The way
to study true zen
is not verbal. Just open
yourself and give up everything.
Whatever happens, study closely
and see what you find out.
This is the fundamental
attitude.
Shunryu Suzuki
crossroads : exhaustion
An
unavoidable time of adversity.
Quiet strength insures a
later success.
It is a time
of oppression and exhaustion.
None of us escapes such moments; they are simply
a part of living. By meeting them in the correct spirit and
cheerfully bending instead of breaking, you weather
the adversity and meet with success
at a later time.
Inferior elements,
either in one’s self, another,
or the larger world, interfere now to
restrain the superior person. It is foolish to fight
against the restraint; success is simply not possible now.
Rid yourself of the desire to progress and return
to neutrality and acceptance. The stubborn
pursuit of results will bring
misfortune.
With others,
quietness and equanimity are
the watchwords of the moment. Say little,
and say it gently. A similar reticence and gentleness
should be applied to yourself. Do not lapse into
impatience or mistrust of the Deity. Accept
that the Creative often works in a way
that we cannot see or
understand.
A feeling of
despair or depression is a sign
that you are holding a false belief.
To perpetuate an untruth about yourself,
another, or the Sage is to block your own
happiness. Root out and remove any
idea or attitude which
causes negative
feelings.
By opening
your mind, quieting your heart,
and calmly holding to proper principles,
you make it possible for the Creative
to eliminate the oppression
that currently
exists.
from The I Ching, or Book of Changes
Hexagram 47, K’un / Oppression (Exhaustion)
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how we perfect the Way
Forget all ideas
of accomplishing something —
in your practice and everywhere
else. Everything is already
accomplished.
If this sounds
like a tricky idea to you,
the flaw is in your understanding
of reality, not in reality
itself.
Allowing nature
to manifest is the way
of the Way. By setting aside
our ambitions and leaving
the Way to the Way,
we perfect the
Way.
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remain in the center
Knowing
others is intelligence;
knowing the self is enlightenment.
Conquering others is power; conquering
the self is strength. Know what is enough, and
you’ll be rich. Persevere, and you’ll develop
a will. Remain in the center, and you’ll
always be at home. Die without
dying, and you’ll endure
forever.
from The Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu,
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book.
mose’s exploding donkey
If you try to
pour the whole ocean into a pot,
it doesn’t work.You can’t put enough in to
satisfy even one human being for a single day.
The eye of a greedy person is the same: always full,
never satisfied. Only when an oyster becomes
content and stops trying to drink
the whole sea can it settle
down and make a
pearl.
Whoever
is torn by spiritual love
is cleansed of greed – this and every
other weakness. Be happy with this love!
It’s a very good deal – the cure for
all pain, the medicine for our
arrogance, the great
teacher.
Bodies
made of earth ascend
to heaven because of love.
Mountains walk and dance
because of love. Mount Sinai got
drunk with love, and Moses’s
donkey exploded
into light!
Like nay,
the reed flute, I have
stories to tell you. Anyone separated
from the Friend has hundreds of stories, too,
but no tongue to tell them. If you let the flowers wilt
and the garden die, there aren’t any more
songs from bolbol, the
nightingale.
This
whole universe, every
thing and not-thing, is the Beloved.
The lover, just a reflection of that. It’s God’s face
that’s alive, not the mirror! If a person doesn’t have the
courage to love, he’s a bird without wings. No one
can be conscious without the light of the
Friend, but with that love, you can
see truth.
If
your mirror
isn’t reflecting the
Beloved, then
polish it.