Sunday 30 July 2017

147. ZEN REMARKS

147. Nothing to do .... Facing the question 'Why Zazen?' we need to rid ourselves of, empty ourselves of, the expectations of getting something out of Zen. Consider an old story that goes like this: 'Someone asked, "What was Bodhidharma's purpose in coming from the West?" The Master said, "If he had a purpose, he wouldn't have been able to save even himself!" The questioner said, "If he had no purpose, then how did the Second Patriarch manage to get the Dharma?" The Master said, "Getting means not getting". "If it means not getting", said the questioner, "then what do you mean by not getting?" The Master said, "You can't seem to stop your mind from racing around everywhere seeking something. That's why the patriarch said, 'Hopeless fellows - using their heads to look for their heads!' You must right now turn your light around and shine it on yourselves, not go seeking somewhere else. Then you will understand that in body and mind you are no different from the patriarchs and Buddhas, and that there is nothing to do. Do that and you may speak of getting the Dharma".'  

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