Two zen monks were walking by a river.
“Look at the fish swimming about,” said the one,
“They are really enjoying themselves.”
“You are not a fish,” replied the other,
“So you can’t truly know that they are enjoying themselves.”
“You are not me,” said the one.
“So how do you know that I do not know
that the fish are enjoying themselves?”
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."
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.
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."
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."
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?"
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 -?"
