During a working Yong Maeng Jong Jin at Zen Center Berlin
Very often in the Zen tradition, Zen Masters have not made it easy for students to practice with them. Initially the student is presented with some sort of test. One of the most famous Zen stories is that of
…
By KC Walpole
Seldom in a lifetime, if ever, arises the opportunity of a physical challenge coupled with a meaningful experience. Last summer, I had the opportunity to ride a motorcycle on an odyssey to the four corners of the nation to speak on women and children in our jails …
Read More...Zen Master Bon Haeng is asked “What should I do when I encounter office gossip?”
…
Read More...Keep your direction clear. There is something that moves you to practice, that points you in the direction. Then find your “try mind”. Inspiration is wonderful, but if we just rely on inspiration, it fizzles out. And then we’re lost. So it’s not about inspiration or not inspiration. We say …
Read More...Zen Master Dae Bong speaks about chanting,together action and bowing.
From http://www.musangsa.org.…
Read More...[Raises the Zen stick over his head, then hits the table with the stick.]
BOOM!
Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.
Our world is always changing-sometimes fast, sometimes slow. When the change is fast, we suffer a lot. Our world changing fast means volcano, earthquake, tsunami, war. Everything is changing …
Here’s a question for everybody: How can you get out of samsara, how do you get out of suffering? We’re really lucky because we have a good practice situation. We can help and support each other, come here freely and nothing is stopping …
Read More...Sound is silence. Silence is sound.
Raises Zen stick over head, then hits table with stick.
No sound, no silence.
Raises Zen stick over head, then hits table with stick.
Sound is sound. Silence is silence. What is original sound?…
Read More...Do You Still Have Mind?
The day after tomorrow we will begin our three month winter retreat, Kyol Che. Kyol Che means tight practicing. If you have mind, it’s very important …
Read More...Question: If you see a lot of blame in your life and very little praise, and you feel a lot of pain and very little pleasure, and you hang on to this then you suffer a lot. So you always say put it all down. I ask you: What is …
Read More...One day, Zen Master Man Gong sat on the high rostrum and gave the speech to mark the end of the three month winter retreat. “All winter long you monks practiced very hard. That’s wonderful! As for me, I had nothing to do, so I made a net. This net …
Read More...“Everybody comes into this world carrying nothing,” Zen Master Seung Sahn has said. “Everyone leaves for someplace, also carrying nothing. We cannot take anything with us. Yet in between, everybody wants things, chases things, and is attached to things very much.”
Back in 1964, as a young music student in …
Read More...If you look closely at human beings in the world today, you notice that they are not human beings. They don’t act like human beings. If a human being acts correctly, then he or she becomes a true human being. Moment to moment, what do you do? What is your …
Read More...The Buddha taught about the three jewels: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. But in one of his teachings he said that of these three Sangha is the most important. They all seem important and completely interconnected: When we look deeply into one of these we find the others. Why would he …
Read More...Is this a good place or a bad place?
[Raises Zen stick overhead and hits table]
Is this no place? Is this a magic place? Is this a special place?
[Raises Zen stick overhead and hits table]
If we make any of these …
Read More...Given April 2, 1994
A true person
leaps into the world
takes seven steps in each direction
“Only I am holy.”
Un Mun’s foul mouth
Cries “Mistake!”
Still, 2538 birthday candles
Have already burned up
Buddha, Un Mun,
and the whole world of
desire, anger, and stupidity.
Was your birth…
From a talk at Providence Zen Center on Buddha’s Enlightenment Day, 1991
Throughout the ages people have written commentaries on the Buddha’s enlightenment using many different perspectives. But from the point of view of history, the Buddha’s enlightenment is not very interesting. Nor is it very interesting from the …
Read More...Letter to a student:
Dear Margaret,
Thank you for your beautiful card. You work is very beautiful.
You spoke about losing energy too fast and want to shut it off…. losing energy so you want to plug it up. After a period of long sitting usually we have much energy …
Read More...A Dharma talk given on February 9, 1982 at the Ojai Foundation in California.
Zen mind means everyday mind. Everyday mind means only-do-it mind. It’s very simple, so it’s very hard for some of us to accept. It’s too simple. Only do-it mind. Nobody understands what that really means – …
Read More...