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Zen Story: Harmony

There is the story of a young martial arts student who was under the tutelage of a famous master. One day, the master was watching a practice session in the courtyard. He realized that the presence of the other students was interfering with the young man’s attempts to perfect his technique.

The master could sense the young man’s frustration. He went up to the young man and tapped him on his shoulder. “What’s the problem?” he inquired.  “I don’t know”, said the youth, with a strained expression. “No matter how much I try, I am unable to execute the moves properly”. “Before you can master technique, you must understand harmony. Come with me, I will explain”, replied the master.

The teacher and student left the building and walked some distance into the woods until they came upon a stream. The master stood silently on the bank for several moments. Then he spoke. “Look at the stream,” he said. “There are rocks in its way. Does it slam into them out of frustration? It simply flows over and around them and moves on! Be like the water and you will know what harmony is.”

The young man took the master’s advice to heart. Soon, he was barely noticing the other students around him. Nothing could come in his way of executing the most perfect moves.

Go with the flow!

Pictured above: Buddha Wall Canvas

Dalai Lama Visit Fuels Friction Between China, U.S.

The Concepts of Satori, Mu-shin, Jiyu and Shokokakkya in Zen Buddhism

These are some intrinsic concepts in Zen teachings. Satori is Zen’s spiritual goal, often likened to a brilliant flash, a moment of tremendous clarity that dawns upon the practitioner, revealing the Truth – that we are creatures of joyful spirit, at once human and one with all of creation.

The way to satori lies through Mu-shin (Mu = emptiness). Many Zen stories speak of emptying the mind; to be in a state of mu, you must learn to curtail the ego, that part of our mind which chatters constantly (and is often likened to a monkey!)

Jiyu is the sense of freedom (or self-reliance) that pervades your being when the ego has been tamed.

Shokokakkya is to shine the light, metaphorically speaking, into the ground under your feet, wherein the truth about you lies.

To arrive at these goals, Zen teaches essential Buddhist precepts like respect for living creatures, practicing kindness and honesty, regulating sexual passions and respecting one’s body by avoiding intoxicants and harmful foods. Other fundamental Buddhist teachings like the Eightfold Path and Four Noble Truths are also intrinsically woven into Zen wisdom.

70,000 Buddhists gather to celebrate Tibetan festival

Source: buddhistchannel.tv

LHASA, Tibet (China) -- At least 70,000 Tibetan Buddhists gathered at a monastery in Lhasa Wednesday to celebrate a religious holiday and pray for good luck in the Tibetan New Year that begins Sunday.

Tsering Namgyal, 75, edged along in the queue outside the Sera Monastery in the suburbs of Lhasa at 5 am, leaning against a walking stick and waiting for his turn to be blessed.

The annual "Sera Bengqin Festival" is an important religious event celebrated four days before the Tibetan New Year. It is held exclusively at Sera Monastery, one of the three leading monasteries in Lhasa alongside Drepung and Ganden.

On this date, devout Buddhists are touched on the head by the Khenpo (president) of the Ngaba Zhacang (one of the three Buddhist schools in the monastery) with the Dorje Pestle, a legendary Buddhist instrument from India that is believed to transfer the Buddha's power and support to the faithful.


The crowd of Buddhists also presented hada, a traditional white scarf, and petty sums of alm and prayed in front of a Thangka portrait of the "horse-headed king," one of the most important heritage pieces housed at Sera Monastery.

The annual event lasts for 24 hours starting from 1 am Wednesday. It has drawn Tibetan Buddhists from across the Tibet Autonomous Region, as well as Tibetan communities in the western provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan.

Tsering Namgyal traveled from Xigaze to attend the event. "It can ward off disasters in the new year," he said.

The Year of Iron Tiger in the Tibetan calendar begins on February 14 this year it starts on exactly the same date as Chinese Lunar New Year's Day. The coincidence has happened 18 times since 1950, according to experts of astrology and Tibetan calendar calculations.

Zen Story: What’s the difference?

Zen master Ryokan was walking on the beach. A storm had just blown over. Hundreds of starfish had been washed up by the waves; they were beginning to die in the sharp sunlight. Ryokan picked up the starfish one by one and threw them back into the sea.

A fisherman who had been observing Ryokan came up to him. “Why do you do this? Every time there’s a storm, this happens. You can’t save them all, so what difference does your attempt make?”

“It will make a difference – to this one,” replied Ryokan, as he flung yet another starfish into the water.

Did you make a difference to someone today ?

Zen Story: Perfection

There once lived a priest whose duty it was to tend the garden of a Zen temple.  The priest loved trees, bushes and flowers and took great pride in his work. A low wall separated the temple from another, smaller shrine next door, where an aged Zen master lived.

One day, the priest was told that  important guests were expected. Immediately, he set about tending the garden. He removed weeds, pruned tree branches and shrubs. He even combed the moss ! Since it was autumn, the ground was untidy with dry leaves which the priest painstakingly raked and arranged into neat mounds.

All this while, the old monk was watching him from across the wall. The priest finished with his labor of love. A look of satisfaction spread across his face. “Doesn’t it look beautiful now?” he said, turning to the monk.

“Indeed it does,” replied the monk, “but something’s not quite right. Here, give me a hand over this wall and I’ll fix it for you.”

Puzzled, the priest did as he was asked. The old master made his way slowly to a tree in the center of the garden, gripped its trunk and shook it hard. Leaves scattered down,  orange, russet and brown. “There...that’s better ! Now, can you help me back across the wall ?”

Perfection is....not always what you think it is!