Koans

The changing of names is quite a fun exercise Just be sure you don't cause offence etc and remember that the main purpose of the koan must still be in its originality

If You Love, Love Openly

Twenty male Jedi and one female Jedi, who was named toastie, were practicing meditation with Br John.

toastie was very pretty even though her hair was untidy and her dress plain. Several Jedi secretly fell in love with her. One of them wrote her a love letter, insisting upon a private meeting.

toastie did not reply. The following day Br John gave a lecture to the group, and when it was over, toastie arose. Addressing Akkarin, the one who had written to her, she said: "If you really love me so much, come and embrace me now."

Not sure if there's anything more romantic than your boyfriend writing you a koan

Jestor, ever the trouble maker, was generally helpful...

But sometimes, his "help" could create more work for those around him...

Ren, the slave driver, said, "Slow down and pay attention to what you are reading, and writing!"

Jestor, ever the wise-acre, said, "No time, I'm in a hurry!"

Ren, only nodded knowingly, saying, "Well, you are going fast enough, you will have extra time to fix it when you are done the first time. Good thinking! If you would have taken your time, and checked your work, you would have run out of time to fix anything."

Quote toastie : "Not sure if there's anything more romantic than your boyfriend writing you a koan

"




Awwww ....

It would have to rank up there on the romantic scale quite highly ...

toastie wrote: Not sure if there's anything more romantic than your boyfriend writing you a koan

THE CUTEST THING EVER. OMG. hahaha.

Now I won't be satisfied with simple flowers

toastie wrote: Not sure if there's anything more romantic than your boyfriend writing you a koan

Yes... wrote... not copied-pasted and edited... :silly:

Honesty rises above romance right?

A little wu wei to make up for it?

Great Waves

In the early days of the Meiji era there lived a well-known wrestler called O-nami, Great Waves.

O-nami was immensely strong and knew the art of wrestling. In his private bouts he defeated even his teacher, but in public he was so bashful that his own pupils threw him.

O-nami felt he should go to a Zen master for help. Hakuju, a wandering teacher, was stopping in a little temple nearby, so O-nami went to see him and told him of his trouble.

"Great Waves is your name," the teacher advised, "so stay in this temple tonight. Imagine that you are those billows. You are no longer a wrestler who is afraid. You are those huge waves sweeping everything before them, swallowing all in their path. Do this and you will be the greatest wrestler in the land."

The teacher retired. O-nami sat in meditation trying to imagine himself as waves. He thought of many different things. Then gradually he turned more and more to the feeling of the waves. As the night advanced the waves became larger and larger. They swept away the flowers in their vases. Even the Buddha in the shrine was inundated. Before dawn the temple was nothing but the ebb and flow of an immense sea.

In the morning the teacher found O-nami meditating, a faint smile on his face. He patted the wrestler's shoulder. "Now nothing can disturb you," he said. "You are those waves. You will sweep everything before you."

The same day O-nami entered the wrestling contests and won. After that, no one in Japan was able to defeat him.

Akkarin wrote:

toastie wrote: Not sure if there's anything more romantic than your boyfriend writing you a koan

Yes... wrote... not copied-pasted and edited... :silly:

Honesty rises above romance right?

You ruined everything!

Not Far From Buddhahood (originally posted on this site by Brother John, but I'm sure originated elsewhere)

A university student while visiting the Zen Master Gasan asked him: "Have you even read the Christian Bible?"

"No, read it to me," said Gasan.

The student opened the Bible and read from St. Matthew: "And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these...Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."

Gasan said: "Whoever uttered those words I consider and enlightened man."

The student continued reading: "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh, is shall be opened."

Gasan remarked: "That is excellent. Whoever said that is not far from Buddhahood."

It is fun to edit -- and for a poet it is "wu wei" ...



Soldiers of Humanity

Once a division of the U.N. Police Action Forces was engaged in a sham battle, and some of the officers found it necessary to make their headquarters in the Temple of the Jedi Order.

Br. John told his cook: "Let the officers have only the same simple fare we eat."

This made the army men angry, as they wre used to very deferential treatment. One came to Br. John and said: "Who do you think we are? We are soldiers, sacrificing our lives for our country. Why don't you treat us accordingly?"

Br. John answered sternly: "Who do you think we are? We are soldiers of humanity, aiming to save all sentient beings."

toastie wrote:

Akkarin wrote:

toastie wrote: Not sure if there's anything more romantic than your boyfriend writing you a koan

Yes... wrote... not copied-pasted and edited... :silly:

Honesty rises above romance right?

You ruined everything!

Making the rest of us guys look bad, master akkarin. I'm glad my gf doesn't read the forums at this point.

Two for everyone to ponder:

Elephant and Flea

Roshi Kapleau agreed to educate a group of psychoanalysts about Zen. After being introduced to the group by the director of the analytic institute, the Roshi quietly sat down upon a cushion placed on the floor. A student entered, prostrated before the master, and then seated himself on another cushion a few feet away, facing his teacher. "What is Zen?" the student asked. The Roshi produced a banana, peeled it, and started eating. "Is that all? Can't you show me anything else?" the student said. "Come closer, please," the master replied. The student moved in and the Roshi waved the remaining portion of the banana before the student's face. The student prostrated, and left.

A second student rose to address the audience. "Do you all understand?" When there was no response, the student added, "You have just witnessed a first-rate demonstration of Zen. Are there any questions?"

After a long silence, someone spoke up. "Roshi, I am not satisfied with your demonstration. You have shown us something that I am not sure I understand. It must be possible to TELL us what Zen is."

"If you must insist on words," the Roshi replied, "then Zen is an elephant copulating with a flea."



Most Important Teaching

A renowned Zen master said that his greatest teaching was this: Buddha is your own mind. So impressed by how profound this idea was, one monk decided to leave the monastery and retreat to the wilderness to meditate on this insight. There he spent 20 years as a hermit probing the great teaching.

One day he met another monk who was traveling through the forest. Quickly the hermit monk learned that the traveler also had studied under the same Zen master. "Please, tell me what you know of the master's greatest teaching." The traveler's eyes lit up, "Ah, the master has been very clear about this. He says that his greatest teaching is this: Buddha is NOT your own mind."

Midnight Excursion

Many Jedi pupils were studying meditation under the Jedi Knight Wescli. One of them used to arise at night, climb over the temple wall, and go to town on a pleasure jaunt.

Wescli, inspecting the dormitory quarters, found this pupil missing one night and also discovered the high stool he had used to scale the well. Wescli removed the stool and stood there in its place.

When the wanderer returned, not knowing that Wescli was the stool, he put his feet on the master's head and jumped down into the grounds. Discovering what he had done, he was aghast.

Wescli said: "It is very chilly in the early morning. Do be careful not to catch cold yourself."

The pupil never went out at night again.

I hadn't seen this thread before...

This has made my day :laugh:

Alexandre Orion wrote: One afternoon, Wescli was visiting V-tog. “Where is your wooden staff, the one I carved for you?” asked Wescli. V-tog said, “It broke when I hit a student over the head with it.”

Wescli then said, “And where is that candleholder I brought you from Texas ?” V-tog responded, “It broke when I threw it at a lazy student.” Wescli shook his head and said, “There seems to be a problem here with your anger”.

V-tog said, “No, the problem is you keep giving me things that break.”

Obedience

The Jedi Knight V-tog's talks were attended not only by Jedi students but by persons of all ranks and creeds. She never quoted doctrines, and did not indulge in scholastic dissertations. Instead, her words were spoken directly from her heart to the hearts of her listeners.

Her large audience angered a Sith Lord because the adherents had left to hear about Jediism. The self-centered Sith Lord came to the temple, determined to have a debate with V-tog.

"Hey, Jedi teacher!" he called out. "Wait a minute. Whoever respects you will obey what you say, but a man like myself does not respect you. Can you make me obey you?"

"Come up beside me and I will show you," said V-tog.

Proudly the priest pushed his way through the crowd to the teacher.

V-tog smiled. "Come over to my left side."

The Sith Lord obeyed.

"No," said V-tog, "we may talk better if you are on the right side. Step over here."

The Sith Lord proudly stepped over to the right.

"You see," observed V-tog, "you are obeying me and I think you are a very gentle person. Now please sit down and listen."

Open Your Own Treasure House

Adam visited the Wescli in Texas. Wescli asked: "What do you seek?"

"Enlightenment," replied Adam.

"You have your own treasure house. Why do you search outside?" Wescli asked.

Adam inquired: "Where is my treasure house?"

Wescli answered: "What you are asking is your treasure house."

Adam was enlightened! Ever after he urged his friends: "Open your own tresure house and use those treasures."

True Friends

A long time ago in TotJO there were two friends, Proteus and Alexandre, one who played the guitar skilfully and one who listened skilfully.

When Proteus played or sang about a mountain, Alexandre would say: "I can see the mountain before us."

When Proteus played about water, Alexandre would exclaim: "Here is the running stream!"

But Alexandre fell sick and died. Proteus cut the strings of his guitar and never played again. Since that time the cutting of guitar strings has always been a sign of intimate friendship.

Has anyone here "passed" any koans??

How do you feel about them after? Did your practiced get amped, or did it come to a standstill? Or neither?

I am working on one myself and am still on the checking questions. Sometimes I get going on them and really "tap in to 'em", but lately i've been sucking air trying to keep up.

Any experiences?

Has anyone here "passed" any koans??

"Solar-san…" Jack started, timidly. The old witch looked up from her pipe, "…I've been reading a lot of these koans lately… I don't really get them."

'Then, you have passed.' Solar-san replied.

Jack went away and thought it over a day. Then, she came back.

"Ah! I get it all, now." She said. Solar-san shook her head.

'And now, you will truly begin to fail.'

Think of learning Jediism...

Every-Minute Zen

Zen students are with their masters at least ten years before they presume to teach others. Nan-in was visited by Tenno, who, having passed his apprenticeship, had become a teacher. The day happened to be rainy, so Tenno wore wooden clogs and carried an umbrella. After greeting him Nan-in remarked: "I suppose you left your wodden clogs in the vestibule. I want to know if your umbrella is on the right or left side of the clogs."

Tenno, confused, had no instant answer. He realized that he was unable to carry his Zen every minute. He became Nan-in's pupil, and he studied six more years to accomplish his every-minute Zen.