Tell us a favorite Zen story!

[struggle4progress]

I like the one about the Zen master's one-eyed brother, which goes something like this:

A mendicant monk appeared at the monastery late one day. According to custom, he had to win a Zen dialog in order to stay, but the master was tired that afternoon and requested that his one-eyed brother conduct the interview for him

A short while later, the mendicant came to the master to say he had been defeated in the dialog and would be on his way. The master asked for a summary

Well -- said the mendicant -- it went this way. I held one finger, signifying the Buddha. He held up two fingers, signifying the Buddha and his dharma teachings. I held up three fingers, signifying the Buddha, his dharma teachings, and his disciples. He shook his fist in my face, signifying that all these are one

The mendicant left. Then the brother came into the room, demanding to know where the mendicant had gone. The master again asked what had occurred

Well -- said the brother -- it went this way. He held one finger, rudely pointing out that I have only one eye. So I politely held up two fingers, indicating that I saw he had two eyes. Then he held up three fingers, rudely insisting that we had together three eyes. I threatened to punch him, but he left

[Taverner]

1. Koan #548.2

A Zen monk asked his teacher if everything has the buddha in it. The teacher replied "yes"

The monk then asked if even a dog has buddha in it

The master replied ""

[AlecBGreen]

11. five buddhas?

am I missing something? :)

[Taverner]

12. ??? - that character means 'wu' in Pinyan Chinese

Both the sound a dog makes, and the word 'no'

[AlecBGreen]

13. ahhh...

the character isnt right. The one there is the character for "5."

Wu (meaning 'no') is 无

Dog's say wang, 汪

[AsahinaKimi]

15. I thought "no" was..

Bu Hao. or is it Wu Hao? I am confused.

[AlecBGreen]

16. There are several words for "no"

"bu" and "mei(you)"

Bu hao means no good.

Wu also means no, but it is more formal are rarely spoken. I think its more a literary thing.

[AlecBGreen]

14. pinyin, not pinyan

pronounced peen-yeen

[geckosfeet]

2. so hard to choose...

Zen Koans

However I suggest that you start with #1.

[struggle4progress]

7. That looks like a transcription of Zen Flesh, Zen Bones

But I suppose if speaking of books, I should notice #67

[geckosfeet]

17. These koans, or parables, were translated into English from a book called the Shaseki-shu

Zen Koans

These koans, or parables, were translated into English from a book called the Shaseki-shu (Collection of Stone and Sand), written late in the thirteenth century by the Japanese Zen teacher Muju (the "non-dweller"), and from anecdotes of Zen monks taken from various books published in Japan around the turn of the 20th century.

Zen Koans

[rug]

3. Nothing Exists

Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku.

Desiring to show his attainment, he said: "The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received."

Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth quite angry.

"If nothing exists," inquired Dokuon, "where did this anger come from?"

[GliderGuider]

4. The Two Monks and the Girl

Two monks on a pilgrimage are walking silently along a muddy road when they come across a young woman with a long kimono trying to cross the road. She’s not daring to step into the mud for fear of dirtying her kimono, so the first monk picks her up, carries her across the road and puts her down safely on the other side. The monks then walk on in noble silence.

Four or five hours pass and they are nearing their destination. Suddenly the second monk turns to the first and says “You know you shouldn’t have done that! We monks are not supposed even to touch women! You shouldn’t have picked up that girl.” The first monk replies, “Oh, are you still carrying her? I put her down hours ago.”

It neatly illustrates a number of teachings: about the necessity of acting in the world, non-attachment versus clinging, the perils of staying stuck in the past, and judgement as represented by the tyranny of the word "should".

[Silent3]

5. A monk was not walking down the road. n/t

[Vehl]

6. Some teachings of Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen

Huike said to Bodhidharma, “My mind is anxious. Please pacify it.”
Bodhidharma replied, “Bring me your mind, and I will pacify it.”
Huike said, “Although I’ve sought it, I cannot find it.” “There,”
Bodhidharma replied, “I have pacified your mind.”

...................

Legend has it that Bodhidharma wished to return to India and called together his disciples and the following exchange took part.

Bodhidharma asked, “Can each of you say something to demonstrate your understanding?”

Dao Fu stepped forward and said, “It is not bound by words and phrases, nor is it separate from words and phrases. This is the function of the Tao.”

Bodhidharma: “You have attained my skin.”

The nun Zong Chi stepped up and said, “It is like a glorious glimpse of the realm of Akshobhya Buddha . Seen once, it need not be seen again.”

Bodhidharma; “You have attained my flesh.”

Dao Yu said, “The four elements are all empty. The five skandhas are without actual existence. Not a single dharma can be grasped.”

Bodhidharma: “You have attained my bones.”

Finally, Huike came forth, bowed deeply in silence and stood up straight.

Bodhidharma said, “You have attained my marrow.”

Bodhidharma passed on the symbolic robe and bowl of dharma succession to Huike and, some texts claim, a copy of the Lankavatara Sutra. Bodhidharma then either returned to India or died.


^^ The moral of the story is that enlightenment cannot be expressed in words.

[drokhole]

8. What is it that's moving?

I'm going to do a horrible job relaying it here, but it goes something like this:

Two Buddhist monks were standing outside a monastery watching a flag flap about on a windy day. The first monk proclaimed, "It is not the wind that is moving, it is the flag." The second monk countered, "Nonsense, the wind is what is clearly moving."

As they continued to argue, a passing Zen Master heard them, stopped, and said, "It is not the flag that is moving, nor the wind that is moving - it is your mind that is moving."

[YankeyMCC]

9. "I don't know."

Emperor Wu of Liang asked the great master Bodhidharma, "What is the first principle of the holy teaching?"

Bodhidharma said, "Vast emptiness, nothing holy."

The Emperor asked, "Who stands before me?"

Bodhidharma said, "I don't know." The Emperor did not understand. Bodhidharma then crossed the Yangtze River and went on to the kingdom of Wei.

Later, the Emperor took up this matter with Duke Chih. Chih said, "Your Majesty, do you know who that was?"

The Emperor said, "I don't know."

Chih said, "That was the Great Personage Kuan-yin, conveying the mind-seal of the Buddha." The Emperor felt regretful, and wanted to send an emissary to invite Bodhidharma to return.

Chih said, "Your Majesty, don't say you will send someone to bring him back. Even if everyone in the whole country were to go after him, he would not return."


===

Favorite wouldn't be a good word I think, but this story has been resonating with me lately, exploring the matter of 'great doubt' has become central to my practice.

[Vehl]

18. I remember reading of the encounter Bodhidharma had with the Emperor

The version I read was somewhat slightly different from yours, but the gist of the story was the same

-----------------------------

Bodhidharma was introduced to the emperor of China, who was a Buddhist himself. In his conference with the emperor, Bodhidharma exhibited the sort of sharp, shocking behavior that would become characteristic of Zen Buddhist masters. This meeting is regarded as China's first introduction to Zen Buddhism.

The emperor practiced the outward behaviors of Buddhism; he wore Buddhist robes, abstained from eating meat, build many temples and supported hundreds of monks and nuns. The emperor was proud of his knowledge of Buddhism and his support of Buddhism in his kingdom.

He asked Bodhidharma, "Since I came to the throne, I have built many temples, published numerous scriptures and supported countless monks and nuns. How great is the merit in all these?"

"No merit to speak of.", was the shocking reply of Bodhidharma. The emperor had often heard renowned masters say, "Do good, and you will receive good; do bad and you will receive bad. The Law of Cause and Effect is unchangeable, effects follow causes as shadows follow figures." But now, this foreign sage declared that all his efforts had earned no merit at all.

The emperor failed to understand that one is not practicing Buddhism if one does good with the desire to gain merit for oneself. It will be more like promoting one's own welfare or hoping for admiration by the public. The emperor asked his next question, "What then, is the essence of Buddhism?"

Bodhidharma's immediate reply was, "Vast emptiness and no essence at all!"
This stunned the emperor. Other masters had explained that the essence was contained in doctrines such as The Four Noble Truths and The Law of Cause and Effect, but this foreign sage of Buddhism had just declared there was 'no essence at all'.

The confused emperor dismissed the sage from the court on 17 October. Thus, China had its first taste of Zen teaching. After Bodhidharma's departure, the emperor discussed the incident with his Buddhist teacher, Master Chih. The master asked him, "Does your majesty know who this man is?" He informed the emperor that Bodhidharma came to China with a mandate from one of the world's leading Buddhism authorities on special mission to revitalize Chinese Buddhism.

This filled the emperor with regret for having sent Bodhidharma out of the court. Years later, upon hearing the death of the sage, he mourned deeply and then wrote an inscription to pay his tribute to the great sage which read:

"Alas! I saw him without seeing him;
I met him without meeting him;
I encountered him without encountering him;
Now as before I regret this deeply!"

But Bodhidharma had left the capital for the North, where his impact was more lasting.

from here
http://monkeytree.org/silkroad/mindbody/emperor.html

----------------------------------

The interaction between Bodhidharma and the emperor is one of my fav parts of the stories that surround Bodhidharma, because the message he conveys in that is very relevant to this day. Even though I'm a Hindu (but of the (Atheist) Advaita vedanta school which is very similar to zen Buddhism(imho its the same message but both schools use slightly different terminology..but I digress) I love having conversations about Dharma (not Bodhidharma..but "Dharma" as the concept used in the Dharmic religions(Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism)) with those who follow the Dharmic religions. One of the worrying trends I have noticed...is the rather alarming habit of some modern day Buddhists to put too much emphasis on theories and concepts than on the meanings behind them. Nowadays many people know the four noble truths, the eightfold path...etc etc that imho I believe that they have become victims of their highly theoretical learning.I fear that the actual message of the Buddha is lost within all this memorization of the technical terminology. I wish that they would take one of the last advices of Buddha, that of "work out your own enlightenment" to heart rather than try to follow exactly the "supposed" path Buddha took for enlightenment...the former makes one think, the latter only makes one an automaton.


PS: btw an interesting continuation of the encounter of Bodhidharma and the Emperor was that later on, when the emperor realized his mistake, he sent his general to bring Bodhidharma back from the northern kingdom...and when Bodhidharma refused, he even authorized the general to try to forcibly drag Bodhidharma back...a task which was an exercise in futility.

btw, if you are interested, here is a link to a Chinese movie(somewhat old) about Bodhidharma. It has English subs and covers most of the major events that happened in Bodhidharma's life.

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTU5MzIwNzUy.html

:)



PPS: btw I was just reminded of the old saying, found both in the dao de ching and the Upanishads, about "not knowing"

"He who thinks he knows, knows not, he who knows that he does not know, knows"

A variation of this is also found in Zen teachings, If I remember correctly

[AsahinaKimi]

10. I enjoyed these..

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"

"Like this cup," Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"


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and another:


The Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty was a national hero for his success as both a statesman and military leader. But despite his fame, power, and wealth, he considered himself a humble and devout Buddhist. Often he visited his favorite Zen master to study under him, and they seemed to get along very well. The fact that he was prime minister apparently had no effect on their relationship, which seemed to be simply one of a revered master and respectful student.

One day, during his usual visit, the Prime Minister asked the master, "Your Reverence, what is egotism according to Buddhism?" The master's face turned red, and in a very condescending and insulting tone of voice, he shot back, "What kind of stupid question is that!?"

This unexpected response so shocked the Prime Minister that he became sullen and angry. The Zen master then smiled and said, "THIS, Your Excellency, is egotism."

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And another..