Boil it down but I don’t mean get boiled.
\nPurify it but it’s not some pure thing.
\nConnotations won’t let me express ‘cut the shit’ but not in a crass way.<\/p>\n
Clearing one’s mind brings about the great benefit of a clear mind.<\/p>\n
Jainfu Chenggu and the supramundane. He talked about reincarnation as a necessity
\n‘…nothing departs from this realm, and that it is to this that all ultimately returns.’<\/p>\n
Everything both divided and in its entirety manifests form.
\nThe only escape is clear.<\/p>\n
The undeniable truth of a reincarnative manifestation.
\nIn a deterministic universe where no matter could be created nor destroyed. Here we currently find ourselves necessarily looping because how could it be any other way?
\nNow how can I get formless?<\/p>\n
It would be fun to make a scene in front of a group of strangers and then upon exit, whisper to one observer that you’re a time traveler and ask them not to tell anybody.<\/p>\n
Ask a busy man what he thinks of his neighbour’s lifestyle and he won’t have much to say.
\nAsk an idle man the same and you’ll get some passionate response.<\/p>\n
What’s a nicer feeling than summer coming in?<\/p>\n
The spirit of potential is a force unto itself. Whatever we have done as a species embodies this. It’s the path forward as well.<\/p>\n
I always put off meditation and I don’t know why. Whenever I’m in it I’m glad for the timelessness of it.<\/p>\n
Life’s most important and necessary interactions happen in the wiggle room. Between policy, between social niceties. Wiggle room exists and expands with use. To imply is to live.<\/p>\n
Why are you on a path?
\nWhy would the path even exist?
\n– case 236, If a Single Dharma Exists.<\/p>\n
The great failure of democracy occurs when we elect someone and hope they’ll do the hard work for us.<\/p>\n
It’s got to be a disaster and it’s got to happen. Humans only really advance during disasters anyway.<\/p>\n
Every strange thing happens at night.
\nDo you know why?
\nIt’s the perfect backdrop for it.<\/p>\n
Some people analyse everything. They have an analytical mind and are a rare find and a rare friend.<\/p>\n
Maybe it’s me. Maybe the old hustle and bustle has lost its charm or maybe change gets harder when you get older. What happened to the change I used to embrace.<\/p>\n
Saigyo went to a village just wanting a life. Even in that high mountain village a cuckoo called him away. It was never meant for him and I feel that 900 years later.<\/p>\n
The planners and strategizers have made us likewise by default and I hate them for it.<\/p>\n
The blood oath starts with a clear liquor. That’s the oath made in a toast. A spill of wine into it is the blood and it’s all drunk down in a go.
\nThe burn in one’s throat is the pain that pays for movement.<\/p>\n
Does prayer work?
\nIsn’t prayer like exercise for your soul?
\nWhen we reach out in desperation to the universe, is it so crazy to think that it would reach back somehow? We come from it so it reaches out as a mother to a child.<\/p>\n
‘What if I just start reaching out now?’ The universal monk asked himself and became a bodhisattva.<\/p>\n
She gave all of his ideas space to grow.<\/p>\n
If you’re ever feeling scared or anxious about anything, you can overcome those feelings with a bit of meditative work.<\/p>\n
Mindlessly attend to a candle now and then.<\/p>\n
When you’re poor,\u00a0 you learn that no type of breeze beats cross breeze.<\/p>\n
Let the troubled artist suffer, would you?
\nWe need a lot more great art.<\/p>\n
The more you practice mediation, the more of a ghost you become.<\/p>\n
You’re more than just eyes out there in the world, you’re a soul too.<\/p>\n
We all know a coiled snake when we see one. We all know a tiger ready to pounce because of how they make us feel.<\/p>\n
A demanding muse will uncork your bottle and push you into poetry.<\/p>\n
She putters around to collect what she needs for puttering around.
\nStop puttering around and you’ll stop needing to.
\nForget even the concept of stopping.
\n– case 239, Honzhi’s Four ‘uses’<\/p>\n
In each word is wisdom.
\n– case 241, Where Wisdom Cannot Reach<\/p>\n
Artificial anything is bad for natural anything.<\/p>\n
A culture by its seasons is formed. Some favour death rebirth while others favour continuity.<\/p>\n
If you really want to spellbind someone, tell them that you had a dream about them. They’ll pepper you with questions.<\/p>\n
One’s soul creates one’s personality.<\/p>\n
How would one get rid of psychic parasites anyway?<\/p>\n
Case 243 is a soldier’s koan.
\n– case 243, Huijue’s ‘No Sin’.<\/p>\n
If you rely on law and convention to keep you safe then you’re not relying on yourself to keep you safe. You’re the only one capable of assisting yourself immediately.<\/p>\n
The artis works with a creative spirit. Would you be able to see new art or would it shock you?<\/p>\n
What you have in front of you at a curated art museum is a board of souls.<\/p>\n
A fighting spirit can’t be destroyed. It can be beaten and smashed down to one iota but so long as it fights it lives to regrow stronger.<\/p>\n
Try and insult a good and honest person. When they say nothing you yourself will feel insulted.
\n– a shining mirror only reflects<\/p>\n
Case 244 is everything in an eight-lined koan. It explains Zen completely.
\n(Breaking with convention, I’ll post it here)<\/p>\n
Case 244 The Eight Phrases of Hongzhi<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A beam of wondrous light spans past and present, The man who suffers from fear cries inside and becomes angry about it. Treat an angry man as you’d treat a very sad man to turn him around.<\/p>\n ‘What is the path?’ No man goes to war but each man in war finds a war around him.<\/p>\n Between two people, a certain look is a handshake.<\/p>\n The future is completely out of anyone’s hands so do whatever you want.<\/p>\n The real question is: What must happen will happen. Once you see the roots of evil you can’t unsee the evil.<\/p>\n The stuff that should have been traumatising but wasn’t scares me more than the stuff that was traumatising.<\/p>\n Zen Buddhism is a warrior’s philosophy. Who else would could wage battle against their impulses?<\/p>\n If we are to grow, we must feed into each other. A steady shooter can shoot at and hit whatever target she feels like. If you saw a sedan bringing small groups of people to a bus, you’d suggest moving the bus closer to the people and that’s what I love about you.<\/p>\n The desire to lead is as indicative of an unhealthy mind as the desire to conform is.<\/p>\n If anyone asks you why you’re happy all the time, why you’re always in good humor, tell them you see beauty where others don’t. Tell them you write poetry and sing and dance all the time. Tell them you love being around unusual people. Because you don’t have it, you are without it. I’m a spirit in that way, If you’re ever in a crowd of people who are getting rowdy, turn to the guy next to you and ask him how he feels about all this. I absolutely adore the longest possible version of any story you have. If you’re a story teller, I’m a story listener.<\/p>\n Any time you use the phrase, The true spirit of Buddhism comes in all forms so the first impulse you have to abandon is like\/dislike. ‘All of your vision is related to light. How boring for you,’ she winked at him.<\/p>\n She fought on and though painful, she became stronger. The world by nature was drawn to her strength. The world pushed her forward, trusting she’d take care of them. Put a candle in front of the mirror and then slowly step back watching your reflection. I bet you’ll see a different version of yourself. Seeing a Buddha is as stupid as seeing clear mountain air. It’s inside you anyway, isn’t that better than seeing it?<\/p>\n I bet that when the old monk shouted If you’re not embracing it, you’re not anythinging it.<\/p>\n With art, we’re at the point where product means nothing. Art can only exist as a process now. The most important intuition skill is letting a day find you. When\u00a0 you wander without intention strong spirits sweep you up and roll you along.<\/p>\n Akashic Records reveal what hasn’t been revealed. They’re basically filled with every idea you haven’t had yet.<\/p>\n Do you ever find that talking when you don’t want to talk tires your soul a little bit?<\/p>\n Shiva is the god of telling everyone that the party sucks and it’s time to call it a night.<\/p>\n The idiot wanted blessings. A good exorcist will see the demon before the demon sees him.<\/p>\n If an athlete really can’t compete then it’s shameful to show up in the first place. ‘That’s a double,’ she ordered, ‘I mean, do you like wordplay?’<\/p>\n You can channel some poetry through the universe. In fact, that’s how every poet does it.<\/p>\n Buddhist philosophy is basically ‘Hey, who the fuck are you kidding?’<\/p>\n I’ll also award him 3 million cool dude points,’ Zhaozhou awarded the Great King. Don’t overthink whatever happened. The whole thing is the passing fancy in a catalogue of errors.<\/p>\n Where is the wave before it becomes a wave? If it exists in your mind then it exists.<\/p>\n The great irony of life is that you spend so much time covering up who you really are that the world, which needs you right now, doesn’t get to experience you right now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Boil it down but I don’t mean get boiled. Purify it but it’s not some pure thing. Connotations won’t let me express ‘cut the shit’ but not in a crass way. Clearing one’s mind brings about the great benefit of a clear mind. Jainfu Chenggu and the supramundane. He talked about reincarnation as a necessity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-224","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/boxwoodzen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/boxwoodzen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/boxwoodzen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boxwoodzen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boxwoodzen.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=224"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/boxwoodzen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":252,"href":"https:\/\/boxwoodzen.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/224\/revisions\/252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/boxwoodzen.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/span>Shining through being and nonbeing, transcending all discrimination.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Grasp at it directly and you miss it completely;
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Step back and receive its light, and everything is fresh and new.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>In the vast Azure Palace a bird hatches an egg;
\n(The sun rises in the blue sky)
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Among the waves of the Milky Way a rabbit pushes a cart.
\n(The moon crosses the night sky)
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Only the true adept can freely participate in this;
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>Though divided into a billion, each and every piece is true
\n<\/span><\/span><\/span>– case 244, The Eight Phrases of Hongzhi<\/p>\n
\n‘Though stepped on, it doesn’t anger.’
\n– Ciming Chuyuan
\n– case 245, To Be Stepped On Without Anger<\/p>\n
\nWhat are you working toward?<\/p>\n
\n– Fate<\/p>\n
\n– Life<\/p>\n
\nSo a steady practitioner moves through their day.<\/p>\n
\nThey deserve the truth, that you’re madly in love with life. That Love is a moveable feast.<\/p>\n
\nTo be without it is a more natural state.<\/p>\n
\nI come and go.
\nI’m a spirit and we’re all that way.<\/p>\n
\nAgree with him whatever he says.
\nNow you’re the only team in a crowd of individuals.<\/p>\n
\n‘If you’re a story teller, I’m a story listener.’
\nI’ll respond with a polite and brief applause.<\/p>\n
\nIt’s in a frightening situation sometimes too.<\/p>\n
\nShe took care of them.
\n– on leadership<\/p>\n
\n– translated<\/p>\n
\n‘This thousand-year peach pit!’
\nHe was referring to himself because Mihu’s response was a diamond mountain.
\n– case 246, A Piece of Rope on a Moonlit Night<\/p>\n
\nIt can only exist between us.<\/p>\n
\n– case 248, The Great King has Come<\/p>\n
\n– that’s a double, I mean, do you like wordplay?<\/p>\n
\n– case 248, The Great King has Come<\/p>\n