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> 22 quotes tagged "seeing"

A monk asked Seijo, 'I understand that a Buddha who lived before recorded history sat in meditation for ten cycles of existence and could not realize the highest truth. Why was this so?' Seijo said, 'Your question is quite self-explanatory.' The monk asked, 'Since the Buddha was meditating, why could he not realize the truth?' Seijo said, 'He was not a Buddha.'

Mumonkan, Case 9

buddha-nature inquiry seeing no-self
A monk named Seizei asked Sozan, 'I am alone and poor. Please help me.' Sozan said, 'Seizei!' Seizei answered, 'Yes, master!' Sozan said, 'You have already drunk three cups of fine wine and still you say you have not yet moistened your lips.'

Mumonkan, Case 10

inquiry teaching seeing zen-koan
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
The emperor called to his teacher, 'National Teacher!' three times. Three times the teacher responded, 'Yes?' The emperor said, 'I thought I was being disrespectful to you, but you are being disrespectful to me!' The teacher made no reply.

Mumonkan, Case 17

teaching seeing beyond-thought direct-experience
Oryu said, 'There are three barriers to test students. First, you study Zen to see your nature. Where is your nature right now? Second, if you know your nature, you are free from birth and death. When your eyes close at death, how will you be free? Third, when you are free from birth and death, you know where to go. When your body separates into the four elements, where will you go?'

Mumonkan, Case 25

inquiry seeing beyond-thought present-moment
Ryutan and Tokusan were talking late into the night. Finally Ryutan said, 'It's getting late. Why don't you retire?' Tokusan made his bows and lifted the screen to leave, but saw it was pitch dark outside. He turned and said, 'It's dark out there.' Ryutan lit a candle and handed it to Tokusan. As Tokusan reached for it, Ryutan blew it out. At that moment Tokusan was enlightened.

Mumonkan, Case 28

awakening seeing present-moment zen-koan
Two monks were arguing about a flag. One said, 'The flag is moving.' The other said, 'The wind is moving.' The Sixth Patriarch said, 'Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving.'

Mumonkan, Case 29

mind seeing no-self zen-koan
Daibai asked Baso, 'What is Buddha?' Baso said, 'This mind is Buddha.'

Mumonkan, Case 30

buddha-nature mind seeing present-moment
A monk asked Joshu, 'What is the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?' Joshu said, 'The oak tree in the garden.'

Mumonkan, Case 37

inquiry seeing nature zen-koan
Eka said to Bodhidharma, 'My mind is not at peace. Please pacify my mind.' Bodhidharma said, 'Bring me your mind and I will pacify it.' Eka said, 'I have searched for my mind, but I cannot find it.' Bodhidharma said, 'There, I have pacified your mind.'

Traditional Zen

mind seeing no-self direct-experience
A monk said to Joshu, 'I have just entered this monastery. Please teach me.' Joshu said, 'Have you had your breakfast?' 'Yes, I have,' replied the monk. Joshu said, 'Then go wash your bowl.' Later another monk came and Joshu said, 'Go drink tea.'

Traditional Zen

awakening everyday-life seeing sudden-insight
A monk asked, 'The stone bridge of Zhaozhou is widely renowned, but I find only a shabby log bridge.' Zhaozhou said, 'You see only the shabby log bridge and don't see the stone bridge.' The monk asked, 'What is the stone bridge?' Zhaozhou said, 'It lets donkeys cross, it lets horses cross.'

Blue Cliff Record, Case 52

buddha-nature everyday-life seeing present-moment
A monk asked, 'Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?' Zhaozhou said, 'The cypress tree in the courtyard.'

Blue Cliff Record

seeing present-moment no-self direct-experience
Huangbo said, 'You are all gobblers of dregs! Traveling around this way, where do you have today?'

Traditional Zen

seeing present-moment zen-koan
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
A monk asked Longya, 'The physical body decays. What is the indestructible body of reality?' Longya said, 'The mountain flowers bloom like brocade, the valley streams are brimming blue.'

Traditional Zen

seeing no-self death nature
A monk asked, 'What is the meaning of meditation and study?' Zhaozhou said, 'In the morning we eat rice gruel, at midday we eat rice.'

Traditional Zen

seeing present-moment direct-experience zen-koan
A monk asked, 'When the tortoise has no hair and the rabbit has no horns, how do you understand this?' Hsueh Feng said, 'To have a head is to have horns, to have a shell is to have hair.'

Traditional Zen

inquiry paradox seeing zen-koan
Fayan said, 'When there's a hair's breadth of difference, it is like the distance between heaven and earth.'

Traditional Zen

emptiness seeing beyond-thought no-self
Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.

Alan Watts

acceptance non-duality nature seeing
The foolish reject what they see, not what they think. The wise reject what they think, not what they see.

Huang Po, The Zen Teaching of Huang Po, tr. John Blofeld

wisdom mind huang-po perception