Zen story - Man Of Tao

A student once asked, "What is the difference between a Man of Tao and a little man?" The Zen Master replied, "It is simple. When the little man becomes a student, he can hardly wait to run home and shout at the top of his voice to tell everyone. Upon hearing the words of the master, he will climb to the rooftops and shout to the people. Upon learning the ways of the master, he will parade through town telling one and all about his new knowledge".

The Zen Master continues, "When the Man of Tao becomes a student, he will bow his head in gratitude. Upon hearing the words of the master, he will bow his head and his shoulders. Upon learning the ways of the master, he will bow to the waist and quietly walk alongside the wall so that people will not see him or notice him".

11-30-2005 Quote for today

To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour.
-William Blake

11-29-2005 Quote for today

When we do the best that we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of another.
-Helen Keller

11-28-2005 Quote for today

A man may fulfill the object of his existence by asking a question he cannot answer, and attempting a task he cannot achieve.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes

Truth conquers without force and does no harm!

There is great knowledge in the world of men. One could spend their entire life accumulating knowledge and never reach more than a fraction of its total. He could travel the extent of the Earth spreading his knowledge and get all the accolades and honors humanity can give, yet he’ll never get a fraction of the truth nor the true peace.

The true knowledge is in understanding nature and knowing the self. In this way, there is nothing left that could possibly be misunderstood. When one knows nature and the self, he knows the universe and how everything connects and blends into One. Beyond this, there is no argument or oration that can do justice to truth.

It’s the truth that conquers without force and so it does no harm. It is the Tao!

11-27-2005 Quote for today

Those who visit foreign nations, but associate only with their own country-men, change their climate, but not their customs. They see new meridians, but the same men; and with heads as empty as their pockets, return home with traveled bodies, but untravelled minds.
-Charles Caleb Colton

Repaying Betrayal with Forgiveness

"More powerful than vengeance exacted, is forgiveness given."

In one of his previous births the Buddha (as a Bodhisattva) was a deer, golden in colour and with a very sweet voice. One day, he heard a man in a river crying out for help and swam across to save him. He then set him on the path to the city of Benares. Before they parted, the deer requested the man to keep his existence a secret and not guide anyone to his part of the forest. On reaching Benares, the man heard that the king had offered a reward to anyone who could tell him about a golden deer, as his Queen Khema had dreamt of such a deer and desired that it be brought to her.

Overcome with greed, the man guided the king to the forest where the golden deer lived. The king's huntsmen caught the deer. Just as the king was about to shoot an arrow at the golden deer, it spoke out to him. The king was enchanted by the deer's sweet voice. On hearing that the deer had been treacherously betrayed by the man whose life it had saved, the king declared that he would kill him.

The kindly Bodhisattva, however, intervened and requested the king to spare the man's life. The king then took the golden deer to the city of Benares with great honour and requested it to give a discourse to the queen. The Bodhisattva preached the Law of Dharma to Queen Khema and the court of Benares.

Zen story - Liberation

A monk set off on a long pilgrimage to find the Buddha. He devoted many years to his search until he finally reached the land where the Buddha was said to live. While crossing the river to this country, the monk looked around as the boatman rowed. He noticed something floating towards them. As it got closer, he realized that it was the corpse of a person. When it drifted so close that he could almost touch it, he suddenly recognized the dead body, it was his own! He lost all control and wailed at the sight of himself, still and lifeless, drifting along the river's currents. That moment was the beginning of his liberation.

11-26-2005 Quote for today

If you light a lamp for somebody,
it will also brighten your path.
-Buddhist Saying

11-25-2005 Quote for today

A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading.
-C. S. Lewis

11-24-2005 Quote for today

The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather in spite of ourselves.
-Victor Hugo

11-23-2005 Quote for toady

"Excellence is not an act but a habit. The things you do the most are the things you will do the best."
– Marva Collins

Zen Story - Intention

The Zen master Hakuin used to tell his students about an old woman who owned a tea shop in the village. She was skilled in the tea ceremony, Hakuin said, and her understanding of Zen was superb. Many students wondered about this and went to the village themselves to check her out. Whenever the old woman saw them coming, she could tell immediately whether they had come to experience the tea, or to probe her grasp of Zen. Those wanting tea, she served graciously. For the others wanting to learn about her Zen knowledge, she hid until they approached her door and then attacked them with a fire poker. Only one out of ten managed to escape her beating.

11-22-2005 Quote for today

I experience God as a life force that flows through the universe.
-John Shelby Spong

11-21-2005 Quote for today

An unfortunate thing about this world is that the good habits are much easier to give up than the bad ones.
-W. Somerset Maugham

11-20-2005 Quote for today

Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.
-Lyndon B. Johnson

Zen Story - In Your Hands

A young man caught a small bird, and held it behind his back. He then asked, "Master, is the bird I hold in my hands alive or dead." The boy thought this was a grand opportunity to play a trick on the old man. If the master answered "dead", it would be let loose into the air. If the master answered "alive", he would simply wring its neck. The master spoke, "The answer is in your hands".

11-19-2005 Quote for today

A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished.
-Friedrich Schiller

11-18-2005 Quote for today

To watch others' weakness is to collect trash in our minds.
Most people can see others' weakness, but not their own trash.
-Dharma Master Cheng Yen

Zen Story - Ten Old Men Enjoying Longevity

Once upon a time, a wayfarer came across ten old men; Over a hundred years of age, All of them were vigorous all the more; With earnesty and sincerity, he hastened forward for the key to their venerable age.

The first, twisting his beard, said:
I neither drink nor smoke.

The second, smiling, replied:
I take a hike after meats.

The third, nodding, answered:
I have a vegetarian diet.

The fourth, a stick in hand, said:
I have all along walked instead of riding.

The fifth, straightening his sleeves, said:
I myself have always taken part in physical labor.

The sixth, carrying a posture of yin-yang regulation, said:
I practice shadow boxing every day.

The seventh, rubbing his big nose, said:
I always leave windows open to let in fresh air.

The eighth, stroking his short beard, said:
I retire early and rise early.

The ninth, caressing his red cheeks, said:
I resort to sun bath to cause the skin sun burns.

The tenth, raising his eyebrows, said:
I always keep myself from worries.

Excellent are the statements by the ten old men which explains the secrets one by one. If you obey them with sincerity, you will surely enjoy longevity.

11-17-2005 Quote for today

Do not think of your faults, still less of other's faults; look for what is good and strong, and try to imitate it. Your faults will drop off, like dead leaves, when their time comes.
-John Ruskin

11-16-2005 Quote for today

Be curious, not judgmental.
-Walt Whitman

Zen Story - How Long

A martial arts student went to his teacher and said earnestly, "I am devoted to studying your system. How long will it take me to master it." The teacher's reply was casual, "Ten years." Impatiently, the student answered, "But I want to master it faster than that. I will work very hard. I will practice everyday, ten or more hours a day if I have to. How long will it take then?" The teacher thought for a moment, "20 years."

11-15-2005 Quote for today

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.
-Kahlil Gibran

11-14-2005 Quote for today

“Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners.”
—William Shakespeare

11-13-2005 Quote for today

You traverse the world in search of happiness, which is within the reach of every man. A contented mind confers it on all.
-Horace

Zen Story - Holy Man

Word spread across the countryside about the wise Holy Man who lived in a small house atop the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him. When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside. "I would like to see the Holy Man," he said to the servant. The servant smiled and led him inside. As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked eagerly around the house, anticipating his encounter with the Holy Man. Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside. He stopped and turned to the servant, "But I want to see the Holy Man!"

"You already have," said the wise-old man. "Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear plain and insignificant, see each of them as a Holy Man. If you do this, then whatever problem you brought here today will be solved."

11-12-2005 Quote for today

Good nature is worth more than knowledge, more than money, more than honor, to the persons who possess it.
-Henry Ward Beecher

Zen Story - Greatest Teaching

A renowned Zen master said that his greatest teaching was this:

Buddha is your own mind.

So impressed by how profound this idea was, one monk decided to leave the monastery and retreat to the wilderness to meditate on this insight. There he spent 20 years as a hermit probing the great teaching.

One day he met another monk who was traveling through the forest. Quickly the hermit monk learned that the traveler also had studied under the same Zen master. "Please, tell me what you know of the master's greatest teaching." The traveler's eyes lit up, "Ah, the master has been very clear about this." His greatest teaching is this:

Buddha is not your own mind.

11-11-2005 Quote for today

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark.
The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."
-Plato

11-10-2005 Quote for today

Can anything be sadder than work unfinished?
Yes, work never begun.
– Christina Rossetti

Zen Story - Go With The Flow

A Taoist story tells of an old man who accidentally fell into the river rapids leading to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life. Miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls. People asked him how he managed to survive.

"I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived."

11-9-2005 Quote for today

For lack of attention a thousand forms of loveliness elude us every day.
— Evelyn Underhill

Waiting : For What?

What are you waiting for?
For something amazing to happen to change your life?
Why not make it happen?

Sitting and waiting,
with countless wandering thoughts flitting by,
is the opposite of just being and meditating.

Why not just watch your mind?
Real calmly, real mindfully, real closely.
Something amazing will happen.

You will gain insight into your mind,
which shapes everything you experience,
which will "change" everything you experience.
by shian

How to Receive Insult

On one occasion, the Buddha was invited by the Brahmin Bharadvaja for alms to his house. As invited, the Buddha visited the house of the Brahmin. Instead of entertaining Him, the Brahmin poured forth a torrent of abuse with the filthiest of words. The Buddha politely inquired"

"Do visitors come to your house, good Brahmin?"
"Yes," he replied.
"What do yu do when they come?"
"Oh, we prepare a sumptuous feast."
"What do you if they refuse to receive the meal?"
"Why, we gladly partake of them ourselves."

"Well, good Brahmin, you have invited me for alms and entertained me with abuse which I decline to accept. So now it belongs to you."

The Buddha did not retaliate but politely gave back what the Brahmin had given Him. Retaliate not, the Buddha advised. "Hatred does not cease through hatred but through love alone they cease."

Zen Story - Gift Of Insults

There once lived a great warrior. Though quite old, he still was able to defeat any challenger. His reputation extended far and wide throughout the land and many students gathered to study under him.
One day an infamous young warrior arrived at the village. He was determined to be the first man to defeat the great master. Along with his strength, he had an uncanny ability to spot and exploit any weakness in an opponent. He would wait for his opponent to make the first move, thus revealing a weakness, and then would strike with merciless force and lightning speed. No one had ever lasted with him in a match beyond the first move.

Much against the advice of his concerned students, the old master gladly accepted the young warrior's challenge. As the two squared off for battle, the young warrior began to hurl insults at the old master. He threw dirt and spit in his face. For hours he verbally assaulted him with every curse and insult known to mankind. But the old warrior merely stood there motionless and calm. Finally, the young warrior exhausted himself. Knowing he was defeated, he left feeling shamed.

Somewhat disappointed that he did not fight the insolent youth, the students gathered around the old master and questioned him. "How could you endure such an indignity? How did you drive him away?"

"If someone comes to give you a gift and you do not receive it," the master replied, "to whom does the gift belong?"

11-8-2005 Quote for today

Beauty itself is but the sensible image of the Infinite.
-Francis Bacon

11-7-2005 Quote for today

We should every night call ourselves to an account: what infirmity have I mastered today? What passions opposed? What temptation resisted? What virtue acquired?
Our vices will abate of themselves if they be brought every day to the shrift.
-Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Zen Story - Full Awareness

After ten years of apprenticeship, Tenno achieved the rank of Zen teacher. One rainy day, he went to visit the famous master Nan-in. When he walked in, the master greeted him with a question, "Did you leave your wooden clogs and umbrella on the porch?"

"Yes," Tenno replied.

"Tell me," the master continued, "did you place your umbrella to the left of your shoes, or to the right?"

Tenno did not know the answer, and realized that he had not yet attained full awareness. So he became Nan-in's apprentice and studied under him for ten more years.

11-6-2005 Quote for today

The quality of one's life depends on the quality of attention. Whatever you pay attention to will grow more important in your life.
— Deepak Chopra

Zen story - Enlightenment

Once there was a well known philosopher and scholar who devoted himself to the study of Zen for many years. On the day that he finally attained enlightenment, he took all of his books out into the yard, and burned them all.

11-5-2005 Quote for today

It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.
-William Shakespeare

Zen Story - Enlightened Being

One of master Gasan's monks visited the university in Tokyo. When he returned, he asked the master if he had ever read the Christian Bible. "No," Gasan replied, "Please read some of it to me." The monk opened the Bible to the Sermon on the Mount in St. Matthew, and began reading. After reading Christ's words about the lilies in the field, he paused. Master Gasan was silent for a long time. "Yes," he finally said, "Whoever uttered these words is an enlightened being. What you have read to me is the essence of everything I have been trying to teach you here!"

11-4-2005 Quote for today

"I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time."
– Anna Freud

11-3-2005 Quote for today

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire.
-Aristotle

11-2-2005 - Quote for today

Do you wish people to think well of you? Don't speak well of yourself.
- Blaise Pascal

Lyrics - Nat King Cole

Pretend you're happy when you're blue
It isn't very hard to do
And you'll find happiness without an end
Whenever you pretend

Remember anyone can dream
And nothing's bad as it may seem
The little things you haven't got
Could be a lot if you pretend

You'll find a love you can share
One you can call all your own
Just close your eyes, she'll be there
You'll never be alone

And if you sing this melody
You'll be pretending just like me
The world is mine, it can be yours, my friend
So why don't you pretend?



And if you sing this melody
You'll be pretending just like me
The world is mine, it can be yours, my friend
So why don't you pretend?

Zen story - Empty Your Cup

A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. 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."

11-1-2005 Quote for today

A good indignation brings out all one's powers.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson