Zen Sayings Sitting Quietly "Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes, and the grass grows by itself." Zenrin Kushû (The Way of Zen 134, 222) Suchness "The blue mountains are of themselves blue mountains; "The white clouds are of themselves white clouds." Zenrin Kushû (The Way of Zen 134, 222) Mountains are Mountains The famous saying of Ch'ing-yüan Wei-hsin (Seigen Ishin): (The Way of Zen 220 k) Before I had studied Zen for thirty years, I saw mountains as mountains, and waters as waters. When I arrived at a more intimate knowledge, I came to the point where I saw that mountains are not mountains, and waters are not waters. But now that I have got its very substance I am at rest. For it's just that I see mountains once again as mountains, and waters once again as waters. 13 13 Ch'uan Teng Lu, 22. (The Way of Zen 126) "Before a man studies Zen, to him mountains are mountains and waters are waters; after he gets an insight into the truth of Zen through the instruction of a good master, mountains to him are not mountains and waters are not waters; but after this when he really attains to the abode of rest, mountains are once more mountains and waters are waters." (Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 24) Eternity in an hour An eternity of endless space: A day of wind and moon. (The Golden Age of Zen 246, 322 n.2) "One of the most frequently reiterated couplets in Chinese Zen literature" (The Golden Age of Zen 246) Oneness Heaven and earth and I are of the same root, The ten-thousand things and I are of one substance. Zen Master Sêng-chao/Sõjõ (384-414) "Nan-ch'uan and his lay disciple Lu Hsuan (??). Lu was reciting Seng-chao's saying: Heaven and earth come from the same root as myself: All things and I belong to one Whole. However, he did not really understand the full purport of it. Nan-ch'uan pointed at the peonies in the courtyard, saying, 'The worldlings look at these bush of flowers as in a dream." Lu did not see the point." (The Golden Age of Zen 285) (The Golden Age of Zen 324 n.92) "While Rikkõ, a high government official of the T'ang dynasty, had a talk with his Zen master Nansen, the official quoted a saying of Sõjõ, a noted monk scholar of an earlier dynasty: Heaven and earth and I are of the same root, The ten-thousand things and I are of one substance and continued, 'Is not this a most remarkable statement?' / Nansen called the attention of the visitor to the flowering plant in the garden and said, 'People of the world look at these flowers as if they were in a dream.' " (The Essentials of Zen Buddhism 483-4) Unity Merge your mind with cosmic space, integrate your actions with myriad forms. Ch'an master Hung-chih Cheng-chüeh (Wanshi Shõkaku, 1091-1157) (Transmission of Light xi) Subtlety "Entering the forest he moves not the grass; Entering the water he makes not a ripple." Zenrin Kushû (The Way of Zen 152, 224) Everyday Mind "There's nothing equal to wearing clothes and eating food. Outside this there are neither Buddhas nor Patriarchs." Zenrin Kushû (The Way of Zen 152, 224) Seeking the Same Thing From the K'un-lun mountains eastward the (Taoist) term "Great Oneness" is used. From Kashmir westward the (Buddhist) term sambodhi is used. Whether one looks longingly toward "non-being" (wu) or cultivates "emptiness" (sunyata), the principle involved is the same. 4 4 Quoted by Fung Yu-lan (1), vol. 2, p. 240, from Seng-yu, Ch'u San-tsang Chi-chi, 9. (The Way of Zen 82) Ocean of Pure Reality Ocean of pure Reality, Its substance, in fathomless quiescence, exists eternally. Ch'an master Fo-kuang Ju-man (???? Bukkõ Nyoman) (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 64) Great Unity There is one thing: above, it supports Heaven; below, it upholds Earth. It is black like lacquer, always actively functioning. Ch'an master Tung-shan Ling-chia (Tõsan Ryõkai, 807-869) (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 74) Man of Tao Like the clear stillness of autumn water—pure and without activity; in its tranquil depths are no obstructions. Such an one is called a man of Tao, also, a man who has nothing further to do. Wei-shan Ling-yu (Isan Reiyû) (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 66) Nondiscrimination "When you forget the good and the non-good, the worldly life and the religious life, and all other dharmas, and permit no thoughts relating to them to arise, and you abandon body and mind—then there is complete freedom. When the mind is like wood or stone, there is nothing to be discriminated." Pai-chang Huai-hai (Hyakujõ Ekai, 720-814) (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 63) Speech and Silence "Speech is blasphemy, silence a lie. Above speech and silence there is a way out." I-tuan (one of Nan-ch'uan's great disciples (The Golden Age of Zen 250, 322 n.13)) Inexpressible What is inexpressible is inexhaustible in its use. A Chinese Zen master (The Golden Age of Zen 253, 322 n.19) Independent I would rather sink to the bottom of the sea for endless eons than seek liberation through all the saints of the universe. Shih-t'ou ( (The Golden Age of Zen 270, 323 n.57)) Independent The full-grown man aspires to pierce through the heavens: Let him not walk in the footsteps of the Buddha! Ts'ui-yen (The Golden Age of Zen 270, 323 n.59) Bodhidharma's Definition of Zen Four Sacred Verses of Bodhidharma (Daruma no Shiseiku ) Kyõge betsuden A special transmission outside the scriptures; Furyû monji No dependence upon words and letters; Jikishi ninshin Direct pointing at the soul of man; Kenshõ jõbutsu Seeing into one's nature and the attainment of Buddhahood. Bodhidharma (Essays in Zen Buddhism – First Series 176) Accomplishing Beforehand "When the task is done beforehand, then it is easy." Zen master Yuan-tong (The Tao of Abundance 100) Begin at the Top If you want to climb a mountain, begin at the top. Zen saying Every Day is a Good Day "Everyday is a good day." (Nichi nichi kore kõjitsu.) Yün-men (Unmon) Hekiganroku case 6 No Work, No Eating "A day without work, a day without eating." "When there's no work for a day, there's no eating for a day." (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 62) Ichijitsu nasazareba, ichijitsu kuwarazu. Pai-chang Huai-hai (???? Hyakujõ Ekai, 720-814) Living Dead What a long procession of dead bodies follows the wake of a single living person! Chao-chou Ts'ung-shen (Jõshû Jûshin) "At the funeral of one of his monks, as the Abbot joined the procession, he remarked, 'What a long procession of dead bodies follows the wake of a single living person!' " (The Golden Age of Zen 145, 309 n.47) Mind is Buddha Asked "What is buddha?" Ma-tsu replied "This very mind, this is Buddha." (Sokushin sokubutsu.) Mumonkan case 30 (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 53) No Mind No Buddha Asked "What is buddha?" Ma-tsu replied "Neither mind nor Buddha." (Hishin, hibutsu.) Mumonkan case 33 (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 53) This Very Mind is Buddha Jishin zebutsu. "Your own mind—this is Buddha." Ma-tsu (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 55) No Mind No Buddha Not a Thing "This is not mind, this is not Buddha, this is not a thing." (Fuzeshin, fuzebutsu, fuzemotsu.) Nan-chüan (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 55) No Clinging "No clinging, no seeking." (Fujaku, fugu.) Pai-chang (Hyakujõ) (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 62) All Dharmas are Mind-Created "Therefore the Three Realms are only mind" (Yue ni sangai yuishin) Ma-tsu Tao-i (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 54) Ultimate reality has a unified form. (Fa-chieh i-hsiang./Hokkai issõ.) Buddha (Early Ch'an in China and Tibet 107) Great Tao "The non-dual Great Tao." (Funi Daidõ) Chao-chou Ts'ung-shên (Jõshû Jûshin) (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 61) No Delusive Thoughts "Away with your delusive thoughts!" "Don't be deluded!" (Maku mõzõ!) Ch'an master Wu-ye (Mugõ, 760-821) (Zen Word, Zen Calligraphy 65) Whatever the master was asked, he replied "Maku mõzõ!" (I'm not sure about the first character, it may be incorrect.) Who is This [I] know not. (Fushiki.) Bodhidharma No Merit At All Vast emptiness, nothing holy! (Kakunen mushõ.) Bodhidharma Dropped "Body and mind dropped off." (Shen-hsin t'o-lo./Shinjin datsuraku.) Dõgen Dõgen's words describing his enlightenment (This is not a saying) (Zen Buddhism: A History vol. 2, 107 n.24) "Body and mind dropped away." (Zen Master Dogen 32) (Casting off [both] body and mind.) Hui-neng's Enlightenment and Diamond Sutra Fifth Patriarch Hung-jen (?? Gunin or Kõnin, 601-674) signed Hui-neng to go to his chamber at the third watch in the evening. "When the two were face to face in the stillness of the night, the Patriarch expounded the Diamond Sutra to his disciple. When he came to the sentence: "Keep your mind alive and free without abiding in anything or anywhere," Hui-neng was suddenly and thoroughly enlightened" (The Golden Age of Zen 62) "Keep your mind alive and free without abiding in anything or anywhere." Diamond Sûtra (Vajracchedikâ [Prajña Paramita] Sûtra) (The Golden Age of Zen 300 n.6) "To awaken the mind without fixing it anywhere" (Essays in Zen Buddhism – Second Series 32) _______________________________________________________________________________ Note on Sources 1. Zenrin Kushû "Ch'an lin lei chü in twenty fasciculi compiled in the year 1307. The title means 'Zen materials (literally, woods) classified and collected'. The book is now very rare." (Essays in Zen Buddhism – Second Series 253 n.1) Also see Watts, The Way of Zen 117 n.4; Dumoulin, Zen Buddhism: A History vol. 2, 47 n.113