In Lightened Enlightened

Ep. 1

Beloved master, the Japanese master nan-in gave audience to a professor of philosophy.

Serving tea, nan-in filled his visitor's cup, and kept pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he could restrain himself no longer: stop! The cup is overfull, no more will go in. Nan-in said: like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you zen unless you first empty your cup?

Season 4

Using traditional Zen stories and responding to seekers' questions, Acharya shows how man must first be grounded in himself before he can fly into the sky of consciousness. Acharya takes the reader from subjects as diverse as food, jealousy, businessmen and enlightenment, to how to know if one needs a master, the barriers we create through fear, and gratitude.

"Be rooted in the earth so that you can stretch to the sky; be rooted in the visible so that you can reach into the invisible. Don't create duality and don't create any antagonism. If I am against anything, I am against antagonism. I am against being against anything; I am for the whole, the complete circle. The world and God are not divided anywhere. There is no boundary: the world goes on spreading into God and God goes on spreading into the world. Really, to use two words is not good but language creates problems. We say the creator and the created, we divide. Language is dualistic; in reality there is no created and no creator, only creativity, only a process of infinite creativity. Nothing is divided. Everything is one -- undivided."

Ep. 9

After nine years, bodhidharma, the first zen patriarch, who took zen to china from india in the sixth century, decided that he wished to return home. He gathered his disciples around him to test their perception.

Dofuku said: 'in my opinion truth is beyond affirmation or negation, for this is the way it moves.' bodhidharma replied: 'you have my skin.' the nun soji said: 'in my view, it is like ananda's insight of the buddha-land -- seen once and forever.' bodhidharma answered: 'you have my flesh.' doiku said: 'the four elements of light, airiness, fluidity, and solidity, are empty, and the five skandhas are no-things. In my opinion no-thing is reality.' bodhidharma commented: 'you have my bones.' finally, eka bowed before the master and remained silent. Bodhidharma said: 'you have my marrow.'

Season 3

Of the ultimate realization of Zen, Acharya says, "Suddenly you become aware of a music that has always surrounded you… Your heart throbs in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole." This essential Zen reader also dips into a number of other themes - cowardice, boredom and restlessness, recognition and rejection, maturity, and moving from the non-essential to the essential.

Ep. 8

Q&A

Season 3

Of the ultimate realization of Zen, Acharya says, "Suddenly you become aware of a music that has always surrounded you… Your heart throbs in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole." This essential Zen reader also dips into a number of other themes - cowardice, boredom and restlessness, recognition and rejection, maturity, and moving from the non-essential to the essential.

Ep. 7

When wolves were discovered in the village near master shoju's temple, shoju entered the graveyard nightly for one week and sat in zazen. This put a stop to the wolves' prowling.

Overjoyed, the villagers asked him to describe the secret rites he had performed.

'i didn't have to resort to such things,' he said, 'nor could I have done so. While I was in zazen a number of wolves gathered round me, licking the tip of my nose, and sniffing my windpipe, but because I remained in the right state of mind, I wasn't bitten.

As I keep preaching to you, the proper state of mind will make it possible for you to be free in life and death, invulnerable to fire and water. Even wolves are powerless against it. I simply practice what I preach.'

Season 3

Of the ultimate realization of Zen, Acharya says, "Suddenly you become aware of a music that has always surrounded you… Your heart throbs in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole." This essential Zen reader also dips into a number of other themes - cowardice, boredom and restlessness, recognition and rejection, maturity, and moving from the non-essential to the essential.

Ep. 6

Q&A

Season 3

Of the ultimate realization of Zen, Acharya says, "Suddenly you become aware of a music that has always surrounded you… Your heart throbs in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole." This essential Zen reader also dips into a number of other themes - cowardice, boredom and restlessness, recognition and rejection, maturity, and moving from the non-essential to the essential.

Ep. 5

Yagyu yajima no kami munenori was a teacher of swordsmanship to the shogun.

One of the personal guards of the shogun came to tajima no kami one day asking to be trained in swordplay.

'as I observe, you seem to be a master of the art yourself,' said the teacher. 'please tell me to what school you belong before we enter into the relationship of teacher and pupil.' the guardsman said: 'l do not belong to any school, I have never studied the art.' 'it is no use trying to fool me,' said the teacher. 'my judging eye never fails.' 'i am sorry to defy, your honour,' said the guard, 'but I really know nothing.' 'if you say so then it must be true, but I am sure that you are the master of something, so tell me about yourself.' 'there is one thing,' said the guard. 'when I was a child I thought that a samurai should never be afraid of death, so I grappled with the problem, and now the thought of death has ceased to worry me.' 'that's it!' exclaimed the teacher. 'the ultimate secrets of swordsmanship lie in being released from the thought of death. You need no technical training, you are already a master.'

Season 3

Of the ultimate realization of Zen, Acharya says, "Suddenly you become aware of a music that has always surrounded you… Your heart throbs in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole." This essential Zen reader also dips into a number of other themes - cowardice, boredom and restlessness, recognition and rejection, maturity, and moving from the non-essential to the essential.

Ep. 4

Q&A

Season 3

Of the ultimate realization of Zen, Acharya says, "Suddenly you become aware of a music that has always surrounded you… Your heart throbs in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole." This essential Zen reader also dips into a number of other themes - cowardice, boredom and restlessness, recognition and rejection, maturity, and moving from the non-essential to the essential.

Ep. 3

One winter day, a masterless samurai came to eisai's temple and made an appeal: 'i'm poor and sick,' he said, 'and my family is dying of hunger. Please help us, master.' dependent as he was on widows' mites, eisai's life was very austere, and he had nothing to give.

He was about to send the samurai off when he remembered the image of yakushi-buddha in the hall. Going up to it he tore off its halo and gave it to the samurai. 'sell this,' said eisai, 'it should tide you over.' the bewildered but desperate samurai took the halo and left.

'master!' cried one of eisai's disciples, 'that's sacrilege! How could you do such a thing?' 'sacrilege? Bah! I have merely put the buddha's mind, which is full of love and mercy, to use, so to speak. Indeed, if he himself had heard that poor samurai he'd have cut off a limb for him.'

Season 3

Of the ultimate realization of Zen, Acharya says, "Suddenly you become aware of a music that has always surrounded you… Your heart throbs in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole." This essential Zen reader also dips into a number of other themes - cowardice, boredom and restlessness, recognition and rejection, maturity, and moving from the non-essential to the essential.

Ep. 2

Q&A

Season 3

Of the ultimate realization of Zen, Acharya says, "Suddenly you become aware of a music that has always surrounded you… Your heart throbs in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole." This essential Zen reader also dips into a number of other themes - cowardice, boredom and restlessness, recognition and rejection, maturity, and moving from the non-essential to the essential.

Ep. 1

Gosa hoyen used to say: 'when people ask me what zen is like I tell them this story:' noticing that his father was growing old, the son of a burglar asked his father to teach him the trade so that he could carry on the family business after his father had retired.

The father agreed, and that night they broke into a house together.

Opening a large chest the father told his son to go in _ and pick out the clothing. As soon as the boy was inside, the father locked the chest and then made a lot of noise so that the whole house was aroused. Then he slipped quietly away.

Locked inside the chest the boy was angry, terrified, and puzzled as to how he was going to get out. Then an idea flashed to him -- he made a noise like a cat.

The family told a maid to take a candle and examine the chest.

When the lid was unlocked the boy jumped out, blew out the candle, pushed his way past the astonished maid, and ran out. The people ran after him

Noticing a well by the side of the road the boy threw in a large stone, then hid in the darkness. The pursuers gathered around the well trying to see the burglar drowning himself.

When the boy got home he was very angry at his father and he tried to tell him the story; but the father said: 'don't bother to tell me the details, you are here -- you have learned the art.'

Season 3

Of the ultimate realization of Zen, Acharya says, "Suddenly you become aware of a music that has always surrounded you… Your heart throbs in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole." This essential Zen reader also dips into a number of other themes - cowardice, boredom and restlessness, recognition and rejection, maturity, and moving from the non-essential to the essential.