Learned friends,
our self-natured bodhi
is fundamentally pure and clean.
Use only this mind of yours for direct
understanding and attainment
of buddhahood.
Author Archives → Brian
the length of a person’s life
The Buddha asked a monk,
“How do you measure the length of a person’s life?”
The monk answered, “By days.” The Buddha
said, “You do not understand
the Way.”
The Buddha asked another monk,
“How do you measure the length of a person’s life?”
The monk answered, “By the time that passes during
a meal.” The Buddha said, “You do not
understand the Way.”
The Buddha asked a third monk,
“How do you measure the length of a person’s life?”
The monk answered, “By the breath.”
The Buddha said, “Very well,
you know the Way.”
full text translated by D.T. Suzuki
humble and cleansed
Today
while begging,
I got caught in a shower.
For some time, I found shelter
in an old shrine. Laugh if you like at
the one jar and one bowl I own!
Humble and cleansed —
my life a broken
house.
the reality is that we are safe
When we’re holding
the mental formations of despair
and suffering, we can look and see that
this has been born from that; suffering is born
because we are in touch with an image from
the past. The reality is that we are safe,
and we have the capacity to enjoy
the wonders of life in the
present moment.
When we recognize
that our suffering is based on images
instead of current reality, then living happily
in the present moment becomes
possible right away.
listen and someday you may awaken
The sounds of
streams are Buddha’s speech. The
colored mountains are Buddha’s pure body.
Night brings eighty-four thousand poems
of Buddha. Listen, and someday
you may awaken.