Seven Zen Stories That Can Open Your Mind
For centuries Zen masters have used fairy tales and koans or paradoxical riddles to help students realize their true nature. These stories are often perplexing and may seem meaningless, but think about them yourself and you can become wiser and more aware. Here are seven of our favorite Zen stories.
We will not try to explain stories, because this will miss the main point: stories themselves are experiences. Only you can meditate on them to become aware of their inner understanding. As Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki write in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones , from which many of the stories below were compiled:
Zen carries many meanings, none of which is fully definable. Once defined, they are not Zen.
Or, as Mumon wrote in the introduction to The Gate Without Gates , a collection of thirteenth century Zen koans:
Even such words are like raising waves in a calm sea or surgery on a healthy body. If someone clings to what others are saying and tries to understand Zen through explanations, he is like a dumbass who thinks he can pole-strike the moon or scratch an itchy foot on the outside of a shoe. In the end, it will not be possible.
Without further ado, come and see for yourself.
Thirty years
A variation on this story is also known as Banzo’s Sword Taste . We thought this was perfect for Lifehacker:
One person went to a Zen master and said, “If I work very hard, how soon can I achieve enlightenment?”
The Zen master examined him from head to toe and said, “Ten years.”
This guy said, “No, look, I mean, if I’m really working on this, how long …”
The Zen master interrupted him. “I’m sorry. I was wrong. Twenty years.”
“Wait!” The young man said: “You don’t understand! I AM-“
“Thirty years,” said the Zen master .
Dirty road
One day Tanzan and Ekido were driving together on a muddy road. It was still raining heavily.
Rounding the bend, they met a pretty girl in a silk kimono and a belt, unable to cross an intersection.
“Come on, girl,” Tanzan said immediately. Picking her up in his arms, he carried her through the mud.
Ekido did not speak again until that night when they arrived at the shelter in the temple. Then he could no longer restrain himself. “We monks do not approach women,” he told Tanzan, “especially young and beautiful ones. This is dangerous. Why did you do it?”
“I left the girl there,” Tanzan said. “Are you still carrying her?”
The first principle
When someone goes to the Obaku Shrine in Kyoto, he sees the words “First Principle” carved above the gate.
The letters are unusually large and are always admired by calligraphic aficionados as a masterpiece. They were drawn by Kosen two hundred years ago.
When a master drew them, he did it on paper, from which the craftsmen made large wood carvings. When Kosen drew letters, he had a brave student with him who made several gallons of calligraphy ink and constantly criticized his teacher’s work.
“This is not good,” he told Kosen after the first try.
“Like this?”
“Poor. Worse than before,” said the apprentice.
Kosen patiently wrote one sheet after another until the first eighty-four principles were collected, still without the student’s approval.
Then, when the young man stepped outside for a few moments, Kosen thought, “Now I have a chance to escape his penetrating gaze,” and wrote hastily, without distraction. “First Principle”.
“A masterpiece,” said the student.
Real miracle
When Bankei was preaching at Ryumon Temple , the Shinshu priest, who believed in salvation through chanting the name of the Buddha of Love, was jealous of him to a large audience and wanted to discuss it with him.
Bankei was in the midst of a conversation when the priest appeared, but this guy made such anxiety that Bankei stopped his conversation and asked about the noise.
“The founder of our sect,” the priest boasted, “had such wonderful abilities that he held a brush in his hand on one side of the river, his servant held a paper on the other side, and the teacher wrote the holy name. Amides through the air. Can you do such a wonderful thing? “
Bankei replied flippantly, “Your fox may be able to do this trick, but this is not a Zen manner. My miracle is that when I am hungry I eat, and when I feel thirsty I drink. ”
Nothing exists
Yamaoka Tesshu , as a young Zen student, visited one master after another. He summoned Dokuon from Shokoku .
Wanting to show his accomplishments, he said, “After all, mind, Buddha and sentient beings do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no awareness, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There are no gifts and nothing to receive. “
Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing. Suddenly, he hit Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth very angry.
“If nothing exists,” Dokuon asked, “where did this anger come from?”
Joshu’s Bowl Washing
One monk told Josh , “I have just entered this monastery. I ask you to teach me. ” Joshu asked, “Have you eaten rice porridge?” The monk replied, “Yes.” “Then,” Joshu said, “go and wash your bowl.”
At that moment, the monk received enlightenment.
Mumon’s comment:
Joshu opened his mouth, showed his gallbladder (true mind) and the depth of his heart. If this monk didn’t really listen and understand the truth, he really mistook the bell for a jug.
He made it so plain and simple
It can take a long time to figure it out
If you understand that it is foolish to look for fire by the light of a lantern,
The rice will take a short time to cook.
The smile in his life
Mokugen never smiled until his last day on earth. As his time came to an end, he said to his faithful: “You have studied with me for over ten years. Show me your real interpretation of Zen. Whoever expresses this most clearly will become my successor and receive my robe and cup. “
Everyone looked at Mokugen’s stern face, but no one answered.
Encho, a student who had been with his teacher for a long time, walked over to the bed. He pulled out the medicine cup a few inches. This was his response to the command.
The teacher’s face became even sterner. “Is that all you understand?” he asked.
Encho reached out and put the cup down again.
A beautiful smile appeared on Mokugen’s face. “You are a villain,” he said to Encho. “You have worked with me for ten years and have not yet seen my whole body. Take a robe and a bowl. They belong to you. “
Some of the stories above may sound cryptic, but that’s also part of the story. Zen is not logic or words, but a state of your mind. It was hard to stop at seven for that (but seven and zen rhyme). For further reading, check out the 101 history of Zen , which includes the 101 history of Zen and the gate without the gate, reports of blue rocks (PDF) and the collection of resources for a Zen Buddhist Sacred Texts on site . And share your favorites with us in the comments.