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.