The sutra moves forward through monks.
You used to be such a devilish thing. Since when did you fall in love with safety?
– on old age
Individually they suffer. Collectively they cause suffering.
– on humans
Bereft of honesty the heart of the matter ceases to beat.
Holy regard! She’s entangled in holy regard!
External influences muddy the clear water.
– case 205, Shakuo’s ‘Lame Nag’
Changsha was completely spontaneous and transmitted the light to Yanshan.
– case 206, Changsha Enjoys the Moon
Zhaozhao is the second ladelful of dirty water. Bodhidharma was the first.
– case 207, Linji washes his feet
Being in some state of grace protects you from some unnamable forces that swirl around humans.
A good heart is something you can’t buy in the world. No one ever puts their good heart up for sale.
A good heart sold is one no longer.
‘Make me feel differently,’ he begged.
To be venerated is to cause feelings of being venerated. The dirty ladelful of water was Linji’s original ego and the second ladelful of dirty water would be the ego caused by Zhaozhou’s veneration.
Zhaozhou carelessly offered advice when he saw someone was interested in hearing it. He served an ego impulse. It seems as if Songyuan served his ego here too.
What someone wears when they commit suicide is more revealing than the note.
A fool creates conflict in his workplace and home. I’m glad there are none among us here.
When considering someone and their struggles, Linji first looks at the environment the person’s in.
Then he’ll look at the person less the environment, probably imagining them in some different environment.
Sometimes he’ll practice meditaion and wait for insight and sometimes it’s immediate so he doesn’t have to.
– case 208, Linji’s Four Positions
I feel immediately better after I let myself enjoy something. I don’t often though and maybe that’s why I enjoy it so much when I do.
A foolish leader has his best generals cleaning out the washrooms. The good general finds meditaion in the work as the leader’s empire falls to his own poor decisions.
May nobody ever refer to you as kind of a weird bitch.
If you’re suffering right now it’s because of reincarnation.
If you’re reading this it’s because of reincarnation too.
Enlightenment is soul suicide so it’s only for the wild brave.
If you’re a reincarnated spirit then you aren’t who you think you are. These spirits should carry some kind of names.
Punyamitra recited an exposition of the uncreated from a scripture that caused Parshua to attain englightenment.
Friend, I’d sure like to hear that.
The vulnerable want to be comforted. As in birth as in death. Comfort gives both a happy life and happy death.
I’m sure this’ll work
+ I’m not sure of anything but I’ll do it just in case
– I’m sure this is bullshit so I’m not going to do it
= Ritual
‘You do the math,’ is the ultimate shithead tagline.
More than enough is the only acceptable level of water.
‘I guess I’m not as bad as I could be,’ is the highest form of self praise that I have.
Everything that exists, it’s important that it exists. Imagine a machine with a missing gear. Though not as immediately evident, equally as important.
Let’s be discheveled so we can talk freely.
The great Buddha shed his wealth and royal titles in a symbolic gesture that we should all do the same with those parts of ourselves that we most covet.
Zen first teaches that your identity is a false identity.
Isn’t it just a bunch of likes and dislikes?
The original unorigination exists in you, free of them.
If you ever find yourself thinking thoughts to make yourself feel better, it’s worth asking yourself why you’d even require those thoughts in the first place. If you only treat the symptom you’ve allowed the problem to grow.
In old Thai culture every book is a holy thing for good reason.
‘Getting past this place, this autumn of the heart, one starts to know what hard traveling means.’
– Kuan Hisu (832 – 912)
This is the autumn of my life and I’m glad for it.
I’m glad for sweaters and cool breezes and cozy places.
The spring and summer were great hectic fun and it’s time to burrow.
My favourite work is the creative work. I love a good koan too.
There are a lot of hilarious jokes hidden in the koans.
Sometimes your senses inform your actions.
Sometimes your actions inform your senses.
Sometimes they happen at the same time and sometimes they happen at different times.
– case 210, Linji’s Four Functions
You’re free to enjoy that which you don’t think about.
If you’re going to be kind, you have to be strong. That means cutting off parasitic people.
Only someone who has never seen a devil would wish to see one.
Anyone who attacks you emotionally should tire themselves striking at air.
The phalanx wasn’t impressive for how they arranged their defence but for what was happening behind the shields.
Experience is life and life leads to obervations and here we are.
Powerful energies are harmful to us if we don’t practice using them. When something harms us we shy away from it.
What have you been shying away from all these years?
The law of unintended consequences is a law of balance which is a universal law. The law is this; If you impliment a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist, you will 100% of the time create a problem.
Geez, everyone’s really looking for intimacy.
The undifferentiated source is the stuff of the Double Iron Ring mountains. Zhaozhou wondered why Nanquan would send anything toward it when one should only draw from it. The question may have been a test which Zhaozhou passed by questioning dogma. Zhaozhou proved himself through wisdom and spontaneity.
– case 212, Manjusri Gives Rise to Views
The price of comfort became the air they breathed and the water they drank.
I know it’s a basic concept but really don’t forget that you create whatever feelings you have.
If you put too much of something in anything you’ll wreck it.