A compilation of five beautiful Zen koans and parables.
Desperate to save himself, he climbed down a vine and dangled over the fatal precipice. As he hung there, two mice appeared from a hole in the cliff and began gnawing on the vine.
Suddenly, he noticed on the vine a plump wild strawberry.
He plucked it and popped it in his mouth. It was incredibly delicious!
He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku. Desiring to show his attainment, he said:
Suddenly, he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe.
This made the youth quite angry.
During one of these gatherings a pupil was caught stealing. The matter was reported to Bankei with the request that the culprit be expelled.
Bankei ignored the case. Later the pupil was caught in a similar act, and again Bankei disregarded the matter. This angered the other pupils, who drew up a petition asking for the dismissal of the thief, stating that otherwise they would leave in a body.
When Bankei had read the petition he called everyone before him.
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1. Teaching the Ultimate: In early times in Japan, bamboo-and-paper lanterns were used with candles inside. A blind man, visiting a friend one night, was offered a lantern to carry home with him."I do not need a lantern," he said, "Darkness or light is all the same to me."
"I know you do not need a lantern to find your way," his friend replied, "but if you don’t have one, someone else may run into you. So you must take it."
The blind man started off with the lantern and before he had walked very far someone ran squarely into him. "Look out where you are going!" he exclaimed to the stranger. "Can’t you see this lantern?"
"Your candle has burned out," replied the stranger.
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2. Cliffhanger: One day while walking through the wilderness a man stumbled upon a vicious tiger. He ran but soon came to the edge of a high cliff.Desperate to save himself, he climbed down a vine and dangled over the fatal precipice. As he hung there, two mice appeared from a hole in the cliff and began gnawing on the vine.
Suddenly, he noticed on the vine a plump wild strawberry.
He plucked it and popped it in his mouth. It was incredibly delicious!
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3. Maybe: Once upon the time there was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit.“Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically.The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses.
“Maybe,” the farmer replied.
“How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed.The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune.
“Maybe,” replied the old man.
“Maybe,” answered the farmer.The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out.
“Maybe,” said the farmer.
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4. If Nothing Exists: Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young samurai student of Zen, visited one master after another.He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku. Desiring to show his attainment, he said:
"The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received."Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing.
Suddenly, he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe.
This made the youth quite angry.
"If nothing exists," inquired Dokuon, "where did this anger come from?"
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5. Right and Wrong: When Bankei held his seclusion-weeks of meditation, pupils from many parts of Japan came to attend.During one of these gatherings a pupil was caught stealing. The matter was reported to Bankei with the request that the culprit be expelled.
Bankei ignored the case. Later the pupil was caught in a similar act, and again Bankei disregarded the matter. This angered the other pupils, who drew up a petition asking for the dismissal of the thief, stating that otherwise they would leave in a body.
When Bankei had read the petition he called everyone before him.
"You are wise brothers," he told them. "You know what is right and what is not right. You may go somewhere else to study if you wish, but this poor pupil does not even know right from wrong. Who will teach him if I do not? I am going to keep him here even if all the rest of you leave."A torrent of tears cleansed the face of the pupil who had stolen. All desire to steal had vanished.
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