Practice Meetings

Tuesday Jul 30, 8:30am

Friday Aug 2, 7:00pm

This Week’s Reading

Thich Nhat Hanh, Old Path White Clouds, Chapter 54, “Dwell in Mindfulness”.

This Week’s Koan

Blue Cliff Record #71

Wufeng’s “You Too Should”

Baizhang again asked Wufeng, “If, side by side, you withdraw throat and lips, how do you speak to make it alive?”

Feng said, “Venerable you too should withdraw them side by side.”

Zhang said, “In the place without a person, I put my hand to forehead and gaze into the distance for you.”

Practice Meetings

Tuesday Jul 23, 8:30am

Friday Jul 26, 7:00pm

This Week’s Reading

Thich Nhat Hanh, Old Path White Clouds, Chapter 53, “Dwelling in the Present Moment”.

This Week’s Koan

Blue Cliff Record #70

Guishan’s “I Would Ask You to Say It”

Guishan, Wufeng, and Yunyan stood together as attendants for Baizhang.  Baizhang asked Guishan, “If side by side you withdraw throat and lips, how do you speak to make it alive?”

Guishan said, “I withdraw and beg the Venerable to speak.”

Baizhang said, “I don’t decline to turn to you and speak, but I fear then that afterwards I would lose my children and grandchildren for descendants.”

Therefore Xuedou’s ode says:

I withdraw and beg the Venerable to speak.

The tiger’s head gives birth to horns coming out from the wild grasses.

In the ten island-continents, spring is ended and flowers are withered.

In the forest of coral trees, the sun is brilliantly bright.

Practice Meetings

Tuesday Jul 16, 8:30am

Friday Jul 19, 7:00pm

This Week’s Reading

Thich Nhat Hanh, Old Path White Clouds, Chapter 52, “Fields of Merit”.

This Week’s Koan

Blue Cliff Record #26

Baizhang Sitting Alone

A monk asked Baizhang, “So what is the peculiar matter?”

Zhang said, “Sitting alone on Great Victory summit.”

The monk ceremoniously bowed.

Zhang then hit him.

Practice Meetings

Tuesday Jul 9, 8:30am

Friday Jul 12, 7:00pm

This Week’s Reading

Thich Nhat Hanh, Old Path White Clouds, Chapter 51, “The Treasure of Insight”.

This Week’s Koan

Gateless Gate #40

Kicking Over the Water Jug

When Isan Oshõ was with Hyakujõ, he was tenzo [head cook] of the monastery.

Hyakujõ wanted to choose a master for Mount Tai-i, so he called together all the monks and told them that anyone who could answer his question in an outstanding manner would be chosen.

Then he took a water bottle and stood it on the floor, and said, “You may not call this a water bottle. What do you call it?”

Isan tipped over the water bottle with his feet and went out.

Hyakujõ laughed and said, “The head monk loses.”

Isan was named as the founder of the new monastery.

Practice Meetings

Tuesday Jul 2, 8:30am

Friday Jul 5, 7:00pm

This Week’s Reading

Thich Nhat Hanh, Old Path White Clouds, Chapter 50, “A Handful of Bran”.

This Week’s Koan

Gateless Gate #1

Joshu’s Dog

A monk asked Joshu, “Does a dog have Buddha Nature?”

Joshu answered, “Mu (No.)”