Talks on Zen
Talks given from 23/10/88 pm to 31/10/88 pm English Discourse series
1 The Master of the shouts2 Empty heart, empty mind3 Either experience or just go home4 How coarse5 Relax and disappear6 All you can do is drop your mind7 There is no final destination8 Holidays are not for saints
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 1 The Master of the shouts 23 October 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium OUR BELOVED MASTER, RINZAI BECAME KNOWN AS THE MASTER OF THE SHOUTS. ON ONE OCCASION, A MONK ASKED, “WHAT ABOUT THE CARDINAL PRINCIPLE OF THE BUDDHA-DHARMA?” RINZAI SHOUTED – THE MONK BOWED. “DO YOU SAY THAT’S A GOOD SHOUT?” RINZAI ASKED. THE MONK COMMENTED: “THE THIEF IN THE GRASS HAS MET COMPLETE DEFEAT....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 2 Empty heart, empty mind 25 October 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium OUR BELOVED MASTER, ON ONE OCCASION RINZAI SAID, “WHOEVER COMES TO ME, I DO NOT FAIL HIM: I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE HE COMES FROM. IF HE SHOULD COME IN A PARTICULAR WAY, HE WOULD BE AS IF HE HAD LOST HIMSELF. IF HE SHOULD NOT COME IN A PARTICULAR WAY, HE WOULD HAVE BOUND HIMSELF WITHOUT A ROPE....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 3 Either experience or just go home 26 October 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium OUR BELOVED MASTER, ON ONE OCCASION RINZAI SAID, “FOLLOWERS OF THE WAY, YOU SEIZE UPON WORDS FROM THE MOUTHS OF OLD MASTERS AND TAKE THEM TO BE THE TRUE WAY, SAYING, ‘THESE GOOD MASTERS ARE WONDERFUL, AND I, SIMPLE-MINDED FELLOW THAT I AM, DON’T DARE MEASURE SUCH OLD WORTHIES....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 4 How coarse 27 October 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium OUR BELOVED MASTER, ONE DAY WHEN RINZAI AND PU’HUA WERE BOTH ATTENDING A DINNER AT A PATRON’S HOUSE, RINZAI ASKED: “A HAIR SWALLOWS UP THE GREAT SEA, AND A MUSTARD SEED CONTAINS MOUNT SUMERU. IS THIS THE MARVELOUS ACTIVITY OF SUPERNATURAL POWER OR ORIGINAL SUBSTANCE AS IT IS?” PU’HUA KICKED OVER THE DINNER TABLE....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 5 Relax and disappear 28 October 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium OUR BELOVED MASTER, RINZAI ONCE WENT TO VISIT ONE OF UNGAN’S DISCIPLES, ANZAN. ON THAT OCCASION HE ASKED ANZAN: “WHAT IS THE WHITE COW OF THE DEWY GROUND?” ANZAN RESPONDED BY SAYING: “MOO! MOO!” RINZAI COMMENTED: “YOU ARE DUMB!” ANZAN SAID, “HOW ABOUT YOU?” RINZAI OBSERVED, “YOU ANIMAL!” ON ONE OCCASION RINZAI ASKED A NUN, “WELL-COME OR ILL-COME?...
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 6 All you can do is drop your mind 29 October 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium OUR BELOVED MASTER, WHEN RINZAI ONCE VISITED HORIN, HORIN SAID: “INTO THE SEA, THE MOONLIGHT FALLS CLEAR AND SHADOWLESS, BUT THE WANTON FISH DECEIVE THEMSELVES.” RINZAI COMMENTED: “IF THE MOONLIGHT ON THE SEA IS WITHOUT SHADOWS, HOW CAN THE FISH BE DECEIVED?” HORIN THEN SAID: “SEEING THERE IS WIND, WAVES ARISE; PLAYING WITH THE WATER, THE ROUGH SAIL FLAPS....
< Previous | Contents | Next > CHAPTER 7 There is no final destination 30 October 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium OUR BELOVED MASTER, ONCE, WHEN KINGYU SAW RINZAI COMING TO HIS MONASTERY, HE SAT IN HIS ROOM HOLDING HIS STICK CROSSWISE. RINZAI STRUCK THE STICK THREE TIMES WITH HIS HAND, THEN ENTERED THE MONK’S HALL AND SAT DOWN IN THE FIRST SEAT. KINGYU CAME IN, SAW RINZAI, AND SAID, “IN AN ENCOUNTER BETWEEN HOST AND GUEST, EACH SHOULD OBSERVE THE CUSTOMARY FORMALITIES....
< Previous | Contents CHAPTER 8 Holidays are not for saints 31 October 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium OUR BELOVED MASTER, RINZAI SAID, “I EXPOUND THE DHARMA OF MIND-GROUND, BY WHICH ONE CAN ENTER THE SECULAR AND THE SACRED. BUT YOU ARE MISTAKEN IF YOU SUPPOSE THAT YOUR REAL AND TEMPORAL, SECULAR AND SACRED CAN ATTACH A NAME TO EVERYTHING REAL AND TEMPORAL, SECULAR AND SACRED. THEY CANNOT ATTACH A NAME TO THIS MAN....