return as a ghost and cause you endless trouble soon the wife passed away the husband

respected her last wish for the first three months but then he met another woman and fell in love with her they became engaged to be married immediately after the engagement a ghost appeared every night to the man blaming him for not keeping his promise the ghost was clever too she told him exactly what had transpired between himself and his new sweetheart whenever he gave his fiancee a present the ghost would describe it in detail she would even repeat conversations and it so annoyed the man that he could not sleep someone advised him to take his

problem to a zen master who lived close to the village at length in despair the poor man went to him for help your former wife became a ghost and knows everything you do commented the master whatever you do or say whatever you give your beloved she knows she must be a very wise ghost really you should admire such a ghost the next time she appears bargain with her tell her that she knows so much you can hide nothing from her and that if she will answer you one question you promise to break your engagement and

remain single what is the question i must ask her inquired the man the master replied take a large handful of soybeans and ask her exactly how many beans you hold in your hand if she cannot tell you you will know she is only a figment of your imagination and will trouble you no longer the next night when the ghost appeared the man flattered her and told her that she knew everything indeed replied the ghost and i know you went to see that zen master today and since you know so much demanded the man tell me

how many beans i hold in this hand there was no longer any ghost to answer the question [Music] yamaoko teshu was a tutor of the emperor he was also a master of fencing and a profound student of zen his home was the abode of vagabonds he had but one suit of clothes for they kept him always poor the emperor observing how worn his garments were gave yama oka some money to buy new ones the next time yamaoka appeared he wore the same old outfit what became of the new clothes yamaoka asked the emperor i provided

clothes for the children of your majesty explained yamaoka [Music] in modern times a great deal of nonsense is talked about masters and disciples and about the inheritance of a master's teaching by favored pupils entitling them to pass the truth onto their adherence of course zen should be imparted in this way from heart to heart and in the past it was really accomplished silence and humility reigned rather than profession and assertion the one who received such a teaching kept the matter hidden even after 20 years not until another discovered through his own need that a real

master was at hand was it learned that the teaching had been imparted and even then the occasion arose quite naturally and the teaching made its way in its own right under no circumstance did the teacher even claim i am the successor of so and so such a claim would prove quite the contrary the zen master munan had only one successor his name was shoju after shoju had completed his study of zen munan called him into his room i'm getting old he said and as far as i know showed you you were the only one who

will carry on this teaching here's a book it has been passed down from master to master for seven generations i also have added many points according to my understanding the book is very valuable and i'm giving it to you to represent your successorship if the book is such an important thing you would better keep it shoju replied i received jose without writing and i'm satisfied with it as it is i know that said even so this work has been carried from master to master for seven generations so you may keep it as a symbol of

having received the teaching here the two happen to be talking before abrasion the instant shoju felt the book in his hands he thrusted into the flaming colds he had no lust for possessions munan who never had been angry before yelled what are you doing shoju shouted back what are you saying [Music] after kakuwa 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 kakawa 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 [Music] circumstances arose one day which delayed preparation of the dinner of a soto zen master fugay and his followers in haste the cook went to the garden with his curved knife and cut off the tops of green vegetables chopped them together and made soup unaware that in his haste he had included part of a snake in the vegetables the followers of fugai thought they never had tasted such a good soup but when the master himself found the snake's head in his bowl he summoned the cook what

is this he demanded holding up the head of the snake oh thank you master replied the cook taking the morsel and eating it quickly [Music] sozon a chinese zen master was asked by a student what is the most valuable thing in the world the master replied the head of a dead cat why is the head of a dead cat the most valuable thing in the world inquired the student sozon replied because no one can name its price [Music] the pupils of the tendai school used to study meditation before zen entered japan four of them who

were intimate friends promised one another to observe seven days of silence on the first day all were silent their meditation had begun auspiciously but when night came and the oil lamps were growing dim one of the pupils could not help exclaiming to a servant fix those lamps the second pupil was surprised to hear the first one talk we're not supposed to say a word he remarked you two are stupid why did you talk ask the third i am the only one who has not talked concluded the fourth pupil [Music] zen pupils take a vow that

even if they are killed by their teacher they intend to learn zen usually they cut a finger and seal their resolution with blood in time the vow has become a mere formality and for this reason the pupil who died by the hand of aikido was made to appear a martyr aikido had become a severe teacher his pupils feared him one of them on duty striking the gong to tell the time of day missed his beats when his eye was attracted by a beautiful girl passing the temple gate at that moment aikido who was directly behind

him hit him with a stick and the shock happened to kill him the pupil's guardian hearing of the accident went directly to aikido knowing that he was not to blame he praised the master for his severe teaching aikido's attitude was just the same as if the people were still alive after this took place he was able to produce under his guidance more than 10 enlightened successors a very unusual number [Music] ryokan devoted his life to the study of zen one day he heard that his nephew despite the admonitions of relatives was spending his money on

a courtesan inasmuch as the nephew had taken ryokan's place in managing the family estate and the property was in danger of being dissipated the relatives asked ryokan to do something about it ryokan had to travel a long way to visit his nephew whom he had not seen for many years the nephew seemed pleased to meet his uncle again and invited him to remain overnight all night ryokan sat in meditation as he was departing in the morning he said to the young man i must be getting old my hand shakes so will you help me tie

the string of my straw sandal the nephew helped him willingly thank you finished ryokan you see a man becomes older and feebler day by day take good care of yourself then ryokan left never mentioning a word about the courtesan or the complaints of the relatives but from that morning on the dissipations of the nephew ended [Music] a zen student came to bangk and complained master i have an ungovernable temper how can i cure it you have something very strange replied bonkei let me see what you have just now i cannot show it to you reply

the other when can you show it to me asked bankei it arises unexpectedly replied the student then concluded bankei it must not be your own true nature if it were you could show it to me at any time when you were born you did not have it and your parents did not give it to you think that over [Music] hogan a chinese sand teacher lived alone in a small temple in the country one day four traveling monks appeared and asked if they might make a fire in his yard to warn themselves while they were building

the fire hogan heard them arguing about subjectivity and objectivity he joined them and said there is a big stone do you consider it to be inside or outside your mind one of the monks replied from the buddhist viewpoint everything is an objectification of mind so i would say that the stone is inside my mind your head must feel very heavy observed hogan if you were carrying around the stone like that in your mind [Music] a rich man asked singai to write something for the continued prosperity of his family so that it might be treasured from

generation to generation sengai obtained a large sheet of paper and wrote father dies son dies grandson dies the rich man became angry i asked you to write something for the happiness of my family why do you make such a joke as this no joke is intended explain sengai if before you yourself die your son should die this would grieve you greatly if your grandson should pass away before your son both of you would be brokenhearted if your family generation after generation passes away in the order i have named it will be the natural course of

life i call this real prosperity [Music] a woman of nagasaki named kame was one of the few makers of incense burners in japan such a burner is a work of art to be used only in a tea room or before a family shrine kame whose father before her had been such an artist was fond of drinking she also smoked and associated with men most of the time whenever she made a little money she gave a feast inviting artists poets carpenters workers men of many vocations and avocations in their association she evolved her designs kame was

exceedingly slow in creating but when her work was finished it was always a masterpiece her burners were treasured in homes whose women folk never drank smoked or associated freely with men the mayor of nagasaki once requested kame to design an incense burner for him she delayed doing so until almost half a year had passed at that time the mayor who had been promoted to office in a distant city visited her he urged kame to begin work on his burner at last receiving the inspiration kame made the incense burner after it was completed she placed it

upon a table she looked at it long and carefully she smoked and drank before it as if it were her own company all day she observed it at last picking up a hammer kame smashed it to bits she saw it was not the perfect creation her mind demanded [Music] when bangkay was preaching at ryomon temple a shinshu priest who believed in salvation through the repetition of the name of the buddha of love was jealous of his large audience and wanted to debate with him bangkay was in the midst of a talk when the priest appeared

but the fellow made such a disturbance that bonke stopped his discourse and asked about the noise the founder of our sect boasted the priest had such miraculous powers that he held a brush in his hand on one bank of the river his attendant held up a paper on the other bank and the teacher wrote the holy name of amida through the air can you do such a wonderful thing bonke replied lightly perhaps your fox can perform that trick but that is not the manner of zen my miracle is that when i feel hungry i eat

and when i feel thirsty i drink [Music] yama oka teshu as a young student of zen visited one master after another he called upon dokwan 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 dokuan who was smoking quietly said nothing suddenly he whacked yamaoka with his bamboo pipe this made the youth quite angry if nothing exists inquired dokwan where did

this anger come from [Music] the chinese sandmaster used to labor with his pupils even at the age of 80 trimming the gardens cleaning the grounds and pruning the trees the pupils felt sorry to see the old teacher working so hard but they knew he would not listen to their advice to stop so they hid away his tools that day the master did not eat the next day he did not eat nor the next he may be angry because we have hidden his tools the pupils surmised we had better put them back the day they did

the teacher worked and ate the same as before in the evening he instructed them no work no food [Music] the zen master was very clever even as a boy his teacher had a precious teacup a rare antique eq happened to break this cup and was greatly perplexed hearing the footsteps of his teacher he held the pieces of the cup behind him when the master appeared ikkyu asked why do people have to die this is natural explain the older man everything has to die and has just so long to live ikkyu producing the shattered cup added

it was time for your cup to die [Music] a zen master named gaetan lived in the latter part of the tokugawa era he used to say there are three kinds of disciples those who impart zen to others those who maintain the temples and shrines and then there are the rice bags and the clothes hangers ghassan expressed the same idea when he was studying under tekisui his teacher was very severe sometimes he even beat him other pupils would not stand this kind of teaching and quit gassan remained saying a poor disciple utilizes a teacher's influence a

fair disciple admires a teacher's kindness a good disciple grows strong under a teacher's discipline [Music] zen teachers train their young pupils to express themselves two zen temples each had a child protege one child going to obtain vegetables each morning would meet the other on the way where are you going as the one i'm going wherever my feet go the other responded this reply puzzled the first child who went to his teacher for help tomorrow morning the teacher told him when you meet that little fellow ask him the same question he'll give you the same answer

and then you ask him suppose you have no feet then where are you going that'll fix him the children met again the following morning where are you going asked the first child i'm going wherever the wind blows answered the other this again nonplussed the youngster who took his defeat to his teacher ask him where he's going if there's no wind suggested the teacher the next day the children met a third time where are you going asked the first child i'm going to market to buy vegetables the other replied [Music] tangan had studied with sengai since

childhood when he was 20 he wanted to leave his teacher and visit others for comparative study but sengai would not permit this every time tangent suggested that sengai would give him a wrap on the head finally tangent asked an elder brother to coax permission from sengai this the brother did and then reported to tongan it is arranged i have fixed it for you to start on your pilgrimage at once tangent went to sengai to thank him for his permission the master answered by giving him another rap when tongan related this to his elder brother the

other said what is the matter sengai has no business giving permission and then changing his mind i'll tell him so and off he went to see the teacher i did not cancel my permission said sengai i just wish to give him one last smack over the head for when he returns he will be enlightened and i will not be able to reprimand him again [Music] was the son of a famous swordsman his father believing that his son's work was too mediocre to anticipate mastership disowned him and there found the famous swordsman bonzo but bonzo confirmed

the father's judgment you wish to learn swordsmanship under my guidance as bonzo you cannot fulfill the requirements but if i work hard how many years will it take me to become a master persisted the youth the rest of your life replied bonzo i cannot wait that long explained matajuro i am willing to pass through any hardship if only you will teach me if i become your devoted servant how long might it be oh maybe ten years bonzo relented my father's getting old and soon i must take care of him continued mother if i work far

more intensely how long would it take me oh maybe 30 years said bonzo well why is that asked mother judo first you say 10 and now 30 years i will undergo any hardship to master this art in the shortest time well said bonzo in that case you'll have to remain with me for 70 years a man in such a hurry as you are to get results seldom learned quickly very well declared the youth understanding at last that he was being rebuked for impatience i agree matajuro was told never to speak of fencing and never to

touch a sword he cooked for his master washed the dishes made his bed cleaned the yard cared for the garden all without a word of swordsmanship three years passed still matajuro labored on thinking of his future he was sad he had not even begun to learn the art to which he had devoted his life but one day bonzo crept up behind him and gave him a terrific blow with a wooden sword the following day when matajoro was cooking rice banjo again sprang upon him unexpectedly after that day and night matajoro had to defend himself from

unexpected thrusts not a moment passed in any day that he did not have to think of the taste of bonzo's sword he learned so rapidly he brought smiles to the face of his master matajuro became the greatest swordsman in the land [Music] encho was a famous storyteller his tales of love stirred the hearts of his listeners when he narrated a story of war it was as if the listeners themselves were on the field of battle one day ancho met yama okateshu a layman who had almost embraced master hood in zen i understand siddyama oka you

are the best storyteller in our land and that you make people cry or laugh at will tell me my favorite story of the peach boy when i was a little tot i used to sleep beside my mother and she often related this legend in the middle of the story i would fall asleep tell it to me just as my mother did and cho dared not attempt to do this he requested time to study several months later he went to yamaoka and said please give me the opportunity to tell you the story some other day answered

yamaoka ancho was keenly disappointed he studied further and tried again yamaoka rejected him many times when encho would start to talk yamaoka would stop him saying you're not yet like my mother it took ancho five years to be able to tell yama oka the legend as his mother had told it to him in this way yamaoka imparted zen to ancho [Music] many pupils were studying meditation under the zen master sengai one of them used to arise at night climb over the temple wall and go to town on a pleasure jaunt sengai inspecting the dormitory quarters

found this pupil missing one night and also discovered the high stool he had used to scale the wall sengai removed the stool and stood there in its place when the wanderer returned not knowing that sengai was the stool he put his feet on the master's head and jumped down into the grounds discovering what he had done he was aghast sengai said it is very chilly in the early morning do be careful not to catch cold yourself the pupil never went out at night again [Music] vasui 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 pain i know you are very ill like a good zen student you were 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 cuff it nothing your end which is

endless is as a snowflake dissolving in the pure air [Music] a zen master named nissan asked a young student to bring him a pail of water to cool his bath the student brought the water and after cooling the bath threw onto the ground the little it was left over you dunce the master scolded him why didn't you give the rest of the water to the plants what right of you to waste even a drop of water in this temple the young student attained zen in that instant he changed his name to tekisui which means a

drop of water [Music] tosui was the zen master who left the formalism of temples to live under a bridge with beggars when he was getting very old a friend helped him to earn his living without begging he showed tosui how to collect rice and manufacture vinegar from it and tosui did this until he passed away while tosui was making vinegar one of the beggars gave him a picture of the buddha tosui hung it on the wall of his hut and put a sign beside it the sign read mr amida buddha this little room is quite

narrow i can let you remain as a transient but don't think i'm asking you to help me to be reborn in your paradise [Music] 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 when the master passed away an old neighbor heard the ringing of bells and the recitation of sutras and she knew shoiji had gone [Music]

buddha said i consider the positions of kings and rulers as that of dust modes i observe treasures of gold and gems as so many bricks and pebbles i look upon the finest silken robes as tattered rags i see myriad worlds of the universe as small seeds of fruit and the greatest lake in india as a drop of oil on my foot i perceive the teachings of the world to be the illusion of magicians i discern the highest conception of emancipation as a golden brocade in a dream and view the holy path of the illuminated ones

as flowers appearing in one's eyes i see meditation as a pillar of a mountain nirvana as a nightmare of daytime i look upon the judgment of right and wrong as the serpentine dance of a dragon and the rise and fall of beliefs as but traces left by the four seasons [Music]