Category Archives: Wisdom from the Masters

Shih−t’ou (Sekito)

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Vajragoni

A little biographical sketch of todays favored Ch’an Master, from Suzuki’s Manual of Zen Buddhism: read more

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Allegiance to the Real

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Vajragoni

Selections from The Bodhidharma Anthology

[As the classic theoretician of the practice of gazing at the topic states, in this method the trainee is not to employ discriminative understanding, doctrinal understanding, thinking or calculation, intuition, verbal strategy, absolute nonchalance, engagement, analysis of the words, or anything else; one should simply “twenty-four hours a day and in all four postures constantly raise up the topic and constantly be aware of it.”] read more

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The Living Flame of the Unborn

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Vajragoni

John of the Cross (1542-1591)

This Carmelite mystic, a true Black Dragon, once whispered the following—intended as an antidote for those afflicted by endless yearnings; with one paraphrased nuance: read more

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Who’s That Wriggling in Your Shoe?

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Vajragoni

From Zen Master Keizan’s Transmission of Light (All passages taken from The Denkōroku: The Record of the Transmission of the Light; all Capitalized words are representative of THAT WHICH IS UNBORN, UNCOMPOSED, UNDYING and UNCREATED ) read more

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Light Triumphant

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Vajragoni

Zen Master Ejo

Not fearing life and death is because of not seeing oneself. Not seeing oneself means not being self-conscious, not having a self-image. The light of great wisdom is thus impersonal, so the verse says that wisdom is Buddha. read more

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The Four Sufferings

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Vajragoni

Shanhui (497-569)

Poems of the Four States:

I.Birth

Relying upon the ovum, consciousness arises,
birth arises from love and desire.
In a time now past he grew up,
today he returns as a child.
The stars follow the cycle of human life,
red lips open for milk.
Because we are deluded to our true Dharma nature,
We still suffer in the cycle of birth and death.
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For Suchness Sake

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Vajragoni

More from Tōzan

One day Dungshan said goodbye to Master Yunyan. Yunyan asked, “Where are you going?”
“Although I’m leaving the master, I don’t know where I’ll end up.”
“Aren’t you going to Hunan?”
“No.”
“Going to your native place?”
“No.”
“When will you be back?”
“When you have a place to stay (i.e. heading a monastery) then I’ll be back.”
“Now that we part, it’ll be difficult to meet again.”
“It’ll be difficult not to meet again.” read more

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Sea-Slug Dharma

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Vajragoni

Master Dongshan Liangjie  (807-869  Jpn.: Tōzan Ryōkai)

-The Nonsentient Expounds the Dharma- read more

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Doing Nothing

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Vajragoni

Master Yaoshan Weiyan (751-834)

One day Yaoshan was sitting on a rock. Master Shitou asked, “What are you doing here?”
Yaoshan replied, “Doing nothing (wu-wei)”
“Then you’re sitting idly.”
“To sit idly would be doing something.”
“You said doing nothing, what is it that you’re not doing?”
“What a thousand sages cannot recognize.”
Master Shitou praised him with a poem,
Always lived together with that which is nameless,
Getting by effortlessly, acting in suchness.
Not even the ancient sages recognize it,
How can a mere mortal understand it? read more

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The Terrible Twos

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Vajragoni

From Hsin Hsin Ming

The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Make the smallest distinction, however,
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.
To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.
When the deep meaning of things is not understood
the mind’s essential peace is disturbed to no avail. read more

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