Some enlightening Zen Stories

"A Taoist story tells of an old man who accidentally fell into the river rapids leading to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life. Miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls. People asked him how he managed to survive. "I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived."


 
 



 
 
People's reactions to this story:

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Thank you, Richard.

That´s a beautiful story. Of course what it says cannot easily be put into practice, but at least we can aspire to allow ourselves to be shaped by what we cannot change. It reminds me of a saying of one of the Church Fathers: "What has been accepted, is redeemed". And: "I cannot change the direction of the wind. But I can adjust my sails".

Juliana
_____________________________
Speak Peace in a World of Conflict  

To me, this is all about accepting what is, and not trying to change it into what it isn't.
 
Lori

To truly listen is to perfect one's own virtue.

May we all revert to "floating" during those times when everything inside of us wants to swim furiously.

Shalom(May you be at peace in Body, Mind,& Spirit.)
I'menuff

"Whenever anyone asked him about Zen, the great master Gutei would quietly raise one finger into the air. A boy in the village began to imitate this behavior. Whenever he heard people talking about Gutei's teachings, he would interrupt the discussion and raise his finger. Gutei heard about the boy's mischief. When he saw him in the street, he seized him and cut off his finger. The boy cried and began to run off, but Gutei called out to him. When the boy turned to look, Gutei raised his finger into the air. At that moment the boy became enlightened."




People's reactions to this story:

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

I've been trying SOOOO hard not to respond with the only question that comes to mind, but I can't stand it any longer:  Which finger did he raise into the air?   LOL!!  (Sorry.  I have a naughty little girl inside of me that makes herself known sometimes!)
 
Lori

To truly listen is to perfect one's own virtue.

Lori, you are not the only one pondering this question!!! I've been trying to make sense out of this story. The only thing that came to mind was that the finger, which ever one, was pointing up and beyond that little self! It is too hot today to think in a more enlightened way. 
 
Richard, you can now have a good laugh at us! 
How did you interpret this story? 
 
Edda

Peace and joy!

If you click on the "People's Reactions to this story" link you will see several interesting interpretations.
Rather than getting into the debate as to which finger was at risk, I go with the person that said,
"When you can no longer point at truth, maybe that's when you see it most clearly."
 
Actually though, how long do you suppose "the finger" gesture has been universally recognized ?? :)
                                                                                                    ( This perhaps calls for some serious research )


 

Word spread across the countryside about the wise Holy Man who lived in a small house atop the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him. When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeted him at the door. "I would like to see the wise Holy Man," he said to the servant. The servant smiled and led him inside. As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked eagerly around the house, anticipating his encounter with the Holy Man. Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside. He stopped and turned to the servant, "But I want to see the Holy Man!"

"You already have," said the old man. "Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear plain and insignificant... see each of them as a wise Holy Man. If you do this, then whatever problem you brought here today will be solved."

 

     
 
      People's reactions to this story:

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Reminds me of:
 
"Everyone who comes into our lives is our soulmate."
 
Jude

Love is the only way

The man from the village did not realize that the servant was the Holy Man. The one he encountered did not meet his expectations. The lesson he received was then that there is a Holy Man in everyone he meets.
 
This reminds me of Dr. Charles Hufnagel, a promintent cardiac surgeon who worked and taugth at Georgetown University. Patients were sent to him from all around the country. Once we made rounds with him and one patient, who had never met him before, asked, "When am I going to meet the great Dr. Hufnagel?"  He just smiled and said, "You'll meet him one of these days."  This surgeon was as humble as he was great. (We did tell the patient on the way out, "That was him!")
 
Edda

Peace and joy!

Richard,
Thank you for this Zen story. I like it. What strikes me is the end: if you see everyone you meet as a wise Holy Man (or Woman), "then whatever problem you brought here today will be solved."  This, to me, means no less than living according to the commandment of "love your neighbor as you love yourself" will solve any problems (which you may have with your "neighbors").

Jude,
You say "Everyone who comes into our lives is our soulmate." I cannot quite agree with this - but possibly I do not know what - exactly - the English "soul mate" signifies.

Edda,
Dr. Hufnagel obviously was a truly humble - and therefore - wise man.

Juliana
_____________________________
Speak Peace in a World of Conflict

Juliana, In this instance, 'soul-mate' means, that every significant person who comes into our lives, (for however short or long a time) comes in order to teach us, (and also for us to teach them of course)
Difficult people, even if we only encounter them for a few minutes, are there to help us learn something. Our soul knows what we need to learn. I don't believe anything happens by chance.
Whether we learn from the encounters or not, depends on how we respond to them.
 
I've learnt a huge amount from the relationships I have had with people, especially over the last 10 years or so. This has been the biggest learning curve of my entire life.
Personally, I believe that ALL relationships, (friends, partners, children, neighbours, pets, teachers, priests, etc. etc.) are for us to learn from. Often it's the hardest ones, like that with my Son and ex-husband, which teach us the most.
I've learned the most from my present partner, who I would truly call my soul-mate, but he is an enormous challenge too, as well as being the love of my life.
No-one comes into our lives by chance.
 
I hope this explains what I meant. I have to admit I had trouble with it when I first heard it! We tend to think of a soul-mate as being someone like us and with whom we feel totally 'at home', and they can be that of course, but they can come to challenge us too.
 
Jude

Love is the only way

Richard, thank you for posting this story. I can only add an "Amen!!" to Jude's explanation.

Difficult people, even if we only encounter them for a few minutes, are there to help us learn something. Our soul knows what we need to learn.

All those difficult encounters immediately pose the question "What is going on inside of me, that I am reacting in this manner??? Why am I being this person's puppet and allowing this individual to pull my strings. Granted, it is so much easier to just stay extrnally focused on the other's behavior. Those in my own life who have been TRUE soul-mates have been those who I am totally 'at home' with AND, who are also willing to take the risk of challenging me. To me, these individuals are the greatest gifts in my life.

Shalom(May you be at peace in Body, Mind,& Spirit.)
I'menuff

Betty, I agree wholeheartedly with that!
 
Jude

Love is the only way

The emperor, who was a devout Buddhist, invited a great Zen master to the Palace in order to ask him questions about Buddhism. "What is the highest truth of the holy Buddhist doctrine?" the emperor inquired.
"Vast emptiness... and not a trace of holiness," the master replied.
"If there is no holiness," the emperor said, "then who or what are you?"
"I do not know," the master replied.

            

               People's reactions to this story:

"We are all prisoners of our own knowledge - our disengagement begins when we dare to say 'I don't know.'"

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

Thank you, Richard.

This one is a good, simple story, which I need not rack my brains over . I agree whole-heartedly with its message.

Juliana
_____________________________
Speak Peace in a World of Conflict

Richard,
I do not know whether you ever posted one famous Zen story. All I recall is this: a man comes to a Zen master, desiring to be his disciple. On the first morning, nothing happens. He then asks the master when he will start teaching him. To which the master replies, "Have you had breakfast? Then go and wash your cup!" Have you got the full text, and would you kindly post it for me and others, of course?

Juliana
_____________________________
Speak Peace in a World of Conflict

A monk once asked Jo Ju, "I have just entered the monastery. Please teach me, Master."

Jo Ju said, "Have you had breakfast?"

"Yes, I have," replied the monk.

"Then," said Jo Ju, "wash your bowls."

The monk was enlightened.

 
This story is not listed on Suler's site so, we are hoping to receive many replies as to the meaning of this tale.

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"

A young but earnest Zen student approached his teacher, and asked the Zen Master:
"If I work very hard and diligent how long will it take for me to find Zen."
The Master thought about this, then replied, "Ten years."
The student then said, "But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast -- How long then ?"
Replied the Master, "Well, twenty years."
"But, if I really, really work at it. How long then ?" asked the student.
"Thirty years," replied the Master.
"But, I do not understand," said the disappointed student. "At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that ?"
Replied the Master," When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path."

"We must be the change we want to see in this world."

Please light a Candle in the "zendo"