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SANSHO’S GOLDEN CARP
If you askyour teacherto show you the Dharmahe will lookat you and remainsilent.If you asknothingof your teacherhe willshow youthe wholeof the Dharma. A reflection on Case 33 of the Book of Equanimity (Shoyoroku 従容錄)
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UNGAN SWEEPS THE GROUND
When you are cleaning,what becomes of the dirt?When you are bathing,what becomes of the water?When you exhale,what becomes of the breath?When the moon disappearsis the moon truly gone?When you ask your teacher,what becomes of the question?If you sit quietly on the matand do not think of this,what becomes of you? A reflection on Case 21…
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POLISH
Mother made a point of remindingme to polish my shoes, she saiduntidy shoes are the markof a poor man, one to be avoided. I noticed she never wore shoesthat needed polish, never had waxand brush in hand, and when her shoesshowed wear they were replaced. I learned early not to talk backto her, the penalty…
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A PRAYER
Last night, as I sat poisedon the edge of sleep, I askedGod for continued blessings,for I have been blessed morethan I likely deserve. I heard Her reply that Iwould always have Her love,on earth and heaven, and Iknew my request, selfishfor certain, had been answered. But now I wonder if it wastruly She or your…
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OF THE CHILD
How many times have weheard someone intonethe never ending expression:“in the best interests of the child.” Never, I imagine, has anyoneasked the child what he or shethought was in their best interest,for children, we assume, cannotknow what is in their interest. A child would gladly tell youbut an adult would often disagree,anchored to the memoryof…
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A SMALL REQUEST
If those in the campsknowing their fate,the inevitabilityof their impending deathcould call up music,for orchestras, playor sing withtheir final breaths, is it too muchtheir ghosts silentlyask, for youto pause andremember us,and singa dirgefor our souls.
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Atop the Pole 無門關 四十六
Sitting atop a hundred foot poleyou are convinced there areonly two directions: pole and down.Old Osho asks, how will you proceedand you stare back at this lunatic.How will you proceed, he repeats? You release the polestep slowly away, lookingat ten directions before you,you move your feet, each onetouches the path of eachof the three worlds…
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ISAN’S NO BUDDHA NATURE
You may askabout the true natureof Buddha nature,but who can you ask.If you should meetthe Buddhain a coffee shop,perhaps you should askif the Buddhahas dog nature A reflection on case 115 of Dogen’s Shobogenzo (True Dharma Eye) Koans
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JUST PERHAPS
You want something. Tell me what it is. Don’t hedge, be open and honest. I may not give it to you. I may not have it to give. I may have it and give it freely. I may have and not want to part with it. I may not have, can get it and give…
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KANNON’S STATUE 鐵笛倒吹 語十八
If you meet the Bodhisattvayou don’t ask someoneto carve the image from your mind.To the carver, she weighs but an ounceand can be carriedon his fingertipbut try and lift herand you will not be ableto move her from her place. All Buddhasare one Buddhabut his Buddhawill never beyour Buddha. A reflection on Case 58 of…
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an old writer and his words 