This, This, A Thousand Times This: The Very Essence of Zen

Talks given from 27/05/88 pm to 10/06/88 pm English Discourse series

1 Zen -- your very essence 2 The bamboos speak 3 This... is the whole sermon 4 The heartbeat of the universe 5 Freedom is my god 6 The finger pointing to nothing 7 Why be a beggar?8 Dancing madly from eternity to eternity 9 A jungle of flames 10 Nothing is so daring as zen 11 No beginning and no end 12 Your depth is infinite 13 Five doors into your house 14 15 All arrows converge on this

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1 Zen \-- your very essence

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 1 Zen – your very essence 27 May 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium Maneesha, Before I start a new series of talks on Zen – called THIS. THIS. A THOUSAND TIMES THIS – I want to devote today to preparation for the coming Zen anecdotes... absurd yet profound, without any rationality but still as truthful as language allows. I am wearing sunglasses in the night; it is due to the courtesy of President Ronald Reagan....

10 Nothing is so daring as zen

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 10 Nothing is so daring as zen 5 June 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium BELOVED OSHO, KYOGEN WAS A SCHOLAR OF GREAT LEARNING, AND FOR SOME TIME, THIS STOOD IN THE WAY OF HIS ENLIGHTENMENT. ONE DAY, ISAN ASKED KYOGEN, “WHEN YOU WERE WITH OUR TEACHER, HYAKUJO, YOU WERE CLEVER ENOUGH TO GIVE TEN ANSWERS TO A SINGLE QUESTION, AND HUNDREDS OF ANSWERS TO TEN QUESTIONS....

11 No beginning and no end

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 11 No beginning and no end 6 June 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium BELOVED OSHO, A MONK CAME FROM JOSHU OSHO’S ASSEMBLY TO UKYU, WHO SAID TO HIM, “WHAT DO YOU FIND IN JOSHU’S TEACHING? IS THERE ANYTHING DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU FIND HERE?” THE MONK SAID, “NOTHING DIFFERENT.” UKYU SAID, “IF THERE IS NOTHING DIFFERENT, WHY DON’T YOU GO BACK THERE?...

12 Your depth is infinite

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 12 Your depth is infinite 7 June 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium BELOVED OSHO, A MONK ASKED SEPPO, “HOW ABOUT WHEN THE OLD VALLEY WATER IS A COLD SPRING?” SEPPO ANSWERED, “STARE INTO IT AS YOU MAY, YOU CAN’T SEE THE BOTTOM!” THE MONK SAID, “WHAT ABOUT WHEN WE DRINK THE WATER?” SEPPO SAID, “IT DOESN’T GO IN THE MOUTH.”...

13 Five doors into your house

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 13 Five doors into your house 8 June 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium BELOVED OSHO, A MONK HAD COME TO SEE KISU AND AFTER A VERY BRIEF STAY WAS MAKING HIS DEPARTURE. KISU SAID, “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” THE MONK REPLIED, “I’M GOING ALL OVER THE PLACE LEARNING THE FIVE FLAVORS OF ZEN.” KISU SAID, “YES, THERE ARE THE FIVE FLAVORS OF ZEN IN VARIOUS PLACES, BUT HERE I HAVE ONLY ONE....

14

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 14 9 June 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium BELOVED OSHO, UNGO DOYO WAS THE CHIEF DISCIPLE OF TOZAN. WHEN HE FIRST MET TOZAN, HE WAS ASKED, “WHAT IS YOUR NAME?” HE ANSWERED, “DOYO.” TOZAN SAID, “TELL ME TRANSCENDENTALLY!” UNGO REPLIED, “SPEAKING TRANSCENDENTALLY, MY NAME IS DOYO.” TOZAN SAID, “WHEN I SAW MY MASTER, MY ANSWER WAS NO DIFFERENT.” UNGO REMAINED WITH TOZAN MANY YEARS....

15 All arrows converge on this

< Previous | Contents ‌CHAPTER 15 All arrows converge on this 10 June 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium BELOVED OSHO, TOZAN SAID TO UNGAN, “MASTER, IF SOMEONE ASKS ME A HUNDRED YEARS AFTERWARDS WHAT I THOUGHT WAS YOUR DEEPEST UNDERSTANDING, WHAT SHOULD I SAY?” UNGAN ANSWERED, “TELL HIM I SAID, ‘IT IS SIMPLY THIS.’” TOZAN WAS SILENT FOR A TIME, AND UNGAN SAID, “TOZAN, IF YOU HAVE GRASPED THIS, YOU MUST CARRY IT OUT IN DETAIL!...

2 The bamboos speak

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 2 The bamboos speak 28 May 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium BELOVED OSHO, WHEN SEPPO WAS LIVING IN HIS HERMITAGE, TWO MONKS CAME TO PAY THEIR RESPECTS. AS SEPPO SAW THEM COMING HE PUSHED OPEN THE GATE AND, PRESENTING HIMSELF BEFORE THEM, SAID, “WHAT IS THIS?” THE MONKS ALSO SAID, “WHAT IS THIS?” SEPPO LOWERED HIS HEAD AND RETURNED TO HIS COTTAGE....

3 This\... is the whole sermon

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 3 This... is the whole sermon 29 May 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium BELOVED OSHO, HYAKUJO HAD A UNIQUE WAY OF GUIDING MONKS. FROM MORNING TILL NIGHT HE KEPT ON SAYING, “WORK FOR ME IN THE FIELD, AND I WILL TEACH FOR YOU.” HE THUS MADE HIS DISCIPLES WORK IN THE FIELD ALL THE TIME; BUT HE DID NOT SEEM TO BE PREPARED TO GIVE ANY LECTURES OR SERMONS....

4 The heartbeat of the universe

< Previous | Contents | Next > ‌CHAPTER 4 The heartbeat of the universe 30 May 1988 pm in Gautam the Buddha Auditorium BELOVED OSHO, A MONK SAID TO TOZAN, “COLD AND HEAT DESCEND UPON US. HOW CAN WE AVOID THEM?” TOZAN SAID, “WHY DON’T YOU GO WHERE THERE IS NO COLD OR HEAT?” THE MONK SAID, “WHERE IS THE PLACE WHERE THERE IS NO COLD OR HEAT?” TOZAN SAID, “WHEN COLD, LET IT BE SO COLD THAT IT KILLS YOU; WHEN HOT, LET IT BE SO HOT THAT IT KILLS YOU....