the drifting music of the evening flute,

the wax and wane of the moon -

with a glimmering of the stars our heart may change:

relish these healing moments.

 

the sword of wisdom does not display its sharpness readily;

our mortal foolishness is quickly shattered by a single clever word;

in the empty mirror the teacher is met at last.

 

chisel, sculpt - work until your inner light is pure as apple jade;

this is the way of the buddhas.

~loy ching-yuen

~o~

 

knowing others is wisdom.

knowing the self is enlightenment.

mastering others requires force.

mastering the self needs true strength.

he who knows he has enough is rich.

perseverence is a sign of will power.

he who stays where he is endures.

to die but not to perish is to be eternally present.

~lao tzu

~o~

 

wang chong yang's collection on complete reality says:
there is a way to conquer the mind. if the mind is always calm and still, dark and silent, not seeing anything, neither inside nor outside, free of all thoughts and mental images, this is the settled mind, which is not to be conquered. if the mind gets excited at objects, falling all over itself looking for beginnings and ends, this is the confused mind, which ruins the virtues of the way and undermines essence and life - it should not be indulged. whatever you are doing, always strive to conquer perception, feeling, and cognition, realizing these are afflictions. putting your nature in order is like tuning a stringed instrument. if the strings are too tight they will snap, while if they are too loose they will not be responsive. when taughtness and relaxation are balanced, then the instrument is ready. it is also like making a sword; too much iron and it will snap, too much tin and it will bend. when iron and tin are balanced, then the sword is useful. tuning and refining your true nature is a matter of embodying these two principles.

 

~o~

 

From the beginning, all beings are Buddha;
Like water and ice, without water no ice,
Outside us, no Buddhas.
How near the Truth, yet how far we seek!
Like one in water crying, "I thirst",
Like the son of a rich man
Wandering poor on this earth,
We endlessly circle the Six Worlds.
From dark path to dark path
We've wandered in darkness.
How can we be free from the wheel of Samsara?

The Perfection of freedom is Zazen-Samadhi,
Beyond exaltation, beyond all our praises,
The pure Mahayana.
Observing the precepts, repentance and giving,
The countless good deeds, and the Way of Right Living,
All flow from this Zen.
Even one meditation extinguishes evil;
It purifies karma, dissolving obstruction.
Then where are the dark paths to lead us astray?
The Pure Lotus Land is not far away.
Hearing this Truth, heart humble and grateful,
To praise and embrace it, to practice its wisdom,
Brings unending blessings, brings mountains of merit.

But if we turn directly, and prove our True Nature,
That true Self is no-self,
Our own Self is no-self,
We stand beyond ego and past clever words.
Then the gate to the oneness of cause-and-effect is thrown open:
Not two, and not three,
Straight ahead runs the Way.
Now our form is no-form,
So in coming and going we never leave home.
Now our thought is no-thought,
So our dancing and songs are the voice of the Dharma.
How bright and transparent the moonlight of Wisdom!
What is there outside us, what is there we lack?
Nirvana is openly shown to our eyes.
This earth where we stand is the Pure Lotus Land,
And this very body, the body of Buddha!

~Song of Zazen by Hakuin Ekaku

 

 

~o~

 

the right mind is the mind that does not remain in one place.

it is the mind that stretches throughout the entire body and self.

 

~o~

 

look up at the sky; it changes from hour to hour, through 365 days,

yet the polar star never moves.  our mind is also like this;

mind is the pole, energy is the myriad stars revolving around it.

the energy in our limbs and throughout our whole body is basically a network, so do not exert your strength to the full on it.  refine the conscious spirit, remove arbitrary views, and then after that, the internal medicine will develop.

 

~o~

 

virtue is the creative power originating from the nature of the universe.  the constancy of the universal nature gives us the opportunity to develop discernment tword ourselves and all manifestations, toward those appearing as creativity as well as those displaying themselves as inertia.  the nature and virtue of the universe remains positive, creative, constructive, productive and affirmative under any circumstance.  human beings have the potential to develop their ability to know and experience the constant virtue behind the changeable, superficial phenomena created by the universal energy cycles.

~ni hua ching