Posts tagged ‘Zen Master Seung Sahn’
Jul 30 11
Jun 13 11
Grounded and Ungrounded
A story about Zen Master Seung Sahn and his ability to remain grounded regardless of the situation.
Apr 1 00
What’s Up Doc
One time Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a hearty meal and a bottle of wine, they crawled into their tent and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes woke up and nudged his faithful friend. “Watson, look up and tell me what…
Read More...Mar 1 99
Inka Speech
[Raises Zen stick over head, then hits table with stick.]
Enlightenment is no enlightenment. No enlightenment is enlightenment.
[Raises Zen stick over head, then hits table with stick.]
No enlightenment. Not no enlightenment.
[Raises Zen stick over head, then hits table with stick.]
Enlightenment is enlightenment. No enlightenment is no…
Read More...Oct 1 95
True Alchemy
“Alchemy” is one of the most commonly used metaphors for spiritual transformation. The turning of dross into something valuable and useful is something which has forever obsessed the human imagination. Unfortunately, people often become attached to the surface meaning of religious metaphors and thereby miss their true meaning.
This doesn’t…
Read More...Feb 1 92
Why does the Buddha have big ears?
Recently at a talk, someone pointed to the Buddha statue and asked me, “Why does the Buddha have such big ears?” Buddhas and bodhisattvas are always portrayed as having large, pendulous ears. In Western culture small ears close to the head are thought to be the most beautiful, but
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Read More...Oct 1 91
Mind Road
“The mind road has no end,” says a common Zen teaching phrase. Zen Master Seung Sahn’s upcoming collection of kong-ans, The Whole World Is A Single Flower, has an instructive case in this regard: number fourteen, “Where does the bell sound come from?”
One day, as the big temple…
Read More...Jun 1 91
Teaching Words
When he was young the great Zen Master Ma-tzu was known for his hard practicing. One day the Seventh Patriarch, Huai-jang, came upon Ma-tzu meditating in his hut. Having heard of his reputation, Huai-jang decided to test him. He entered the hut and questioned Ma-tzu as to the purpose
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Read More...Apr 1 91
Round and Round Sufferinga
One day during a retreat at the Kansas Zen Center, a friend and I were rearranging the cushions in the sitting room. It was the end of the second day of the retreat. Some people were coming and some going, so we had to make room for them. Just
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