12-22-2015, 12:00 AM
From Iron Flute
3. Nan-ch‘üan’s Stone Buddha
Upasaka Liu-kêng said to Nan-ch‘üan, “In my house there is a stone which sits up or lies down. I intend to carve it as a Buddha. Can I do it?” Nan-ch‘üan answered, “Yes, you can.” Upasaka Liu-kêng asked again, “Can I not do it?” Nan-ch‘üan answered, “No, you cannot do it.”
GENRŌ: I see one stone which the layman carried to the monastery.
I also see another stone which Nan-ch‘üan kept in his
meditation hall. All the hammers in China cannot crush
these two stones.
Whenever i feel down Zen koans are useful as they direct my attention to reality, to experience reality directly. I have been bound by my mental contructions recently, and have found myself following old patterns. I have always found freedom in the words that mental contructions can never be reality, thank God that whatever I think I am not bound to. Whatever my ideas about reality, about myself are, they are not real and are like phantoms of the mind. They can affect me, as they have done in the past, and yet I am able to transcend this through seeing reality unbiased.
My old ways of thinking, my old limiting beliefs held me back. To me sorcery is like the koan above, in its simplicity the message is very powerful, the comment by Genro is beautiful and adds depth to the koan.
Becoming a teacher as I said before, I had to remodel my entire life, I had to step into the teacher's shoes and walk the walk. I feel i have only just reached this point.
3. Nan-ch‘üan’s Stone Buddha
Upasaka Liu-kêng said to Nan-ch‘üan, “In my house there is a stone which sits up or lies down. I intend to carve it as a Buddha. Can I do it?” Nan-ch‘üan answered, “Yes, you can.” Upasaka Liu-kêng asked again, “Can I not do it?” Nan-ch‘üan answered, “No, you cannot do it.”
GENRŌ: I see one stone which the layman carried to the monastery.
I also see another stone which Nan-ch‘üan kept in his
meditation hall. All the hammers in China cannot crush
these two stones.
Whenever i feel down Zen koans are useful as they direct my attention to reality, to experience reality directly. I have been bound by my mental contructions recently, and have found myself following old patterns. I have always found freedom in the words that mental contructions can never be reality, thank God that whatever I think I am not bound to. Whatever my ideas about reality, about myself are, they are not real and are like phantoms of the mind. They can affect me, as they have done in the past, and yet I am able to transcend this through seeing reality unbiased.
My old ways of thinking, my old limiting beliefs held me back. To me sorcery is like the koan above, in its simplicity the message is very powerful, the comment by Genro is beautiful and adds depth to the koan.
Becoming a teacher as I said before, I had to remodel my entire life, I had to step into the teacher's shoes and walk the walk. I feel i have only just reached this point.