Daily Koans

The Zen master Hakuin was praised by his neighbours as one living a pure life.

A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near him. Suddenly, without any warning, her parents discovered she was with child.

This made her parents angry. She would not confess who the man was, but after much harassment at last named Hakuin.

In great anger the parent went to the master. \"Is that so?\" was all he would say.

After the child was born it was brought to Hakuin. By this time he had lost his reputation, which did not trouble him, but he took very good care of the child. He obtained milk from his neighbours and everything else he needed.

A year later the girl-mother could stand it no longer. She told her parents the truth - the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fishmarket.

The mother and father of the girl at once went to Hakuin to ask forgiveness, to apologize at length, and to get the child back.

Hakuin was willing. In yielding the child, all he said was: \"Is that so?\"

I find that there is some form of beauty from being purely passive.

Emperor Bu of Ryô asked Great Master Bodhidharma, \"What is the highest meaning of the holy reality?\" Bodhidharma replied, \"Vast and void, no holiness.\" The emperor said, \"Who are you in front of me?\" Bodhidharma said, \"I don't know.\" The emperor did not match him.
Finally, Bodhidharma crossed the Yangtze River and came to the Shôrin Temple. There he
sat for nine years, facing the wall.

You know I just had an experience that almost qualifies as a koan. I'm just going to relay it to you all and offer no thoughts on it. Here goes........

A women walks in to the gas station where her broken down car has just been towed. Walking over to the mechanic she introduces herself as the owner of the car. She asks, \"Can it be fixed?\" To this the mechanic, a very honest man by all accounts (He happens to be my mechanic for years) Tells her \"The engine is seized, I recommend just letting it go and getting a new car. To fix it you'd need a complete overhaul.\" To this she responds \"But can it be fixed?\" he again tells her the engine is broken down and it needs a complete overhaul, a very expensive job for such an old car. So she says\" I'll just take it to someone that can fix it\".

~Merin~

When mechanics talk numbers about a repair, I usually have to consider alternatives. I am a loyal servant of the Force and trust that it works for our best interest even if we don't realize it. Twice we needed a new-to-us vehicle, because of our vehicles seemingly decided to self terminate. And Twice the Force has granted us reprieve or showed us a way to better our situation. The Force is always on the job, but this was just something I wanted to share. It might not have anything to with Koans, but I just wanted to put that out there. MTFBWUA.

\"Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing to steal.

Ryokan returned and caught him. \"You have come a long way to visit me,\" he told the prowler, \"and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift.\"

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.

Ryoken sat naked, watching the moon. \"Poor fellow,\" he mused, \"I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon.\"