Talks on Zen
Talks given from 11/12/74 am to 20/12/74 am English Discourse series
1 One Short Note2 Throw It Out!3 It Is Very Sharp4 Suppose My Hand Were Always Like That?5 How Does Buddhism Explain Egotism6 Where Can You Go And Not Be Loved7 Snowflakes As Beautiful As These Don't Fall8 The First Principle9 He Did Not Feel It So Deeply10 So Teng Died Standing On His Head
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 1 One Short Note 11 December 1974 am in Buddha Hall KAKUA WAS THE FIRST JAPANESE TO STUDY ZEN IN CHINA, AND WHILE HE WAS THERE HE ACCEPTED THE TRUE TEACHING. WHEN HE WAS IN CHINA HE DID NOT TRAVEL. HE LIVED IN A REMOTE PART OF A MOUNTAIN AND MEDITATED CONSTANTLY. 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....
< Previous | Contents CHAPTER 10 So Teng Died Standing On His Head 20 December 1974 am in Buddha Hall WHEN TENG YIN FENG WAS ABOUT TO DIE HE SAID TO THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM: I HAVE SEEN MONKS DIE SITTING AND LYING, BUT HAVE ANY DIED STANDING? ‘YES, SOME,’ THEY REPLIED. ‘HOW ABOUT UPSIDE-DOWN?’ ASKED TENG. ‘NO, NEVER SUCH A THING,’ THEY SAID. SO TENG DIED STANDING ON HIS HEAD AND HIS CLOTHES ALSO ROSE UP, CLOSE TO HIS BODY....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 2 Throw It Out! 12 December 1974 am in Buddha Hall JOSHU WAS A MASTER WHO STARTED TO STUDY ZEN WHEN HE WAS SIXTY. WHEN HE WAS EIGHTY HE FOUND ENLIGHTENMENT. THEY SAY HE TAUGHT FOR FORTY YEARS AFTER HIS ENLIGHTENMENT. ONCE A STUDENT ASKED OLD JOSHU: ‘YOU TEACH THAT WE SHOULD EMPTY OUR MINDS. I HAVE NOTHING IN MY MIND – NOW WHAT SHOULD I DO?...
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 3 It Is Very Sharp 13 December 1974 am in Buddha Hall NANSEN, THE FAMOUS CHINESE ZEN MASTER, WAS IN THE WOODS ONE DAY, NEAR THE TEMPLE, CUTTING DOWN TREES WITH A HUGE AXE. A MONK WHO HAD COME FROM A DISTANCE TO PAY HOMAGE TO THE MASTER, PASSED THROUGH THE WOODS AND CAME CLOSE TO THE WOODCUTTER. ‘IS THE ABBOT OF NANSEN AT HOME?...
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 4 Suppose My Hand Were Always Like That? 14 December 1974 am in Buddha Hall MOKUSEN HIKI WAS LIVING IN A TEMPLE IN THE PROVINCE OF TAMBA. ONE OF HIS ADHERENTS COMPLAINED OF THE STINGINESS OF HIS WIFE. MOKUSEN VISITED THE ADHERENT’S WIFE AND HELD HIS CLENCHED FIST BEFORE HER FACE. ‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?’ ASKED THE SURPRISED WOMAN. ‘SUPPOSE MY HAND WERE ALWAYS LIKE THAT, WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT?...
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 5 How Does Buddhism Explain Egotism 15 December 1974 am in Buddha Hall THE PRIME MINISTER, KUO TZU I, OF THE TANG DYNASTY, WAS AN OUTSTANDING STATESMAN, A DISTINGUISHED GENERAL, AND THE MOST ADMIRED NATIONAL HERO OF HIS DAY. BUT FAME, POWER, WEALTH AND SUCCESS COULD NOT DISTRACT HIM FROM HIS KEEN INTEREST AND DEVOTION TO BUDDHISM. REGARDING HIMSELF AS A PLAIN AND HUMBLE DEVOTED BUDDHIST, HE OFTEN VISITED HIS FAVORITE ZEN MASTER TO STUDY UNDER HIM....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 6 Where Can You Go And Not Be Loved 16 December 1974 am in Buddha Hall WHEN YANG CHU WAS PASSING THROUGH SUNG HE SPENT THE NIGHT AT AN INN. THE INNKEEPER HAD TWO CONCUBINES – ONE BEAUTIFUL, AND THE OTHER UGLY. THE UGLY ONE HE VALUED, AND THE BEAUTIFUL ONE HE NEGLECTED. WHEN YANG CHU ASKED THE REASON, THE FELLOW ANSWERED: THE BEAUTIFUL ONE THINKS HERSELF BEAUTIFUL, AND I DO NOT NOTICE HER BEAUTY; THE UGLY ONE THINKS HERSELF UGLY, AND I DO NOT NOTICE HER UGLINESS....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 7 Snowflakes As Beautiful As These Don’t Fall 17 December 1974 am in Buddha Hall FOR NEARLY TWENTY YEARS, HOUN, A LAYMAN DEVOTED TO THE STUDY OF ZEN, LIVED AT YAKUSAN TEMPLE, AND UNDERTOOK DISCIPLINE UNDER MASTER IGEN. THE DAY CAME WHEN HE DECIDED TO RETURN TO HIS FAMILY. THE MASTER ASKED TEN OF HIS DISCIPLES TO SEE HIM OFF AT THE GATE....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 8 The First Principle 18 December 1974 am in Buddha Hall THERE ARE SOME BEAUTIFUL LETTERS CARVED OVER THE GATE OF THE OAKU TEMPLE IN KYOTO WHICH SAY: THE FIRST PRINCIPLE. PEOPLE COME FROM FAR AND NEAR TO ADMIRE THEM. THE ORIGINAL CALLIGRAPHY WAS DONE ON PAPER BY THE MASTER KOSEN. WHEN KOSEN WAS DRAWING THE CHARACTERS THERE WAS A PUPIL STANDING BY WHO HAD MIXED THE INK....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 9 He Did Not Feel It So Deeply 19 December 1974 am in Buddha Hall AN OLD MAN WHO WAS BORN IN YEN, BUT GREW UP IN CHU’U DECIDED TO RETURN TO HIS NATIVE COUNTRY. WHILE HE WAS PASSING THROUGH THE STATE OF CHIN HIS COMPANIONS DECIDED TO PLAY A JOKE ON HIM. POINTING TO A CITY THEY SAID TO HIM: THIS IS THE CAPITAL OF YEN....