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THE SURANGAMA SCRIPTURE’S NOT SEEING
It happens every day,when I arise from the cushionand look, I see myself there.If you look, you say you see me as well.It will happen one daythat when I arise from the cushionand look I will not see myself.If you look, you will say you see me,and I will nod in agreement.Each day when I…
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MASTER MA IS UNWELL
Yesterday is but a shadowand tomorrow an illusion.Do not wallow in the mudof attempted memory, donot sink in the mireof deluded anticipation.Stop, listen to the sunand the moon singof the Dharma, hearthe silence it bringsfor you are alivein this moment,and there isno other momentin which you can live. A reflection on Case 3 of the…
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THE ULTIMATE PATH IS WITHOUT DIFFICULTY
How long have youwandered about searchingfor the correct path?Clearly you have notfound it but you refuseto give up the searchcertain it is there.Will you recognize itif you stumble across it?How do you decidewhere you should look?Look down, you arestanding on it as you havebeen since you began. A reflection on Case 2 of the Blue…
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THE HIGHEST MEANING OF THE HOLY TRUTHS
On the path youmay choose to askyour teacher to give youthe heart of the dharma.Accept his silenceand carry it with youfor it is the seedfrom which the great lotuswill arise.Peer within itand see nothing at alland cherish the giftof the heart of the Buddha. A reflection on Case 1 of the Blue Cliff Record (Hekiganroku…
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HUANG PO’S GOBBLERS OF DREGS
You have heard that whenthe student is ready the teacher appears,and you believe you are ready,but no teacher has appeared.I can tell you that you are ready,that you will never be ready,that I am not the teacher,that the teacher is here,and that the teacher will never appear.But the path you seek to findwith a teacher…
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YUN MAN’S EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY
Pause and consider why so many questionsrequire you, you feel, to consult your watch,to call up a calendar, to appoint time.Time has no appointments, time is notan arrow, though we strive always to aim it,to send it flying in our desired direction.Time is a point in space, surrounded byall ten directions, going toward none of…
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CHIH MEN’S BODY OF WISDOM
As you search for the source of all wisdom, will you stop along a beach and consider that it can be found, fully in a single grain of sand. Be careful, for the beach contains countless grains of sand, so choose carefully. If you are uncertain which one contains the source of all wisdom select…
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HUI CH’AO ASKS ABOUT BUDDHA
When you look in the mirror do you hope to see yourself, and who is that face that stares back? If you turn out the light, are you still there in the mirror, or has the illusion of you disappeared? If you crack the mirror, do you feel the pain of the scar across your…
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WORLD HONORED ONE ASCENDS THE SEAT
If you sit patiently enough, and sit long enough, just perhaps the teacher will acknowledge you. If he holds out his arms and offers you the heart of the Dharma, will you grasp it and hold it closely? If you try and grasp it it will slip through your fingers, disappear from sight, lost forever.…
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TS’UI YEN’S EYEBROWS
The question is a simple one, really, but not one you were expecting, which is why you sit and grapple for an answer. Ask yourself, what if no answer is needed, what if there is no answer, can you remain silent, or will you feel somehow incomplete if you do not respond? All answers are…
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an old writer and his words 