Mazu's Kick

Mazu Daoyi (often called Ma) was one of the most influential Chinese Chan masters of the 8th century. Born in the far west of China, the son of a garbage collector, he grew up during a time of famine and war. His teaching style was direct and uncompromising—sometimes using shouts, sometimes silence, sometimes even a sudden strike or kick. Unlike earlier masters who emphasized meditation as turning inward, Mazu taught that awakening is found right here in the thick of life. He insisted that ordinary mind is the Way—that our thoughts, feelings, struggles, and encounters already contain buddha nature.

In one of my favorite Zen stories, a monk named Shuiliao asked Mazu about the meaning of Chan. Instead of giving an explanation, Mazu abruptly kicked him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Shuiliao stood up, laughing and clapping, and later said: “Since the day Mazu kicked me, I haven’t stopped laughing.”

What did the monk realize upon being kicked?

On Correct Effort

by Kathy Park, JDPSN:

“Correct effort means waking up moment to moment, reminding ourselves of our direction by the act of doing the practice itself. As we return to our before-thinking mind in each moment, we repeat the habit of functioning from don’t-know (the point before thinking). The more we return to the moment when body, breath and mind become one, the more quickly we become one with the universe. 

That means when we walk, we just walk 100 percent. When we eat, just eat 100 percent. When we sit, we just sit 100 percent. It is a complete, fulfilled action, and because it has a clear direction it benefits all beings. And when you lose it, return immediately. Leave no gap. Consider each moment as the last because in our life there is only this moment.”

Dust on a Mirror

by Daman Hongren

“All concepts, and all affairs of past, present, and future, should be seen as dust on a mirror – when the dust is gone, true nature naturally becomes clearly visible. That which is learned by the deluded mind is completely useless.

True learning is what is learned by the unconditioned mind, which never ceases perfect awareness. Although we can call this “true learning,” ultimately there is nothing to be learned. Why? Because “self “and “liberation” are both insubstantial, they are neither different nor the same. Thus, the essential principle of “nothing to be learned” is evident.”

THE CHUN CHOU RECORD OF ZEN MASTER HUANG PO (TUAN CHI)

“All the Buddhas and all sentient beings are nothing but the One Mind, beyond which nothing exists. This Mind, without beginning, is unborn¹ and indestructible. It is neither long nor short, large nor small, for it transcends all limits, measures, names, traces, and comparisons. It is that which you see before you. Begin to reason about it, and you immediately fall into error. It is like the boundless void—unfathomable and immeasurable.

Yet beings cling to forms and seek Buddhahood outside themselves. In seeking it, they lose it, for that is like using the Buddha to search for the Buddha, or using Mind to grasp Mind. They do not realize that if they stop conceptual thought and let go of their anxiety, the Buddha will appear before them—for this Mind is the Buddha, and the Buddha is all living beings. It is no less when manifested in ordinary beings, and no greater when manifested in Buddhas.”

Full Text may be found here

1 Unborn — not in the sense of eternity (which implies its opposite), but unborn in the sense that it does not belong to any category that allows for change or opposition.

Significant Sutras

  • Heart Sutra – Central in Zen and often chanted daily. Main points: looking into yourself you see that everything is changing and falling apart, and there nothing permanent to call “you”. There’s nothing to get or chase, so relax.

  • Platform Sutra – Attributed to the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, who has a great story himself. The sutra covers sudden enlightenment, no-mind (non-attachment to thought), the unity of wisdom and action, and Buddha nature (we’re already enlightened, we just reveal it). Warning: it’s long.

  • Diamond Sutra – An influential sutra that delves deep into emptiness and enlightenment. Enlightenment is not something to attain, because the very idea of attainment is a delusion. “A bodhisattva should develop a mind which does not abide anywhere.”

  • Lotus Sutra – It teaches that all beings have Buddha-nature and can awaken—the “One Vehicle” teaching. Famous for the burning house parable.

Kill the Buddha!

Lin Chi Zen Master said, "If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha. If you meet a Patriarch, kill the Patriarch."

Zen Master Seung Sahn says that in this life we must all kill three things: First we must kill our parents. Second, we must kill the Buddha. And lastly, we must kill him! This kind of speech is sometimes perplexing to people raised in the Judaeo-Christian tradition since we would never say this about Jesus or one of the Prophets. But the meaning here is very interesting and goes far beyond the martial language of the metaphor. Buddhism is quite unique in that its founder never said, "Believe what I say." Buddhism means find out for yourself.. i.e., kill the Buddha.

At one time, the citizens of Kesaputta asked the Buddha what they should believe. They were very confused by the many religions in vogue at that time. The Buddha said, "Do not accept anything by mere tradition. Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures. Do not accept anything because it agrees with your opinions or because it is socially acceptable. Do not accept anything because it comes from the mouth of a respected person. Rather, observe closely and if it is to the benefit of all, accept and abide by it."

This Sutta - the Kalama Sutta - is the root of Zen-style inquiry into the true self.

In Zen, we say that understanding cannot help us. So, what are we left with? Just before he died the Buddha said, "Life is very short, please investigate it closely." We are left with the great question: What am I? What is a human being? In his great compassion the Buddha leaves us only with footprints pointing the way... in the end he cannot help us; we must find the answer ourselves. Zen, too, asks the question but does not have the answer. But you do, if you look inside.

-Zen Master Dae Kwang

Be Beautiful, Be Yourself

“We may be able to see the wonders around us and yet still doubt that we ourselves are a wonder too. We feel inadequate. We’re yearning for something else, something more. We are like a saucepan wandering around looking for a lid. We lack confidence in ourselves and in our capacity to be peaceful, compassionate, and awakened. We feel overwhelmed by our difficulties. And sowe continue to go about our daily life feeling that we lack something. We’ve got to ask ourselves, “What am I lacking? What am I looking for?”

To practice aimlessness is to identify what it is you’re looking for, waiting for, or running after, and let it go. By removing these objects of seeking that are pulling you away from the here and now, you will discover that everything you want is already right here in the present moment. You don’t need to “be someone” or do something in order to be happy and free. If you ask a flower blooming on the mountainside, or a tree standing majestically in the forest, “What are you looking for?,” how would they reply? If you have some mindfulness and concentration, you will hear their answer in your heart”

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Money money money

“Despite our desire for happiness, we easily lose track of the real purpose of our activities, getting bogged down by the very methods we thought would bring us what we want.

So although a businessman tries to achieve a good and happy life by increasing his wealth, he often gets trapped in the process of making money. Day in and day out, he is completely preoccupied with acquiring, conserving, and expanding his wealth. After many years, he dies in the midst of his sole preoccupation - making money - while having completely lost sight of his initial goal, which was to find happiness.”

~ Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche

Forget The Dharma

“Relinquishment of everything is the Dharma, and he who understands this is a Buddha. But the relinquishment of ALL delusions leaves no Dharma on which to lay hold.” Huang Po

I think therefore I am?

“Descartes said, ‘I think, therefore I am.’ ‘Thinking’... that's a problem! If you are thinking, everything appears: I, My, Me appears, my direction, my condition, my situation—everything appears. Put it all down, completely put it all down. Then... nothing. You must attain ‘nothing’; that's very important!”
— Seung Sahn

What will we do with our time?

Nancy Brown Hedgpeth, JDPSN

Nancy Brown Hedgpeth, JDPSN

All of us have had many, many teachers: our parents, school teachers, our family and friends. Zen Master Seung Sahn and all of these wonderful teachers sitting here. The clouds. The sky. How we live all of this teaching we receive is very important. One of my teachers while I was growing up was the minister of our Congregational church. He was a wonderful man-dedicated, gentle and with an artist's mind. He was quite well-read and always brought to his sermons stories he had been reading that inspired him.

One story this minister told was of a man who drove a trolley car. At the end of this man's work day, he would leave his trolley car at the end of one track, and he would wait 42 minutes for the next car to come, pick him up, turn around and take him on his way home. At first he simply sat at the end of the track and was restless for 42 minutes.

But day after day passed, and he began to notice his surroundings and noticed that it was a junkyard, with old broken-down trolley cars and car parts and litter and weeds. One day he not only noticed these, but acted. He started to pick up and stack litter; he'd bring a rake; he'd bring a plastic garbage bag and haul it away full: 42 minutes every day. Then an occasional Saturday. Then others began to notice the change and began to pitch in-time or money or tools or a truck load hauled away or plants. Slowly, slowly this place began to be a park. In his mind, it had already been a park.

So what will we do with our time? With our hands and with our money and with our energy? What kind of place can we make?

—Nancy Brown Hedgpeth, JDPSN