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.
Posts Tagged → muso soseki
interrelated in indra’s net
Causes are complex
and have different time scales.
The efforts of the individual are not
the sole determining factor in the individual’s
condition in life, because everyone is part of the
nexus of society and nature and the continuum
of time. It is common for people to attribute
causes wrongly because of misperception
of real relationships.
Every cause is the effect of
something else, and every effect is
the cause of something else. What may seem
like a curse may be a blessing, and what may seem
a blessing may be a curse. Hardship is a blessing
when it spurs effort and development; ease is
a curse when it increases complacency
and self-indulgence.
nothing on your mind
Many times the mountains
have turned from green to yellow.
So much for the capricious earth!
Dust in your eyes,
the triple world is narrow.
Nothing on your mind,
your chair is wide enough.
light and free on the one road
My treasure is the cloud on the peak
The moon over the valley
Traveling east or west
Light and free on the one road
I don’t know whether I’m on the way
Or at home.
if you get emotional about teaching
If you forget your
feelings about things of the world,
they become enlightening teachings.
If you get emotional about enlightening
teaching, it becomes a worldly
thing.
“teacher to seven emperors”