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> 15 quotes tagged "beyond-words"

A monk asked Joshu, 'Does a dog have Buddha nature?' Joshu answered, 'Mu!'

Mumonkan, Case 1

buddha-nature emptiness inquiry beyond-words
Buddha held up a flower before the assembly. Everyone was silent. Only Mahakashyapa smiled. Buddha said, 'I have the eye of true teaching, the heart of Nirvana, the true aspect of non-form. I now entrust it to Mahakashyapa.'

Mumonkan, Case 6

buddha-nature silence beyond-words present-moment
Tokusan went to the dining room holding his bowl. Seppo said, 'The bell has not yet rung, where are you going with your bowl?' Tokusan returned to his room. Seppo told Ganto about this. Ganto said, 'Great as he is, Tokusan has not yet grasped the last word of Zen.' When Tokusan heard this, he sent for Ganto and asked, 'Do you not approve of me?' Ganto whispered his criticism. Tokusan said nothing. The next day Tokusan gave an entirely different kind of lecture. Ganto laughed and said, 'The old man has finally understood the last word of Zen!'

Mumonkan, Case 13

emptiness teaching beyond-words void
Monks of the eastern and western halls were disputing about a cat. Nansen held up the cat and said, 'If you can say a word of Zen, I will spare the cat. If not, I will cut it in two.' No one could answer. Nansen cut the cat. That evening Joshu returned. Nansen told him what had happened. Joshu took off his sandals, put them on his head, and walked out. Nansen said, 'If you had been there, the cat would have been saved.'

Mumonkan, Case 14

mind inquiry seeing beyond-words
Shogen asked, 'Why is it that a man of great strength does not lift his legs?' And again, 'It is not the tongue he speaks with.'

Mumonkan, Case 20

beyond-words no-self zen-koan
A monk asked Fuketsu, 'Both speech and silence are about essence and manifestation. How can we transcend both?' Fuketsu said, 'I always remember the spring in Konan, where the partridges sing. How fragrant the countless flowers!'

Mumonkan, Case 24

silence inquiry beyond-words no-self
A non-Buddhist asked the Buddha, 'I do not ask for words, I do not ask for non-words.' The Buddha remained silent. The non-Buddhist said, 'The World-Honored One's great mercy has cleared away my delusions and enabled me to enter the path,' and he left. Ananda asked the Buddha, 'What did he realize?' The Buddha said, 'A good horse runs even at the shadow of the whip.'

Mumonkan, Case 32

buddha-nature silence inquiry beyond-words
Goso asked, 'When you meet a Zen master on the road, you cannot speak to him, you cannot face him in silence. What will you do?'

Mumonkan, Case 36

silence paradox teaching beyond-words
When Isan's teacher wanted to choose a successor, he asked who could answer correctly. He put a water vase on the ground and asked, 'Without calling it a water vase, what is it?' The head monk said, 'You cannot call it a wooden sandal.' Isan kicked the vase over and walked away. He became the teacher's successor.

Mumonkan, Case 40

emptiness inquiry teaching beyond-words
Linji said, 'There is a true person of no rank constantly going in and out through the gates of your face. Those who have not yet proved it, look! Look!'

Linji Yulu

seeing beyond-words present-moment no-self
Yunmen said, 'Everyone has their own light. When you try to see it, everything is darkness. What is your light?'

Traditional Zen

seeing beyond-words present-moment zen-koan
Yunmen said, 'I don't ask you about fifteen days ago. But what about fifteen days hence? Come, say a word about this!' Since none of the monks answered, he said, 'Every day is a good day.'

Blue Cliff Record, Case 6

emptiness inquiry beyond-words present-moment
A monk asked Baling, 'What is the Blown Hair Sword?' Baling said, 'Each branch of coral holds up the moon.'

Blue Cliff Record, Case 13

everyday-life beyond-words present-moment no-self
Xuedou said, 'If you want to attain intimate understanding, just don't develop any concepts. The past is already past. The future has not yet arrived. Here and now—speak!'

Traditional Zen

beyond-words beyond-thought present-moment direct-experience
Duke Huan was reading when Wheelwright Pian put down his chisel and asked: 'What are you reading?' 'The words of the sages.' 'Are they alive?' 'Dead.' 'Then you are reading nothing but their dregs. When I chisel a wheel — too slow, the chisel slides; too fast, it jams. The right pace comes from the hand and is felt in the mind. It cannot be put into words. There is an art to it I cannot teach my own son, and which he cannot learn from me. So here I am, seventy years old, still chiseling wheels.'

Chuang Tzu, Chapter 13 – The Way of Heaven

flow skill beyond-words chuang-tzu