Thursday, 26 December 2019

Recorded Sayings of Joshu, 2nd Excerpt

A monk asked, "To be in the secular world speaking about Dharma on behalf of all the holy men is simply to be dependent on ornaments and artifices. It is not clear to me, how do you instruct people?"

The master said, "Where do you see me?"

The monk said, "Please tell me."

The master said, "None of the monks in this whole hall understands what you're saying."

A different monk asked, "Please tell me."

The master said, "You speak, I'll listen."


A monk asked, "How can you not lead the multitudes of the world astray?"

The master stuck out his foot.

The monk took off one of the master's sandals.

The master brought back his foot.

The monk could say nothing more.


Another time, the master said, "Brothers, if a truthful man expounds a heresy, that heresy is the truth. If a heretical man expounds the true dharma, the true dharma becomes a heresy."

"Everywhere it is hard to see but easy to know about. Where I am it is easy to see but hard to know about."


One of the hallmarks of religious teaching is the invention of faith based problems, faith based solutions to those problems and trying to convince others of the reality of them.

When receiving instruction from zen masters what do you get?

"You speak, I'll listen"

"The master stuck out his foot"

"if a heretical man expounds the true dharma, the true dharma becomes a heresy"

What problem does any of this make? What problem does any of this solve?



Submitted December 27, 2019 at 12:59AM by ThatKir https://ift.tt/379EkIB

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