an old writer and his words

  • KOYO’S GARUDA BIRD

    When you sit on the cushionthere is only you, there is onlythe cushion, nothing more.When you rise from the cushionwhat becomes of you?Do you change, are youin some way different?But if there is no youif there is only onethen the cushiondoes not matter any longer. A reflection on Case 44 of the Book of Equanimity…

    Lou Faber

  • RINZAI’S TRUE MAN

    If I ask youwho you are, howwill you answer?If you give me your name,that is not the answerfor your name is a wordand you are not a word.If you tell me whatyou have done, thatis not the answer,for those are actions.If you sit silentlyon the cushionthat is the answer. A reflection on Case 38 of…

    Lou Faber

  • FUKETSU’S SPECK OF DUST

    Sitting on the cushionwhen you think,there is only this thoughtand the next thought,and the cushionhas no purpose.When there isno thought, there isonly this momentand the cushionis the entire world. A reflection on Case 34 of the Book of Equanimity (従容錄, Shōyōroku)

    Lou Faber

  • 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…

    Lou Faber

  • JOSHU ROTATES THE CANON

    If you ask meto grasp the DharmaI will read each wordas I unroll the scroll,but that is but a small partof grasping it.The rolling up,the placing back,the bow and the returnto my waiting cushion,each is a reverent grasping. A reflection on Case 74 of the Shobogenzo (True Dharma Eye) Koans

    Lou Faber

  • UMMON’S TWO SICKNESSES

    As you wanderyour path, what is itthat you search for? When you seekinstruction from a masterwhat is it you expecthim to provide you? When you sitstill on the cushionyou may find a momentof kensho, butlabeling that momentdestroys it. Enlightenment cannotbe describedfor attaching wordsbrings it to the groundas rubble aroundyour feet. A reflection on Case 11…

    Lou Faber

  • THE LANGUAGE OF ZEN

    The greatest problemwith our languagein the practice of zazencan seem insurmountable. We are lovers of tenses,a dozen to choose from,one spawning offspring,time ever important to us. In zen, on the cushionthere is no past, no future,perfect or otherwise, norour friend the conditional. We strive to always bein the moment, there is nowand nothing else, and…

    Lou Faber

  • SOTO

    If you are able to speakmaintain silence,If you can bear the silence,listen to the song the sea sings.If you can sing with the seacount the grains of sandthat wash in on the next wave.If you lose count, begin againbefore the wave recedes.If the wave recedes beforeyou finish counting, bid it farewell.After you bid farewellreturn to…

    Lou Faber

  • SITTING

    It is onlyin the deep stillnessand silenceof zazenthat the wordsof the Dharmaresound loudest From the cushionsamadhi ariseslike a Phoenixtakes wingand with the final bellall to oftenflies off mindlesslyand it’s goneuntil the next sitting.

    Lou Faber

  • QIANFENG’S “THREE TYPES OF SICKNESS”

      When you assume the mat and gaze at the wall, what is it you see? If you see nothing, what do you think? If you are certain that you see nothing, that is what you think. Do not see, do not think, and let the cushion fall away until the moment you no longer…

    Lou Faber