THE MOON CANNOT BE STOLEN

Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain.

One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing in it to steal.

Ryokan returned and caught him. "You may have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you shoud not return emptyhanded. Please take my clothes as a gift."

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.

Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon.

"Poor fellow, " he mused, "I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."

SERVING OTHERS

A Sufi teaching story tells of a man who prayed continually for the awareness to succeed in life. Then one night he dreamed of going into the forest to attain understanding.

The next morning he went into the woods and wandered for several hours looking for some sign that would provide answers. When he finally stopped to rest, he saw a fox with no legs lying between two rocks in a cool place.

Curious as to how a legless fox could survive, he waited until sunset when he observed a lion come and lay meat before the fox. "Ah, I understand," the man thought. "The secret to success in life is to trust that God will take care of all my needs. I don't need to provide for myself. All I have to do is totally surrender to my all-sustaining God."

Two weeks later, weakened and starving, the man had another dream.
In it he heard a voice say, "Fool. Be like the lion, not like the fox."

THE MUDDY ROAD

Two monks were travelling together down a muddy road. Heavy rain was falling.

Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.

"Come on, girl," said the on monk at once.

Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.

The other monk did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple.

Then he no longer could restrain himself.

"We monks don't do near females," he said, "especially not the young and lovely ones.

It is dangerous. Why did you do that?"

"I left the girl there," said the other "Why are you still carrying her?"

THE REBEL WITHOUT A MUG

A student was learning about the tea-ceremony.

"I can enjoy my tea from a cracked mug as well as from a finely crafted cup." said the student.

"That may be so," the teacher replied. "However, the tea-ceremony is attention to detail and poise. Thus disciplining your mind".


"I believe, it is what is INside, that counts -!" the student retorted.

The teacher said:

"My dear friend. Your words are a vehicle of your thoughts, are they not -?"

The student agreed.

"Then I must tell you, that your awareness is that of a cracked mug".

A SINGLE QUESTION

A student met with his guru.

The student had great news.

"I have broken free of the limiting snares of monogamous partnership !" he enthused.

"How so ?" the guru asked.

"I must be free - to realize my true nature, be at one with Duality !"

The guru replied:

"How can you be at one with duality, when you can't even be at one with an other human being -?"

TEACHING THE ULTIMATE

In early times in Japan, bamboo-and-paper lanterns were used with candles inside.

A blind man, visiting a friend one night, was offered a lantern to carry home with him.

"I do not need a lantern," he said. "Darkness or light is all the same to me."

"I know you do not need a lantern to find your way," his friend replied, "but if you don't have one, someone else may run into you. So you must take it."

The blind man started off with the lantern and before he had walked very far someone ran squarely into him. "Look out where you are going!" he exclaimed to the stranger.

"Can't you see this lantern?"

"Your candle has burned out, brother" replied the stranger.

BLACK-NOSED BUDDHA

A nun who was searching for enlightenment made a statue of Buddha and covered it with gold leaf. Wherever she went she carried this golden Buddha with her.

Years passed and, still carrying her Buddha, the nun came to live in a small temple in a country where there were many Buddhas, each one with its own particular shrine.

The nun wished to burn incense before her golden Buddha.

Not liking the idea of the perfume straying to others, she devised a funnel through which the smoke would ascend only to her statue.

This blackened the nose of the golden Buddha, making it especially ugly.

ROCK ON

A young man went to see a guru.

"I want to make things happen! please teach me- !" he asked.

The guru looked at him for a little while, then picked up a handfull of small rocks, and threw them in the students face.

The young man was quite shocked, and cried out:

"What the hell did you do THAT for-?!"

"There. A thing just happened" replied the guru.

At that moment the student was enlightened.

LEARNING to be SILENT

The pupils of the Tendai school used to study meditation before Zen entered Japan.

Four of them who were intimate friends promised one another to observe seven days of silence.

On the first day all were silent.
Their meditation had begun auspiciously, but when night came and the oil lamps were growing dim one of the pupils could not help exclaiming to a servant: "Fix those lamps."

The second pupil was surprised to hear th first one talk.

"We are not supposed to say a word," he remarked.

"You two are stupid. Why did you talk?" asked the third.

"I am the only one who has not talked," concluded the fourth pupil.

IT WILL PASS ...

A student went to his meditation teacher and said "My meditation is horrible! I feel so distracted, or my legs ache, or I'm constantly falling asleep. It's just horrible!"
"It will pass" the teacher said, matter-of-factly.

A week later, the student came back to his teacher.
"My meditation is wonderful! I feel so aware, so peaceful, so alive! It's just wonderful!'

"It will pass" the teacher replied, matter-of-factly.

ABSOLUTELY YOURS

DID YOU EVER EXPERIENCE A MOMENT SO INTIMATE AND sparkling and forceful, that you felt almost homesick for the moment that had not yet passed -?

SURRENDERING TO THE NOW, means ENDing the CHASE for Nowness. "But..But..BUT..My CRAVINGS is what makes me feel ALIVE and..HUMAN-! HUMAN cravings-!" No. Your cravings is what makes you WANT. Awareness of your wants, thoughts on wants and CHOICES of which want to want MORE and thus pursue...Is what makes you human. Because you ARE AWARE that every moment. Is different...from NOW. Much like not focusing on "trying to have an orgasm"..and then *WHOOSH* You have one...or three...or.. Magic. Does life then, become MAGICally more easy -? Absolutelely -NOt.

IT IS JUST SIMPLER. More balanced. More serene. Blissful, even. BALANCE occurs, when NOWness is recognized as always present. SERENETY occurs, when the present is recognized as transparent. BLISS occurs, when transparency is realized as the INfinite spaciousness.
Just that. A vast infinity of space. Emptiness within Form. If this realization does not kindle just the slightest translucent sparkle of humbleness towards your mere existence.

NOthing Will.

GET LOST OR GET REAL

LETTING GO, MEANS SURRENDERING TO SPACIOUSNESS.
It does not mean to let go of MINDFULLNESS. Never let go of TRUTH. Have compassion AND passion. But let go of what ECLIPSES enlightenment.
Surrendering, means BEING a humble servant to the BASIC life energy. To DANCE, rather than trying to conquer. BALANCE, rather than letting yourself go and be "swept away" by the moments passing by. CHOOSE, rather than trying to have it "all" at ONCE. Within balance, infinite spaciousness reveals itself as true awareness.

WE LIKE TO GET LOST IN A "MOMENT", precisely because it makes our EGO feel transparent. Being "swept away" allows us to "loose" ourselves in the PRESENT. So we chase these moments. We CRAVE them, to feed our inherent appetite for "being in the NOW". However, the spaciousness and bliss we may experience from such a moment, does not come from the moment itself. Moments pass. Spaciousness is always present.

IN MOMENTS. Out of moments.

THE POISON OF SHUNYATA

Once a novice student of the Dharma was walking along the road.

He did not believe he needed a guru, as he had realized emptiness all by himself.

A beautiful rose was growing on a bush.

The student looked at it, then pulled out all its petals and stamped ferousiously on the remains.

A bird, singing in a cherrytree, was silenced by a small rock, hurled from his hand with admirable precision.

He passed a pond, with crystal-clear water and colorful Koi swiming beneath the lotuses.

The student took a small bottle from his bag and emptied it's entire content into the stillness.
The water then went milky white before the fish all floated to the surface.

An old woman had been watching this peculiar behavior, and asked the young man:

"Why are you destroying these expressions of beauty, do you not find the splendor of nature worth admirering-?"

The young man looked at her, and overbearingly replied:

"All things are impermanent by nature. Do you not think it is better to let them return to their true nature as soon as possible-?"

The old woman smiled and said:

"In that case, my dear friend, why don't you go and jump off that tall cliff over there, and realize your OWN true nature-?"

WASH YOUR BOWL

A monk told Joshu, "I have just entered the monastery.
Please teach me."

Joshu asked, "Have you eaten your rice porridge?

The monk replied, "I have eaten."

Joshu said, "Then you had better wash your bowl."

At that moment the monk was enlightened.

EMPTY YOUR CUP

A professor of philosophy was given audience by the Japanese Zen master Nan-in.

While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen.

The master poured the visitor's cup to the brim, and then kept pouring.

The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself.
"It's overfull! No more will go in!" the professor blurted.

"You are like this cup" the master replied, "How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup -?"