Zen Stories

[Gracie]

Keep it calm and soothing, Tyrone. Not in this thread, please.

 

[TyroneSlothrop]

Keep it calm and soothing, Tyrone. Not in this thread, please.

they say if you see the Buddha .......

 

[Gracie]

I'll ask again. Not in this thread. This is The Lounge. No more. Please.

 

[Dhara]

This is not a zen story, but it is a wisdom story. Native American tradition. A wise, old, grandmother was asked "How did you become so wise, and calm and happy?" She replied. "I knew in my heart lived two wolves, one of love and one of hatred. Each day I determined which one I was going to feed."

 

[Pogo]

Personal story from yours truly:

Once upon a time, long ago, I was managing a fancy schmancy apartment complex. I needed an assistant manager to help hubby and I because it was quite a large property. So, we placed an ad in the newspaper for an experienced property manager. Many applied. One got the job.

Going back in time....long before I had such a position, I was a renter. A poor one, at that. Every check I got from working 18 hour days at minimum wage, went straight to the property management company. Every cent. I was alone at that time. Not married. Struggling. No food. One doberman as my best friend and roomie. My neighbors fed us. The mexican lady and her brood of 4 children and her husband always made sure to make extra for the gal upstairs..and her dog. The manager of the property tried hard to keep that roof over my head although he was getting his butt reamed by HIS boss that I had to be given notice because I was always behind on the rent. He put it off for 6 months until they threatened him with his own job. So he sadly came to hand me the eviction notice which was not really eviction YET. It was the dreaded 3 Day Pay Or Quit form. I heard him pull up in his shiney yellow vette, and he came to the door, handed it to me, and apologized. I didn't hold it against him, but I also knew I was in a shitload of trouble. No car, no place to go. Just me and the dog. Turns out I did find a place. That is when I became the Biker Chick and moved in with the club that lived down the street. The guys that called me Mom cuz I wanted them to keep clean and tidy..and they did. But that is another story.

Anyway....fast forward again. I am in my spiffy office overlooking the pool area. A couple just left, after a nice chat with me about how they would be perfect for the job (which came with a free fancy apartment, perks, and damn good pay). I had been meeting people all day who wanted the position. The last appointment finally came at the end of the day. A beat up yellow vette with primer on it in places along with some bondo pulled up. And out stepped a man I recognized. He was a bit heavier. Less hair on his head. But it was him. A woman got out with him. They smoothed out their clothing and came to the office and I waved to the two seats in front of my desk. They sat. He did not recognize me. Why would he? Here sat this woman with her hair in a bun, professional apparel on, fuller face from eating well, nylons covering long legs and feet in high heel shoes. Very debonair I was. Very.

So I asked him about his references, yadda yadda...knowing already what he was going to say and who he was going to use as reference. I listened to him, and he looks....sad. Like he was not expecting the job at all. She sat there with her hands folded in her lap, looking down. They both looked just used up. Beaten. Tired. Resigned. And I was thrilled. Excited. I was about to give back what was given.

When he was done telling me all the things people say when they want a job so badly to survive but are afraid they will not get it..I finally raised up and walked over to him and laid my hand on his shoulder. I said "You don't remember me, do you?" and he gawked at me. She raised her head and looked at me too. He looked perplexed, scanning my face. I smiled and said "You didn't want to. But you had to. And you knew Olivia and her family fed me. You were not afraid of Blue, my doberman because he liked you. And I saw the pain in your face, and the worry of what was to become of me, but your hands were tied. Get me gone, or you lose your job. So you did what you had to do". And as I am speaking, his face begins to change. A small smile begins, then his eyes finally blink and he sees me. Not the me right there. The THEN me. And he remembers. He stands up and hugs me and said he worried about what had become of me and I said I turned out fine. She raised up and said she knew of me because he came home from work that day he told me I had to go..and how upset he was. We all hugged. They sat. And I said "it is SO good to see you. I knew who you were as soon as you pulled up in that vette. Speaking of..what the HELL happened to it?" and he laughed and said "it got old. Like me".

My next words made me happy..and him and his wife too. I simply said "When can you start?"

Priceless.

I can't remember a message board post bringing me to tears before. Gracie, you just earned your paycheck. Beautiful story.

 

[OZman]

Once a Zen master was about to deliver a sermon to his students.

And just as he was to speak a bird sang.

He said, “ the sermon has been delivered and he left”.

 

[Gracie]

A priest was in charge of the garden within a famous Zen temple. He had been given the job because he loved the flowers, shrubs, and trees. Next to the temple there was another, smaller temple where there lived a very old Zen master. One day, when the priest was expecting some special guests, he took extra care in tending to the garden. He pulled the weeds, trimmed the shrubs, combed the moss, and spent a long time meticulously raking up and carefully arranging all the dry autumn leaves. As he worked, the old master watched him with interest from across the wall that separated the temples.

When he had finished, the priest stood back to admire his work. "Isn't it beautiful," he called out to the old master. "Yes," replied the old man, "but there is something missing. Help me over this wall and I'll put it right for you."

After hesitating, the priest lifted the old fellow over and set him down. Slowly, the master walked to the tree near the center of the garden, grabbed it by the trunk, and shook it. Leaves showered down all over the garden. "There," said the old man, "you can put me back now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



People's reactions to this story:

"It's not perfect to be perfect. It's a relief to remember that. But then I wonder, did the old master feel jealous of the beauty created by the priest and seek to destroy it in the guise of teaching a message? Trying to perfectly imperfect is egotistical too!"

"Nature is more perfect than anything man can create. To disrupt that beauty for the sake of making something beautiful is an absurdity."

"Let nature take its course. It's not perfect but is beautiful all in itself."

"We should try to see things as they really are, including their imperfections. THAT'S beauty."

"Trying to be perfect can make a person miserable."

"Beauty is not something you make. It happens spontaneously, naturally, by itself."

"Keep nature around! Don't try to sweep it away!"

"I wonder if cleanliness symbolizes emptiness, and if the leaves symbolize freedom. The old man thought the leaves gave the yard a more practical, natural look. What in life is perfect and always in order? When things are in order, there is nothing really to look at."

"Ah, a lesson from the Thoreau school of nature appreciation. People should make an effort to put off the facades they project in everyday life. You should present yourself as freely as possible and not feel so uncomfortable with your identity that you become something you are not."

"If you act a certain way all of the time, don't be a phony and try to change the way you are just for certain people."

"God gives nature its natural beauty. Things are a certain way for a reason."

"A person shouldn't get too preoccupied with the vanities of life, because something unexpected will come along and shatter your ideals."

"Normally the younger priest would not have the garden look so perfect. He was trying to impress his company. The Zen master was trying to show him to be and act like himself, and not to create a false image."

"Natural beauty is better than beauty put on for some purpose."

"The quest for perfect is an eternal pursuit with no destination in sight."

"Don't rain on anyone's parade! Give compliments where they belong and don't criticize so much! Jealousy is a bad thing - don't take revenge out on others."

"Don't try to create something that is not meant to be. Only when we disrupt nature does it become ugly."

"Nature doesn't need our help to be beautiful - but we need the help of nature."

"This story has to do with control, and how things are much better - especially events in nature and the world - if we just let go and let nature take its course."

"This story is about trust - when to trust, and when not to."

"Maybe because the old man's garden didn't look as good, this story is a message about the neglect of elders."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you have your own ideas of why the old master shook the tree?

 

[Gracie]

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."

(Some versions describe Confucius as witnessing this event. Also, in some versions, the old man explains how he has been jumping into the waterfall like this since he was a small boy. )

People's reactions to this story:
"You have to accommodate yourself to life and get used to dealing with your problems as they come. You must learn to cooperate."

"We must adapt to nature. Nature cannot change for us. If you try to fight the natural forces, they will overcome you. Because we are made primarily of water, it is easy to become a part of it."

"Because nature is so much more powerful than we are, we must become one with it in order to survive."

"Humans are not the almighty conquerors that they think they are. We can learn a lot from nature. Nature is wonderful and does not intend to harm. It is humans that are harmful."

"Sometimes we go through life wanting the world and other people to accommodate to us. When they don't, we get rigid and defensive, thereby getting us in trouble and making the situation a lot worse for ourselves."

"Have faith and serenity that everything will work out. When you try to control events, they backfire."

"Work with what life gives you and you will survive."

"Put your life into God's hands and you will be OK."

"Although you may not be able to control your destiny, you always have the ability to think and reason about your situation. This will help you come out on top."

"Too often people are strict in their ways of living. Stubborn people either are left behind or die out."

"You should take control of a situation before it takes control of you."

"Where there's a will there's a way."

"Sometimes even when you do the best you can to adapt to others and/or situations it doesn't help you. In fact, it could make things worse because you could lose your identity. Conformity is not always a good thing. Having an identity as an individual sometimes means going against the grain."

"Don't give in to fear during a dangerous situation. It is fear that destroys you."

"The water is like religion - we have to accommodate to it."

"It's interesting to see how the old man draws a parallel between the physical and spiritual world. You must be one with a crisis. If we accept obstacles or tragedies as universal events and don't attempt to conquer or repress them, then it will not be seen as an obstacle or a disaster, but simply as an experience."

"Miracles do happen. The old man must have been very strong-willed."

"I can imagine the old man's physical sensations when he was in the water - frightened and peaceful at the same time. I remember being two years old and overcome by large waves when swimming at the beach. Perhaps if I had accommodated myself to the water, I would not have been as frightened."

"The man knew he was going to survive and never gave into fear. Maybe that's the lesson - always maintain a positive attitude about life."

"Never lose your temper, remain calm, and take things in stride as they come. If you have faith, things will work out."

"This must have been a very dangerous situation, but then water symbolizes rebirth and cleansing, doesn't it?"

"Oh yeah, right! He was just lucky!"

"I don't know he could have done it 'without thinking.'"

"Sounds like the old man should be a character on a soap opera."

"This story doesn't apply to reality. Wake up!"

"Why didn't anyone who was watching help him out of the water?"

"This old man seems rather arrogant and narcissistic about himself."

"The story reminds me of people who tried to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. They got arrested for that."

 

[Gracie]

Destiny

During a momentous battle, a Japanese general decided to attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt. On the way to the battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men, the general took out a coin and said, "I shall now toss this coin. If it is heads, we shall win. If tails, we shall lose. Destiny will now reveal itself."

He threw the coin into the air and all watched intently as it landed. It was heads. The soldiers were so overjoyed and filled with confidence that they vigorously attacked the enemy and were victorious. After the battle, a lieutenant remarked to the general, "No one can change destiny."

"Quite right," the general replied as he showed the lieutenant the coin, which had heads on both sides.


People's reactions to this story:
"You have to be optimistic and confident, otherwise you are doomed."

"If you believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything."

"If you believe that a higher power is on your side, you can accomplish anything."

There ain't nothing like the power of positive thinking. It's a power much greater than oneself."

"Keep the faith!"

"This is a good story for children. You have to TRY if you want to accomplish something. If you don't, you'll never know. To me, 'never to have known' is the worst destiny."

"You can change your destiny. If you aren't responsible for yourself, who will be?"

"I'd love to tell this story to my sister. She always has doubts about herself."

"Almost all of the problems I've encountered in my life were due to the fact that I had doubts about myself, or others."

"Often, when I have to make a difficult decision about something, I toss a coin. It does make me feel more confident about my actions.. Funny, though, that I sometimes keep tossing it until I get the answer I want."

"This story is about a charismatic leader manipulating the emotions of his followers to a beneficial effect. I wonder if Hitler flipped a coin."

"Reminds me of pulling the pedals off of a flower.... She loves me, she loves me not..."

"Talk about a self-fulfilling prophesy!"

"Well, the general won his battle, but he lied to his men in the process. I wonder if that's such a good idea."

"I'd be curious to know how the men would have reacted to finding out about the general's trick. Would they ever trust him again?"

"How many leaders are just tricking us into doing what we do?"

"One person's destiny is another's manipulation."

"I guess when someone surrenders himself to destiny, there's another person behind the scenes who has taken charge to make sure that destiny happens."

"If the soldiers' destiny was the trick of the general, then who is playing tricks with MY destiny?"

"Is there such a thing as destiny?.... I wonder."

 

[Gracie]

Masterpiece

A master calligrapher was writing some characters onto a piece of paper. One of his especially perceptive students was watching him. When the calligrapher was finished, he asked for the student's opinion - who immediately told him that it wasn't any good. The master tried again, but the student criticized the work again. Over and over, the calligrapher carefully redrew the same characters, and each time the student rejected it. Finally, when the student had turned his attention away to something else and wasn't watching, the master seized the opportunity to quickly dash off the characters. "There! How's that?," he asked the student. The student turned to look. "THAT.... is a masterpiece!" he exclaimed.


(Legend states this is the story behind master Kosen's creation of an ink template that was used to create the wood carving "The First Principle" that appears over the gate of Obaku Temple in Kyoto)

People's reactions to this story:
"It's not how perfect you do something that's important, but how others perceive it."

"It's reminds me of trying hard to accomplish something, and failing. If you just do your best, then that's the masterpiece."

"Spontaneity is beautiful, not carefully planned out and conforming work."

"Trying hard at something can lead to poor results. Let it come naturally."

"We get habituated to everyday life. When we see something all the time, we take it for granted. When we see something new, for the first time, we appreciate it."

"Originality is what makes each of us a masterpiece. Don't stick to the same old way of doing things."

"Stop thinking and just do what's natural for you, instead of what's expected. Some of our best work is done when we least expect it."

"You can't perform perfectly under the watch of critical eyes. When you don't force perfection, it happens by itself, spontaneously. Great things happen when you least suspect it."

"Whenever you watch over someone you make them self-conscious and uncreative. It's like trying to teach a child. If you let them alone they will usually figure it out themselves and it will be great."

"Teachers always criticize students' work even though they revise it many times. It's a hassle. You wonder if it is ever good enough. Students sometimes feel that they'd like to switch places with the professor, so the professor can feel what it's like to be criticized over and over."

"I have to wonder why was the master so concerned with the student's opinion in the first place? Anyway, I think that when you become an expert at something, you pay less attention to it than someone who is new to it and who therefore has something valuable to offer."

"Sounds like the master is the student and the student is the master."

"People tend to be too critical. If they do not see the effort that goes into a project and just the finished work, then they can appreciate it."

"You can't see a masterpiece as it's being created stroke by stroke. You have to see it whole. It's like not being able to see the forest from the trees."

 

[Gracie]

Headmaster, Camp Meeker Cabal.
A Serious young man foudn the conflicts of mod 20th Century America confusing. He went to many people seeking a way of resolving within himself the discords that troubled him, but he remained troubled.
One night in a coffee house, a self-ordained Zen Master said to him, "Go to the dilapidated mansion you will find at this address which I have written down for you. Do not speak to those who live there; you must remain silent until the moon rises tomorrow night. Go to the large room on the right of the main hallway, sit in the lotus position on top of the rubble in the northeast corner, face the corner, and meditate."
He did as the Zen Master instructed. His meditation was frequently interrupted by worries. He worried whether or not the rest of the plumbing fixtures would fall from the second floow bathroom to join the pipes and other trash he was sitting on. He worried how would he know when the moon rose on the next night. He worried about what the people who walked through the room said about him.
His worrying and meditation were disturbed when, as if in a test of faith, ordure fell from the second floor onto him. At that time two people walked into the room. The first asked the second who the man sitting thre was. The second replied "Some say he is a holy man, Others say he is a shithead."
Hearing this, the man was enlightened.

 

[Gracie]

The Gates of Paradise
A soldier named Nobushige came to Hakuin, and asked: "Is there really a paradise and a hell?"
"Who are you?" inquired Hakuin.
"I am a samurai," the warrior replied.
"You, a soldier!" exclaimed Hakuin. "What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? Your face looks like that of a beggar."
Nobushige became so angry that he began to draw his sword, but Hakuin continued: "So you have a sword ! Your weapon is probably much too dull to cut off my head."
As Nobushige drew his sword Hakuin remarked: "Here open the gates of hell!"
At these words the samurai, perceiving the master's discipline, sheathed his sword and bowed.
"Here open the gates of paradise," said Hakuin.

 

[Gracie]

The Present Moment
A Japanese warrior was captured by his enemies and thrown into prison. That night he was unable to sleep because he feared that the next day he would be interrogated, tortured, and executed. Then the words of his Zen master came to him,
"Tomorrow is not real. It is an illusion. The only reality is now."
Heeding these words, the warrior became peaceful and fell asleep.

 

[Gracie]

More Is Not Enough The Stone Cutter
There was once a stone cutter who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life.
One day he passed a wealthy merchant's house. Through the open gateway, he saw many fine possessions and important visitors. "How powerful that merchant must be!" thought the stone cutter. He became very envious and wished that he could be like the merchant.
To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever imagined, but envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. Soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the procession. "How powerful that official is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a high official!"
Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around. It was a hot summer day, so the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. "How powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the sun!" Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. "How powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a cloud!"
Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by everyone. But soon he found that he was being pushed away by some great force, and realized that it was the wind. "How powerful it is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the wind!"
Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, feared and hated by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it - a huge, towering rock. "How powerful that rock is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a rock!"
Then he became the rock, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the hard surface, and felt himself being changed. "What could be more powerful than I, the rock?" he thought.
He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stone cutter.

 

[Gracie]

Another version of one already told. This one is the best, It think.

Time To Learn
A young but earnest Zen student approached his teacher, and asked the Zen Master:
"If I work very hard and diligent how long will it take for me to find Zen."
The Master thought about this, then replied, "Ten years."
The student then said, "But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast -- How long then ?"
Replied the Master, "Well, twenty years."
"But, if I really, really work at it. How long then ?" asked the student.
"Thirty years," replied the Master.
"But, I do not understand," said the disappointed student. "At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that ?"
Replied the Master," When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path."

 

[Gracie]

Spider

A Tibetan story tells of a meditation student who, while meditating in his room, believed he saw a spider descending in front of him. Each day the menacing creature returned, growing larger and larger each time. So frightened was the student, that he went to his teacher to report his dilemma. He said he planned to place a knife in his lap during meditation, so when the spider appeared he would kill it. The teacher advised him against this plan. Instead, he suggested, bring a piece of chalk to meditation, and when the spider appeared, mark an "X" on its belly. Then report back.
The student returned to his meditation. When the spider again appeared, he resisted the urge to attack it, and instead did just what the master suggested. When he later reported back to the master, the teacher told him to lift up his shirt and look at his own belly. There was the "X".

 

[Gracie]

Transient
A famous spiritual teacher came to the front door of the King's palace. None of the guards tried to stop him as he entered and made his way to where the King himself was sitting on his throne.
"What do you want?" asked the King, immediately recognizing the visitor.
"I would like a place to sleep in this inn," replied the teacher.
"But this is not an inn," said the King, "It is my palace."
"May I ask who owned this palace before you?"
"My father. He is dead."
"And who owned it before him?"
"My grandfather. He too is dead."
"And this place where people live for a short time and then move on - did I hear you say that it is NOT an inn?"

 

[Gracie]

Yes and No
According to The Platform Sutra, Shen Hui asked the Sixth Patriarch: "When you sit in meditation, High Master, do you see or not?"
The Master hit him three times with his stick and asked: "When I hit you, does it hurt or not?"
"It both does and does not hurt."
"I both see and do not see."
"How can you both see and not see?"
The Master said: "What I see are the waverings and wanderings of my own mind. What I do not see is the right and wrong and good and bad of other people. This my seeing and not seeing."

 

[Gracie]

Gratitude
Fred: "Why must we bow at the end of a meditation period?"
Ho Chi Zen: "To thank God it's over."

 

[Gracie]

Serving Others
A Sufi teaching story tells of a man who prayed continually for the awareness to succeed in life. Then one night he dreamed of going into the forest to attain understanding. The next morning he went into the woods and wandered for several hours looking for some sign that would provide answers. When he finally stopped to rest, he saw a fox with no legs lying between two rocks in a cool place. Curious as to how a legless fox could survive, he waited until sunset when he observed a lion come and lay meat before the fox. "Ah, I understand," the man thought. "The secret to success in life is to trust that God will take care of all my needs. I don't need to provide for myself. All I have to do is totally surrender to my all-sustaining God." Two weeks later, weakened and starving, the man had another dream. In it he heard a voice say, "Fool. Be like the lion, not like the fox."