A. Asking this question is also a kind of thought. Where is it from? To keep questioning this is no other than Zen meditation and is a good gate to enlightenment.
In Buddhism the true-Self is the root of everything, including thoughts. To realise what the true-Self is through experience in person is referred to as enlightenment, the aim of Buddhism.
Student: “Where do thoughts come from?”
Master: “Pardon?”
Student: “Where do thoughts come from?”
Master: “Don’t say that I didn’t answer your question.”
Master Jijang asked Buban, “Where are you going?” Buban answered, “I am going to amble around.” Jijang said, “Do you know how to amble?” Buban said, “I don’t know.” Jijang said, “Not knowing is the nearest.” Then, Buban attained enlightenment.
Student: “What is the way of ambling?”
Master: “You should walk without stepping on anything.”
Student: “What is the nearest?”
Master: “It can’t be separated from you even with a sharp sword.”
Commentary:
The Buddha is always with you wherever you may go, although He never moves at all.
When Rinzai came to Kegon in the prefecture of Jo, Kegon pretended to be dozing, leaning on his staff. Rinzai said to him “Old Venerable, what shall I do if you doze off?” Kegon answered, “A great visitor of Zen is really different.” Rinzai said, “Attendant, go and make tea for the Venerable.” Kegon called the monk in charge and said, “Install this monk in the third seat.”
Commentary:
Seeing Rinzai coming, Kegon pretended to be dozing to test him. Rinzai, sensing Kegon’s intent, revealed the true-Self by saying, “Old Venerable, what shall I do if you doze off?” Kegon tested Rinzai again to see if he was really above being deluded by words by saying, “A great visitor of Zen is really different.” Rinzai responded well by saying, “Attendant, go and make tea for the Venerable”, with which Rinzai revealed the true-Self. Kegon, approving Rinzai’s enlightenment, told the monk in charge to install him in the third seat.
A. Many people seem to mistake divine power for a supernatural ability beyond our scientific comprehension such as foretelling the future and saving people from their illnesses. In fact, such things have nothing to do with Buddhism. The divine power in Buddhism is another name of the true-Self. Whatever we do, our lives themselves are the functions of the divine power, and wherever we are, we cannot be separated from the divine power. We cannot stop revealing divine power even for a moment. That is why ancient masters would say that hiding the true-Self is more difficult than revealing it.
The fact is that there is no one who is not equipped with divine power, and who is not revealing it. Everybody is equipped with it and is revealing it unceasingly. The key point is whether we are aware of it or not. That the enlightened are equipped with divine power means that they are clearly aware of it. So, ancient masters would say that they could use it at will anytime.
Rinzai came to the memorial pagoda of Bodhidharma. The incumbent asked, “Old Venerable, will your first bow be to the Buddha or to the Patriarch?” Rinzai said, “I shall bow neither to the Buddha nor to the Patriarch.”
Student: “Why didn’t Rinzai bow either to the Buddha or to the Patriarch?”
When Rinzai came to Daiji, he was sitting in his quarters. Rinzai asked, “How is it when you are sitting calmly in your room?” Daiji said, “The consistent colour of the winter pine tree has been outstanding for a thousand years; when an old man in the country picks flowers, it is spring all over the country.” Rinzai said, “The foundation of perfect wisdom of enlightenment of all ages has been transcended forever; ten thousand barriers shut off the Three Mountains.” Daiji gave a Katsu. Rinzai also gave a Katsu. Daiji said, “How?” Rinzai shook his sleeves and left.
Commentary:
In Daiji’s answer ‘The consistent colour of the winter pine tree has been outstanding for a thousand years; when an old man in the country picks flowers, it is spring all over the country’, ‘the winter pine tree’ symbolises the true-Self that is unchangeable like a pine tree which is evergreen, and ‘its consistent colour has been outstanding for a thousand years’ means that it has been manifesting itself clearly before us without any concealment for countless years. In ‘when an old man in the country picks flowers, it is spring all over the country’, flowers imply words and spring the true-Self. So, this phrase means that when he, Daiji himself reveals the true-Self by saying these few words, it reveals itself all over the country as if it were spring all over the country. In Rinzai’s replying words, ‘The foundation of perfect wisdom of enlightenment of all ages has been transcended forever’ means he is never attached even to the true-Self that is the foundation of perfect wisdom of enlightenment, and ‘Ten thousand barriers shut off the Three Mountains’ implies the Three Mountains that is the true-Self are difficult to recognise since they are covered with ten thousand barriers, which are illusions. Then, both masters revealed the true-Self by giving a Katsu in turn. When Daiji said, “How will you respond now?” Rinzai responded by showing the true-Self through shaking his sleeves and leaving.
A. The concept of happiness exists based on that of suffering just as the concept of right exists based on that of left. Were it not for left, there would be no right. In the same way, if there were only happiness, happiness would not be happiness.
That is why it is said that happiness contains suffering and vice versa. Buddhism says that we should be able to see both as identical so that we may escape from the ocean of suffering.
Bodhidharma, sensing that the emperor couldn’t understand him, crossed the Yangtze river and went to another country called Wi. Later the emperor of Yang regretted failing to recognise him and wanted to send for him. Then, master Ji-Gong said to him, “Don’t try to bring him back. He will never return even if you send all the people for him.”
Student: “Why did Ji-Gong say that Bodhidharma would never return even if the emperor of Yang sent all the people for him?”
Master: “What can be brought and taken is not Bodhidharma.”
Commentary:
The Buddha neither comes nor goes but is with us wherever we may go.
Rinzai went to Sambyo, who asked him where he had come from. Rinzai answered that he had come from Obaku. Sambyo said, “What did Obaku have to say?” Rinzai said, “Last night the golden bull vanished in the dark, and no trace of it has been seen since.” Sambyo said, “The autumn wind blows on the flute of jade. Who is it that understands such music?” Rinzai said, “Having passed ten thousand barriers, he dwells not even in the deep blue sky.” Sambyo remarked, “You are getting too high with this.” Rinzai said, “The dragon gave birth to the golden phoenix, The lapis lazuli breaks into sparkling radiance.” Sambyo said, “Sit down and have some tea,” and then asked again, “Where have you been lately?” Rinzai said, “At Ryoko’s.” Sambyo asked, “And how is Ryoko these days?” The master left.
Commentary:
Rinzai responded to Sambyo’s question by revealing the true-Self through the words ‘Last night the golden bull vanished in the dark, and no trace of it has been seen since’. ‘The golden bull’ implies the true-Self, and ‘no trace of it has since been seen’ means that the true-Self is formless and that he is not deluded by its illusion. Sambyo’s words ‘The autumn wind blows on the flute of jade. Who is it that understands such music?’ means that he wonders who can grasp Rinzai’s answer even though Rinzai made an answer as beautiful music. Rinzai’s ‘Having passed ten thousand barriers, he dwells not even in the deep blue sky’ means that one who is neither deluded by ten thousand words and forms nor stays even in the form of Emptiness that is imagined being beautiful like the deep blue sky can understand his answer. Sambyo’s ‘You are getting too high with this’ means ‘You reveal the true-Self too delicately for it to be discerned’. Rinzai’s ‘The dragon gave birth to the golden phoenix, The lapis lazuli breaks into sparkling radiance’ implies that when one has become one with the true-Self, whatever one does and says is the function of the true-Self. Rinzai’s answer ‘At Ryoko’s’ to Sambyo’s question ‘Where have you been lately?’ implies the true-Self that we have never left and can’t be separated from. That is why Rinzai answered by revealing the true-Self through leaving when he was asked about Ryoko.
A. Each person’s ‘I’ is the most important. All that we do in our lives is nothing but to attempt to please and satisfy our ‘I’. Even sacrificing ourselves for someone else, although it may be called altruism, is a sort of way to please and satisfy our ‘I’. Feeling that we have succeeded in doing this, we feel happy and accomplished. When we fail to do so, we become unhappy and even frustrated.
However, what is regrettable is that we don’t know what the ‘I’ is whilst we regard it as the most important. That is why all our effort to please and satisfy it is fruitless although we are struggling to do it. The purpose of Zen meditation is to help to realise our ‘I’. To realise our ‘I’ is called enlightenment.
Zen Fools 