JUST BE - or NOT

A student came to his master:

"I want to experience being a spiritual being - how do I do that ?"

"What do you mean ? Do you want to experience, be or both ?"

At that moment, the student was enlightened.

THE STONE MIND

A Zen teacher, lived alone in a small temple in the country.

One day four traveling monks appeared and asked if they might make a fire in his yard to warm themselves.

While they were building the fire, he heard them arguing about subjectivity and objectivity.

He joined them and said: "There is a big stone. Do you consider it to be inside or outside your mind?"

One of the monks replied: "From the Buddhist viewpoint everything is an objectification of mind, so I would say that the stone is inside my mind."

"Your head must feel very heavy," he observed, "if you are carrying around a stone like that in your mind."

SELF-CONTROL

One day there was an earthquake that shook the entire Zen temple.

Parts of it even collapsed. Many of the monks were terrified.

When the earthquake stopped the teacher said, "Now you have had the opportunity to see how a Zen man behaves in a crisis situation. You may have noticed that I did not panic. I was quite aware of what was happening and what to do.

I led you all to the kitchen, the strongest part of the temple. It was a good decision, because you see we have all survived without any injuries.

However, despite my self-control and composure, I did feel a little bit tense - which you may have deduced from the fact that I drank a large glass of water, something I never do under ordinary circumstances."

One of the monks smiled, but didn't say anything.

"What are you laughing at?" asked the teacher.

"That wasn't water," the monk replied, "it was a large glass of soy sauce."

THE NOVICE and THE MASTER

A man was searching for a guru.

Everytime he would ask the same question:

"Are you a true master ?"

The gurus would reply "Yes, I am. Let me guide you"

And the man would continue his search.

He had almost given up his search, when one day a teacher thought a while about his question, and then replied:

"I am a master ... novice"

The student then knew he had found someone who would provide him good guidance.

RITUAL CAT

When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, the cat who lived in the monastery made such noise that it distracted them.

So the teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice.
Years later, when the teacher died, the cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session.

And when the cat eventually died, another cat was brought to the monastery and tied up.

Centuries later, learned descendants of the spiritual teacher wrote scholarly treatises about the religious significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice.