open, light, and transparent

bruno bisang

 

The

great truth of zen

is possessed by everybody.

Look into your own being and seek

it not through others. Your own mind is

above all forms; it is free and quiet and sufficient;

it eternally stamps itself in your six senses and four elements.

In its light all is absorbed. Hush the dualism of subject and object,

forget both, transcend the intellect, sever yourself from

the understanding, and directly penetrate deep

into the identity of the buddha-mind;

outside of this there are

no realities.

 

…Put your

simple faith in this,

discipline yourself accordingly;

let your body and mind be turned into

an inanimate object of nature like a stone or

a piece of wood; when a state of perfect motionlessness

and unawareness is obtained all the signs of life will depart and

also every trace of limitation will vanish. Not a single idea will disturb

your consciousness, when lo! All of a sudden you will come to realize

the light abounding in full gladness. It is like coming across the

light in thick darkness; it is like receiving treasure in poverty.

The four elements and the five aggregates are no more

felt as burdens; so light, so easy, so free you are.

Your very existence has been delivered

from all limitations; you have

become open, light, and

transparent.

 

Yuanwu

zen letters

 

their breath came from deep inside

beyond thought

 

The ancient Masters slept

without dreams and woke up without worries.

Their breath came from deep inside them. They didn’t cling

to life, weren’t anxious about death. They emerged without desire

and reentered without resistance. They came easily; they went easily.

They didn’t ask where they were from; they didn’t ask where

they were going. They took everything as it came,

gladly, and walked into death without fear.

They accepted life as a gift, and

they handed it back

gratefully.

 

Chuang Tzu

the essence of wisdom

 

the art of peace begins with you

this is the only practice

 

The art of peace

begins with you.
Work on yourself

and your
 appointed task in the art of peace.


Everyone has a spirit that
 can be refined, a body

that
 can be trained in some manner,
 a suitable path

to follow.
 You are here for no other purpose than


to realize your inner divinity and
 manifest your

innate enlightenment.
 Foster peace in your 

own life and
 then apply the art to 

all that you encounter.


 

Morehei Ueshiba

 

many try to usurp the style of zen


 

Nowadays many have

lost the old way, and many try to

usurp the style of zen, setting up their

own sects, keeping to cliches, and concocting

standardized formulas and slogans. Since they

themselves are not out of the rut, when they try

to help other people, it is like a rat going into

a hollow horn that grows narrower

and narrower until the rat is

trapped in a total

impasse.

 

Yuanwu

zen letters