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Zen Story: Can You Make Me Obey You?

 

The great Zen Master, Bankei, was renowned for his talks. People of all sects and ranks came to listen to him because he spoke from his heart. Bankei was much-respected and his preaching was embraced by all.
 
Bankei’s popularity angered a priest of another sect whose followers left to listen to Bankei. The priest wondered what it was that made Bankei gain so many supporters, especially when Bankei did not even quote from any scholarly references! The more the priest thought about it, the more it enraged him. Vowing to end the matter conclusively with a debate, the priest stormed to the temple where Bankei lectured.
 
Upon reaching the temple, the priest called out to Bankei.
“Hey Zen Master!” the priest shouted. “You think you have a hold on these people because they come listen to you. They obey you because they respect you,” he claimed. “But me, I don’t respect you!” the priest declared. “Can you make me obey you?” he demanded of Bankei.
 
Bankei was amused by the priest’s anger. He retorted, “In order to have this discussion, you must come up here beside me.”
 
The proud priest made his way through the crowd to Bankei’s seat.
“Come to my left so I can see you better,” Bankei told the priest.
The priest walked over to Bankei’s left side.
“No, that’s no good,” stated Bankei. “It would be better for you to be on my right.”
The priest once again made his way to the Zen Master’s right side.
 
Bankei smiled and said, “You see, you are doing as I say now, which makes me believe that you are a good-natured and benevolent person.”
 
The priest was ashamed of his outrageous behavior and sat down to listen to Bankei talk.
 
Obedience brought out of love and compassion is far better than one out of harshness and ego.

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History of Zen Buddhism

Around the 5th century, a mendicant Buddhist monk from southern India arrived in China. Few historical facts have survived about Bodhidharma, as he is known, though the legends surrounding him would have us believe that he was a truly remarkable individual. To Bodhidharma is ascribed the practice known worldwide as Zen ( from the Sanskrit ,‘Dhyan’ to the Chinese ‘Ch’an’, meaning meditation or contemplation). Bodhidharma was the first of 28 Zen Buddhist patriarchs, and his was a new vision of Buddhism:

A special tradition outside the sutras,

Independent of word and writ,

Pointing directly to Man’s heart,

Seeing (one’s own true) nature and becoming Buddha.

There’s the apocryphal story of Chinese Emperor Wu-Ti, head of the ruling Liang dynasty, who asked Bodhidharma, “What is the underlying principle of Buddhism?” The monk responded, “An enormous void. A vast sky, which accepts all beings – the enlightened and the unaware – as the same.” Wu-ti, a fervent Buddhist himself , was nonplussed. Bodhidharma left his court, realizing that China was not yet ready for his “wordless tradition”.

Bodhidharma spent several years deep in meditation, to the extent that, according to one legend, his legs atrophied and fell off. Many monks found their way to him for teaching.

Tao-hsin (580-651), fourth in the line of patriarchs, introduced a seminal change in the functioning of the Zen clergy. He established a permanent base, abandoning the earlier tradition of itinerant monks. Henceforth, regular work in the field and garden became an intrinsic aspect of Zen discipline. The impact of this change was far reaching – it widened the base for religious practice. It also enabled the community to become self-sustaining.

Around the late 7th century, differences arose in the community as to the nature of Zen practice. The northern school, headed by Shen-hsiu, believed that attaining enlightenment is a gradual process, through the daily practice of concentration. The southern camp opined that enlightenment comes in a flash, a sudden experience of one’s inherent Buddha nature. Its leader, Hui-neng, is often considered the second founder of Zen. He rejected the scholastic, approach of the northern school, propounding that Enlightenment was an entirely personal, direct experience wherein an individual intuitively realizes oneness with the Self.


Koan and Katsu

The century following Hui-neng is considered the Golden Age of Chinese Zen. Ma-tsu (707-786), one of Zen’s notable personalities, introduced the koan as a vital aspect of Zen teaching, brief dialogues between Zen masters and disciples that defy logical thinking processes, and whose meaning can only be grasped intuitively. He also introduced “Katsu!”, a sudden yell that shocks the mind into enlightenment.


Soto and Rinzai

Hui-neng and the later masters incorporated Indian Buddhist thought and Taoism into Zen teachings. Towards the late10th century, five Zen sects had come into existence, Ts’ao-tung (Soto) and Lin-chai (Rinzai) being the two most important. Rinzai was introduced into Japan by the monk Eisai and Soto by Dogen, both of whom spent many years studying in China.

Rinzai emphasized meditating on the koan as the way to achieve “sudden” enlightenment. The Soto school propounded “Zazen” or seated meditation, which over time, brings lasting changes in personality and behavior.

Zen Buddhism spread rapidly through Japanese society, thanks to the patronage of the Shogunate government. Rinzai teachings were favored by warriors while the Soto school found widespread acceptance among farmers and local chieftains.


Zen Masters

Dogen, the best known proponent of Soto, taught that human beings are born enlightened. Since the Buddha strove for improving mankind’s lot, all men should similarly work for their communities. He stressed on the importance of zazen as a lifelong discipline and an end in itself.

In later years, Muso Soseki (1275-1351), another Zen master, became an advisor to several Japanese rulers. He influenced the sending of missions to China, thus allowing for the continued channeling of Zen influences into Japan. Since then, Zen thought has seeped into every aspect of Japanese culture, from art and architecture, to music, dance and theatre.

Pictured Above: Black Stone Buddha Statue from Buddha Groove.
Click here to view

Zen Story: Heaven & Hell

 

Hakuin, the fiery and intensely dynamic Zen master, was once visited by a samurai warrior.

“I want to know about heaven and hell,” said the samurai. “Do they really exist?” he asked Hakuin.

Hakuin looked at the soldier and asked, “Who are you?”

“I am a samurai,” announced the proud warrior.

“Ha!” exclaimed Hakuin. “What makes you think you can understand such insightful things? You are merely a callous, brutish soldier! Go away and do not waste my time with your foolish questions,” Hakuin said, waving his hand to drive away the samurai.

The enraged samurai couldn’t take Hakuin’s insults. He drew his sword, readied for the kill, when Hakuin calmly retorted, “This is hell.”

The soldier was taken aback. His face softened. Humbled by the wisdom of Hakuin, he put away his sword and bowed before the Zen Master.

“And this is heaven,” Hakuin stated, just as calmly.

We create our own heaven and hell.

Zen Story: Ah! It’s So Sweet!

A man was walking across a field when he saw a tiger. Fearing for his life, the man fled, but the tiger gave chase. The man reached the edge of a cliff, and just as he thought the tiger would get him, he spotted a vine growing over the edge of the cliff. Grabbing on to it, he swung himself over the edge to safety.

The tiger came to the edge and snarled at him from above. While precariously perched like this, the man saw another tiger growling at him from below. Trembling, he held on to the thin vine that was keeping him from being dinner for the tigers. What could be worse than this, he wondered.

Just then, two mice scampered out and began gnawing at the vine. As they chewed and the man pondered over his fate, he saw a juicy, red strawberry on a ledge next to him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. Ah, how sweet it tasted!

Live in the moment!

Zen Story: Cause and effect

There lived an old farmer who had worked on his fields for many, many years. One day, his horse bolted away. His neighbors dropped in to commiserate with him. “What awful luck,” they tut-tutted sympathetically, to which the farmer only replied, “We’ll see.”

Next morning, to everyone’s surprise, the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How amazing is that!” they exclaimed in excitement. The old man replied, “We’ll see.”
 
A day later, the farmer’s son tried to mount one of the wild horses. He was thrown on the ground and broke his leg. Once more, the neighbors came by to express their sympathies for this stroke of bad luck. “We’ll see,” said the farmer politely.
 
The next day, the village had some visitors – military officers who had come with the purpose of drafting young men into the army. They passed over the farmer’s son, thanks to his broken leg. The neighbors patted the farmer on his back – how lucky he was to not have his son join the army! “We’ll see,” was all that the farmer said!
 
In the seed of a mishap lies the potential tree of good fortune.

Zen Story: True Nature

An old man meditating by the riverside opened his eyes to see a scorpion flailing helplessly in the water. The water washed the scorpion nearer to a tree growing on the river bank. Supporting his body on one of the long roots stretching into the water, the old man extended his hand out to reach the creature. His fingers barely touched the scorpion when it stung him.  The old man instinctively withdrew his hand. A moment later, he got back his balance and again lay down on the roots to rescue the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him well and truly. The old man lay there in agony, his hand bloodied and swollen.

A traveler who was passing by saw the whole incident happen. He shouted, "What’s wrong with you?”Only a fool or madman would risk his life trying to save that evil, vicious creature! Do you realize you could have died trying to save that scorpion?”

Still lying there, the old man turned his head to look at the traveler calmly. “Dear brother, it is the nature of the scorpion to sting. That does not mean I can change my nature, which is to save. ”

The scorpion behaved true to its nature. So did the old man.
How far would you go?

Zen Story: Impermanence

A revered Zen teacher once approached the king’s palace late at night. The guards did not stop him as he made his way inside to where the king was seated upon his throne. The king recognized him too.

“Welcome, sir. What do you want?” the king asked.
“I wish to sleep in this inn tonight”, said the teacher.
Taken aback, the king snorted, “This is no inn! It is my palace!”
The teacher politely asked, “If I may ask, who owned this palace before you?”
“Why, my father, of course! He is dead now.”
“And who lived here before your father?””
“My grandfather, naturally. He’s dead too.”
“This building where people live for some time and go away, did you say that it is not an inn?”

Ego prevents you from seeing through life’s illusions – let it go!

Zen Story: Bankei’s Cure

The great master Bankei’s meditation classes attracted students from all over Japan. During one of these courses, a student was caught stealing. The incident was brought to Bankei’s notice. He chose however, to disregard it. A few days later, the pupil was again caught stealing. Bankei was informed and again, he took no action! This greatly agitated the other students. They approached the master with a petition they had drawn up asking for the student’s dismissal, failing which, they would leave the course en masse.

Bankei read through their demands and then summoned them all before him.
“Dear brothers, you are indeed wise. You know the difference between right and wrong. You may leave if you wish and pursue your studies elsewhere. But this poor brother cannot tell what is right and what is wrong. If I do not teach him, who will? I have decided therefore to keep him, even if all of you leave!”

Tears coursed down the face of the erring student. He had no desire left to steal.

Compassion can be more effective than punishment.

Zen Story: Perfect Silence

Four pupils used to practice meditation in the time before Zen came to Japan. These close friends vowed to each other to observe silence for seven days.

The first day passed well. But as the evening progressed and the oil lamps became dim, one student couldn’t help himself. “Attend to the lamps!” he shouted impatiently to a servant.

His friend turned to him, surprised. “You are not supposed to speak! Have you forgotten?”

The third friend piped up, “”You fools! Why are you talking?”

“Hah, I’m the only one who’s kept silent!” exclaimed the last.

Before judging others, pause for a moment and ask – how perfect am I?

Meditation and Mindfulness

The simple precepts of meditation and mindfulness are the essence of the Buddha-nature that lives in everyone – but how do you peel away the layers that envelop the Buddha within?

By turning within, say the masters. Zen has no dogma, texts or saints to guide or confuse you. It offers zazen, the practice of seated meditation. While different Zen sects like Rinzai and Soto have variations in technique, zazen forms the core of all Zen practice.

Another feature is mindfulness or concentration, developed through focussing on one’s breathing. Zen master Dogen recommended  no more than five minutes of zazen a day for the lay practitioner, who is bound to meet with resistance from his ego, a ‘battle’ that can be won only with steadfast practice. Several practical tools & techniques are available to help aid meditation practice like Zen sand garden (pictured here) and painting kits.

Meditating with others, living with humility, gratitude and in the service of others is also intrinsic to Zen practice. Obviously, not exclusive to Zen, all schools of Buddhism advocate some form of meditation like mantra chanting, breathing exercises, etc.

How do you like to meditate?