The central benefit of zen,
in the context of ordinary ups and downs
of life, is not in the context of preventing the minus
and promoting the plus, but in directing people
to the fundamental reality that is not
under the sway of ups
and downs.
in the ocean of dharma
In the ocean
of the holy dharma there is neither
movement nor stillness. The essence of the wave
is like a mirror; when something comes, the reflection
appears. When there is nothing in the mind,
wind and waves are both
forgotten.
absorbed in stillness
Die
the great death,
and in the cool ashes of the
funeral pyre you will
meet what never
dies.
How is
this accomplished?
By letting go of thoughts,
sacrificing all sentiment,
abandoning emotion,
ignoring the
senses.
Solitary,
transcendent, unseeking,
absorbed in stillness and doing
non-doing, you will find that
the universe comes
to you.
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just observe and you’ll laugh aloud
Just look right here.
Don’t seek transcendent enlightenment.
Just observe and observe: suddenly
you’ll laugh aloud.
with each step, a flower blooms
A lot
of unimportant inner
litter and bits and pieces have
to be swept out first. Even a small head
can be piled high inside with irrelevant distractions.
True, there may be edifying emotions and thoughts, too, but
the clutter is ever present. So let this be the aim of the meditation:
to turn one’s innermost being into a vast empty plain, with none
of that treacherous undergrowth to impede the view. So that
something of “God” can enter you, and something of “Love,”
too. Not the kind of love-de-luxe that you can revel in
deliciously for half an hour, taking pride in
how sublime you feel, but the love
you can apply to small,
everyday things.
…
Looked
at Japanese prints
with Glassner this afternoon.
That’s how I want to write. With that much
space round a few words. They should simply emphasize
the silence. Just like that print with the sprig of blossom in the
lower corner. A few delicate brush strokes—but with what attention
to the smallest detail—and all around it space, not empty but inspired.
The few great things that matter in life can be said in a few words.
If I should ever write—but what?—I would like to brush in a
few words against a wordless background. To describe
the silence and the stillness and to inspire them.
What matters is the right relationship between
words and wordlessness, the wordlessness
in which much more happens than
in all the words one can
string together.
The mind
can go in a thousand
directions, but on this beautiful
path, I walk in peace. With each step,
the wind blows. With each step,
a flower blooms.