Zen Talking

r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/10wkbwn/a_tree/

Post Summary:

A monk asked Zhaozhou, "What is the living meaning of [Zen]?" Zhaozhou said, "The cypress tree in the yard."

… don't teach by means of materialism. I'm not. So what is the Zen Master Buddha Dharma? The tree in the front yard.

Zen Teaching: Book of Serenity, the Modern Soto Zen bible, by Zen Master Wansong

Post Cast Overview: The full Case. What Wansong says. What Wumen says. Wumen's poem. What is the tree? Three trees. What's a tree. What's a stick from a tree. What's Zen if Zen Masters don't agree.

Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/getstarted

r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/10rbpcb/zen_under_the_gun_stainless_study/

Post Summary:

In front of the hall of the ancient buddhas, there has never been any other road. In the gate of the ancestral teachers, how could there be many kinds of talk? The Buddha Dharma is not different from the human mind: all inherent functioning is the intent of the enlightened ancestors. The deviation comes because of grasping false views. Buddha said to Ananda, "Even if you go for eons augmenting your learning, it is not as good as one day of stainless study". But tell me, how do you cultivate 'stainless study'? If you say it has cultivation and realization, this is a vulgar lie. If you say it has no cultivation or realization, you are befuddled about buddha-nature.

Zen Teaching: Zen Under the Gun

Post Cast Overview: What is study? What is seeking? What is verification?

Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/getstarted

r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/10if4d7/a_garuda_takes_command_of_the_universe/

Post Summary:

A monk asked Master Xingyang Pou, "A dragon king comes out of the sea, sky and earth are tranquil—how is direct presentation?"

The master said, "The garuda, king of birds, takes command of the universe—who can stick his head out here?"

The monk said, "Suppose one suddenly appears, then what?"

Xingyang said, "It's like a falcon catching a pigeon. If you don't realize, check in front of the tower, then for the first time you'll know the real."

The monk said, "If so, then I'll fold my hands on my chest and retreat three paces."

Xingyang said, "You blind turtle under the seat of Mount Sumeru! Don't wait for another scarring from a rap on the head."

wikpedia: Garuda's links to Vishnu – the Hindu god who fights injustice and destroys evil in his various avatars to preserve dharma, has made him an iconic symbol of king's duty and power, an insignia of royalty or dharma.

Verse:

The imperial decree comes down,

The commanding order's distinct:

Within the heartland, the emperor,

Outside the borders, the general.

Without awaiting the thunder to roust the insects,

How could one know the wind stops the coursing clouds?

A continuous weave under the loom--

naturally there's a gold needle and jade thread:

Before the seal is wide open emptiness--originally there's no writing.

Zen Teaching: Case 44, Book of Serenity, Soto Zen Master Wansong's Book of Instruction

Post Cast Overview:

What's a dragon in charge of the weather doing with a garuda in charge of heaven?

What is the reasonable interpretation of this Case?

Tranquility vs Bobby Fischer

Why there is a head on a post.

The problem of Zen: words are from the stars, lineage mares the buddha nature?

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r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/10gctc2/huineng_dating_advice_personalizing_the_text/

Post Summary:

Huineng: "To concentrate the mind on quietness is a disease of the mind, and not Zen at all. What an idea, restricting the body to sitting all the time! That is useless. Listen to my verse:

To sit and not lie down during one's life-time

To lie and never sit during one's death-time,

Why should we thus task

This stinking bag of bones?"

Zen Teaching: Platform Sutra? I don't know. Prove me wrong.

Post Cast Overview:

Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/getstarted

r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

Reddit Post: https://reddit.com/r/zen/comments/10qb691/already_gone/

Post Summary:

Later on,‭ when the Master (Yin-feng) arrived at (Guishan's),‭ he put his robe and bowl on the head monk's seat.‭ When Guishan heard that his younger Dharma-brother had come,‭ he formally went to the hall to meet him.‭ When the Master saw him,‭ he lay down as if asleep.‭ Guishan's returned to his quarters,‭ and the Master started to leave.‭ A bit later,‭ Guishan asked his attendant,‭ "Is my younger Dharma-brother still here?" The attendant told him,‭ "He is already gone.‭" Guishan asked,‭ "What did he say when he left?" The attendant replied,‭ "He didn't say anything.‭" Guishan said,‭ "Don't say he didn't say anything.‭ His voice was like a thunder.‭"

Zen Teaching: Sun Face Buddha, in the Disciples section.

Post Cast Overview: What the heck is going on? Traditions from Zen – You go to visit your enlightened relatives. Dharma relationships. Levels of tone in explanations in youtube physics video. Harry Houdini THE GREAT. "When you get to the ultimate end, all the great Buddhas having mouths hung on the wall". Enlightenment driver's license. Inter-generational mockery in Zen. Head monks, what's up with that? Astromi ruins the whole podcast. Repaying the debt.

Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/getstarted

r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/10dzy9t/zen_under_the_gun_the_great_bell_of_the_zen/

Post Summary:

"The Dharma is like a great bell hanging in an arch. Strike it hard and the sound is great, strike it lightly and the sound is slight. It is like a clear mirror on its stand-when a foreigner comes up to it, a foreigner appears in it, and when a native comes up to it, a native appears in it.

Zen Teaching: Zen Under the Gun, trans. Cleary

Post Cast Overview: bell v/s mirror, bell as dharma, zen masters as bells, transforming, identity as function (bell, mirror, lamp, mind). It's hard to be honest… being honest is big risk, and lying may hurt but it's better than the fear, unknown, and danger of honesty.

Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/getstarted

r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

Reddit Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/10b4bv4/xiangyans_three_verses/

Post Summary: The XIANGYAN SHOW

One strike and all knowledge is forgotten.

No more the mere pretense of practice.

Transformed to uphold the ancient path,

Not sunk in idle devices.

Far and wide, not a trace is left.

The great purpose lies beyond sound and form.

In every direction the realized Way,

Beyond all speech, the ultimate principle.

Zen Teaching: I think this is an original translation?

Post Cast Overview: Like visiting the four holy places of Zen Master Buddha's life, the whole sordid story of Xiangyan's enlightenment is gone over step by step. Guishan's weird demand. Xiangyan is running a race with a finish line, not some kind of Christian Buddhism quit or die.

Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/getstarted

r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

Reddit Post: https://reddit.com/r/zen/comments/107vxz0/zen_under_the_gun_when_you_meet_people/

Post Summary:

Daian said: "In Zen centers everywhere, they speak of Zen and the Way and quote ancient and modern. Dragons and elephants crowd around and the Dharma assemblies are flourishing and full. "Here at Jingshan with one-flavor Zen I settle cases on the basis of the facts. If someone comes in with his whole body covered with silk brocade, I make him go away stark naked. If someone comes in stark naked. I cover his whole body with silk brocade.

Zen Teaching: Zen Under the Gun, Cleary trans. (and collector)

Post Cast Overview:

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r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/103kkjg/zhaozhous_two_hermits/?

Post Summary:

Zhaozhou went to a hermit's place and asked, "Is there? Is there?" The hermit raised his fist. Zhaozhou said, "Where the water is shallow is not the place to moor a ship," and he left. He went to another hermit's place and said, "Is there? Is there?" That hermit also raised his fist. Zhaozhou said, "Able to let go, able to take away; able to kill, able to give life," and then he bowed. Jiangshan Ai said, "Zhaozhou only sees the sharpness of the awl." Yunju Shun said, "Zhaozhou was quite spunky at that time, but even so his nose is in the hands of the two hermits."

Zen Teaching: Wumen's Checkpoint, aka The Gateless Barrier (Get the JC Cleary trans)

Post Cast Overview: Two hermits, lots of conversation for 1500 years. Where can you moor a ship? What's another way to say it… Starbucks! Is one hermit just wrong. Is Zhaozhou mistaken. Pushing Down. Turning the Light around.

Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/getstarted

r/zen is a reddit forum about Zen scholarship, study, and practice.

Reddit Post: https://old.reddit.com/r/zen/comments/103kkjg/zhaozhous_two_hermits/?

Post Summary:

Zhaozhou went to a hermit's place and asked, "Is there? Is there?" The hermit raised his fist. Zhaozhou said, "Where the water is shallow is not the place to moor a ship," and he left. He went to another hermit's place and said, "Is there? Is there?" That hermit also raised his fist. Zhaozhou said, "Able to let go, able to take away; able to kill, able to give life," and then he bowed. Jiangshan Ai said, "Zhaozhou only sees the sharpness of the awl." Yunju Shun said, "Zhaozhou was quite spunky at that time, but even so his nose is in the hands of the two hermits."

Zen Teaching: Wumen's Checkpoint, aka The Gateless Barrier (Get the JC Cleary trans)

Post Cast Overview: Don't bore Astromi. He doesn't like it. Dahui has this case (457) and Wumen's Case 11. Comparing translations. Why do people say "Zen is not supposed to make sense"? Japanese Buddhism offers misinterpretations based on illiteracy and religious bias. Wumen and Shakespeare. You have to answer yourself. Popularity contests and fist waving.

Zen Lineage: www.reddit.com/r/zen/wiki/getstarted