The mere fact of enlightenment does not mean that all of one’s impulses are suddenly perfect, but rather that one sees more accurately how one should live.

– Harada Roshi

Practice Meetings

Friday Jan 30, 7:00pm

This Week’s Koan

Gateless Gate #5
“Man Up a Tree”

Kyõgen Oshõ said, “It is like a man up in a tree hanging from a branch with his mouth; his hands grasp no bough, his feet rest on no limb.

Someone appears under the tree and asks him, ‘What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?’ If he does not answer, he fails to respond to the question. If he does answer, he will lose his life.

What would you do in such a situation?”

Mumon’s Verse

Even if your eloquence flows like a river, it is of no avail.

Though you can expound the whole of Buddhist literature, it is of no use.

If you solve this problem, you will give life to the way that has been dead until this moment and destroy the way that has been alive up to now.

Otherwise you must wait for Maitreya Buddha and ask him.

“When you ride in a boat and watch the shore, you might assume that the shore is moving. But when you keep your eyes closely on the boat, you can see that the boat moves. Similarly, if you examine many things with a confused mind, you might suppose that your mind and nature are permanent. But when you practice intimately and return to where you are, it will be clear that there is nothing that has unchanging self.”

Dogen

A monk asked Kyôzan, “Your Reverence, do you know letters or not?”

Kyôzan said, “According to my capacity.”

The monk immediately turned around once clockwise and said, “What letter is this?” Kyôzan drew the ideograph for “10” [ + ] in the earth.

The monk turned himself around once counter-clockwise and said, “What letter is that?”

Kyôzan modified the sign” + ” into a swastika [卍].

The monk drew a circle in the air and lifted his two palms like Asura vigorously holding the sun and moon and said, “What letter is that?”

Kyôzan immediately drew a circle enclosing the swastika. The monk at once represented

the vigor of a Rucika.

Kyôzan said, “Good, good. Keep it with care.”

“Here is my wish for you and every other child, woman, and man on the face of the earth: Spend one week saying only kind, caring things to yourself.  Say thank you at least ten times an hour, direct five toward yourself and five to the world at large.  Compliment yourself (and others) each time an effort is made.  Notice all the wonderful qualities and characteristics about yourself and those around you.  One week.  You will never go back.  And your whole life will be a glorious meditation.”

Cheri Huber

Beiko had a monk ask Kyôzan, “Do people these days really need enlightenment or not?”

Kyôzan said, “It is not that there is no enlightenment, but how can it be helped that it falls into the second class?”

The monk went back to Beiko and told him about it. Beiko deeply agreed.

“The metaphor of movie for life is an interesting one. The frames go by so quickly that we retain the illusion of continuity and are distracted from the light that shines steadily through each frame.”

Robert Aitken

Kyôzan asked a monk, “Where do you come from?”

The monk said, “I am from Yû Province”

Kyôzan said, “Do you think of that place?”

The monk said, “I always do.”

Kyôzan said, “That which thinks is the mind. That which is thought about is the objective world. Within that are mountains, rivers and the great earth, towers, palaces, people, animals, and other things. Reflect upon the mind that thinks. Are there a lot of things there?”

The monk said, “I don’t see anything at all there.”

Kyôzan said, “That’s right for the stage of understanding, but not yet for the stage of personalization.”

The monk said, “Do you have any special advice, Master?” Kyôzan said, “It is not right to say that there is or there is not. Your insight shows that you have obtained only one side of the mystery. Sitting down, putting on clothes – from now on you see by yourself.”