Zen Koans

[Tiff]

A
PUZZLED monk
once said to Fuketsu: "You say truth can be

expressed without speaking, and without keeping silent. How can

this be?"


Fuketsu answered,
"In Southern China in the Spring, when I was

only a lad, ah! how birds sang among the blossoms."

[Tiff]

Everything is Best



One day Banzan was walking through a market. He overheard a customer say to the butcher, "Give me the best piece of meat you have." "Everything in my shop is the best," replied the butcher. "You can not find any piece of meat that is not the best." At these words, Banzan was enlightened.
[url=http://Everything%20is%20Best%20%20One%20day%20Banzan%20was%20walking%20through%20a%20market.%20He%20overheard%20a%20customer%20say%20to%20the%20butcher,%20%22Give%20me%20the%20best%20piece%20of%20meat%20you%20have.%22%20%22Everything%20in%20my%20shop%20is%20the%20best,%22%20replied%20the%20butcher.%20%22You%20can%20not%20find%20any%20piece%20of%20meat%20that%20is%20not%20the%20best.%22%20At%20these%20words,%20Banzan%20was%20enlightened.%20][/url]http://www.chinapage.com/zen/koan1.html

[Lunoor]

My neighbor told me this as a blond joke earlier and by spirit I was reading on this site  http://viewonbuddhism.org/buddha.html#2   and came across this:

One day a young Buddhist on his journey home, came to the banks of a wide river. Staring hopelessly at the great obstacle in front of him, he pondered for hours on just how to cross such a wide barrier. Just as he was about to give up his pursuit to continue his journey he saw a great teacher on the other side of the river. The young Buddhist yells over to the teacher, "Oh wise one, can you tell me how to get to the other side of this river?"
The teacher ponders for a moment looks up and down the river and yells back, "My son, you are on the other side".

[Tiff]

65. The Subjugation of a Ghost



A young wife fell sick and was about to die. "I love you so much," she told her husband, "I do not want to leave you. Do not go from me to any other woman. If you do, I will return as a ghost and cause you endless trouble."



Soon the wife passed away. The husband respected her last wish for the first three months, but then he met another woman and fell in love with her. They became engaged to be married.



Immediately after the engagement a ghost appeared every night to the man, blaming him for not keeping his promise. The ghost was clever too. She told him exactly what had transpired between himself and his new sweetheart. Whenever he gave his fiancee a present, the ghost would describe it in detail. She would even repeat conversations, and it so annoyed the amn that he could not sleep. Someone advised him to take his problem to a Zen master who lived close to the village. At length, in despair, the poor man went to him for help.



"Your former wife became a ghost and knows everything you do, " commented the master. "Whatever you do or say, whatever you give your beloved, she knows. She must be a very wise ghost. Really you should admire such a ghost. The next time she appears, bargain with her. Tell her that she knows so much you can hide nothing from her, and that if she will answer you one question, you promise to break your engagement and remain single."



"What is the question I must ask her?" inquired the man.



The master replied: "Take a large handful of soy beans and ask her exactly how many beans you hold in your hand. If she cannot tell you, you will know that she is only a figment of your imagination and will trouble you no longer."



The next night, when the ghost appeared the man flattered her and told her that she knew everything.



"Indeed," replied the ghost, "and I know you went to see that Zen master today."



"And since you know so much," demanded the man, "tell me how many beans I hold in this hand!"



There was no longer any ghost to answer the question.
http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/zenindex.html

[Guest]

I always liked that one about the ghost =)

[Guest]

Lunoor wrote:

My neighbor told me this as a blond joke earlier and by spirit I was reading on this site  http://viewonbuddhism.org/buddha.html#2   and came across this:

One day a young Buddhist on his journey home, came to the banks of a wide river. Staring hopelessly at the great obstacle in front of him, he pondered for hours on just how to cross such a wide barrier. Just as he was about to give up his pursuit to continue his journey he saw a great teacher on the other side of the river. The young Buddhist yells over to the teacher, "Oh wise one, can you tell me how to get to the other side of this river?"
The teacher ponders for a moment looks up and down the river and yells back, "My son, you are on the other side".


Haha! That's cute!

[lex icon]

What does the Baginses have in his pocketes?

[Lunoor]

Yeah, Datura, glad you enjoyed

[Tiff]

Hi Datura, yes I was thinking the ghost in this koan is alot like the FI in CC's books. The way the ghost can be fed energy.



Lex, I give up...what does the Baginses have in his pocketes?

[lex icon]

http://www.ringgame.net/riddles.html

[Tiff]

link is blocked for me  can you it post here?

[lex icon]

Its just a reference to Bilbo Baggins and the Riddles in the dark with Gollum. Nothing much really.

[Tiff]

Ok, we'll just leave it a riddle then.

[Philosopher]

And it's about time!

[Tiff]

Seijo's Two Souls



Chokan had a very beautiful daughter named Seijo. He also had a handsome young cousin named Ochu. Joking, he would often comment that they would make a fine married couple. Actually, he planned to give his daughter in marriage to another man. But young Seijo and Ochu took him seriously; they fell in love and thought themselves engaged. One day Chokan announced Seijo's betrothal to the other man. In rage and despair, Ochu left by boat. After several days journey, much to his astonishment and joy he discovered that Seijo was on the boat with him!



They went to a nearby city where they lived for several years and had two children. But Seijo could not forget her father; so Ochu decided to go back with her and ask the father's forgiveness and blessing. When they arrived, he left Seijo on the boat and went to the father's house. he humbly apologized to the father for taking his daughter away and asked forgiveness for them both.



"What is the meaning of all this madness?" the father exclaimed. Then he related that after Ochu had left, many years ago, his daughter Seijo had fallen ill and had lain comatose in bed since. Ochu assured him that he was mistaken, and, in proof, he brought Seijo from the boat. When she entered, the Seijo lying ill in bed rose to meet her, and the two became one.



Zen Master Goso, referring to the legend, observed, "Seijo had two souls, one always sick at home and the other in the city, a married woman with two children. Which was the true soul?"

[Guest]