Zen Koans

I have stumbled upon some Japanese parables called Koans, that I really like and these are a few of them. Koans are tools that Zen masters use to teach their students to break down the barriers to proper enlightenment. For soul searching, find what is best for you when things go otherwise. Be brave and stand up for your principles, because after all, you alone, is living your life...

My Heart Burns Like Fire
Soyen Shaku, the first Zen teacher to come to America, said:

"My heart burns like fire but my eyes are as cold as dead ashes."

He made the following rules which he practiced every day of his life:
1) In the morning before dressing, light incense and meditate.
2) Retire at a regular hour. Partake of food at regular intervals. Eat with moderation and never to the point of satisfaction.
3) Receive a guest with the same attitude you have when alone. When alone, maintain the same attitude you have in receiving guests.
4) Watch what you say, and whatever you say, practice it.
5) When an opportunity comes do not let it pass by, yet always think twice before acting.
6) Do not regret the past. Look to the future.
7) Have the fearless attitude of a hero and the loving heart of a child.
8) Upon retiring, sleep as if you had entered your last sleep. Upon awakening, leave your bed behind you instantly as if you had cast away a pair of old shoes.

The Stingy Artist
Gessen was an artist monk. Before he would start a drawing or painting he always insisted upon being paid in advance, and his fees were high. He was known as the "Stingy Artist." A geisha once gave him a commission for a painting.

"How much can you pay?" inquired Gessen. "Whatever you charge," replied the girl, "but I want you to do the work in front of me." So on a certain day Gessen was called by the geisha. She was holding a feast for her patron. Gessen with fine brush work did the painting. When it was completed he asked the highest sum of his time. He received his pay. Then the geisha turned to her patron, saying:

"All this artist wants is money. His paintings are fine but his mind is dirty; money has caused it to become muddy. Drawn by such a filthy mind, his work is not fit to exhibit. It is just about good enough for one of my petticoats."

Removing her skirt, she then asked Gessen to do another picture on the back of her petticoat.

"How much will you pay?" asked Gessen.

"Oh, any amount," answered the girl. Gessen named a fancy price, painted the picture in the manner requested, and went away. It was learned later that Gessen had these reasons for desiring money. A ravaging famine often visited his province. The rich would not help the poor, so Gessen had a secret warehouse, unknown to anyone, which he kept filled with grain, prepared for those emergencies. From his village to the National Shrine the road was in very poor condition and many travelers suffered while traversing it. He desired to build a better road. His teacher had passed away without realizing his wish to build a temple, and Gessen wished to complete this temple for him. After Gessen had accomplished his three wishes he threw away his brushes and artist's materials and, retiring to the mountains, never painted again.

In The Hands Of Destiny
A great Japanese warrior named Nobunaga decided to attack the enemy although he had only one-tenth the number of men the opposition commanded. He knew that he would win, but his soldiers were in doubt. On the way he stopped at a Shinto shrine and told his men:

"After I visit the shrine I will toss a coin. If heads comes, we will win; if tails, we will lose. Destiny holds us in her hand."

Nobunaga entered the shrine and offered a silent prayer. He came forth and tossed a coin. Heads appeared. His soldiers were so eager to fight that they won their battle easily.

"No one can change the hand of destiny," his attendant told him after the battle. "Indeed not," said Nobunaga, showing a coin which had been doubled, with heads facing either way.

Zen Dialogue
Zen teachers train their young pupils to express themselves. Two Zen temples each had a child protégé. One child, going to obtain vegetables each morning, would meet the other on the way.

"Where are you going?" asked the one. "I am going wherever my feet go," the other responded.

This reply puzzled the first child who went to his teacher for help. "Tomorrow morning," the teacher told him, "when you meet that little fellow, ask him the same question. He will give you the same answer, and then you ask him: 'Suppose you have no feet, then where are you going?' That will fix him."

The children met again the following morning. "Where are you going?" asked the first child. "I am going wherever the wind blows," answered the other. This again nonplussed the youngster, who took his defeat to the teacher.

"Ask him where he is going if there is no wind," suggested the teacher.

The next day the children met a third time. "Where are you going?" asked the first child. "I am going to the market to buy vegetables," the other replied.

The Moon Cannot Be Stolen
Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing to steal. Ryokan returned and caught him. "You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift."

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away. Ryoken sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, "I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon."