Left to right, Madelon, Lee
The Iron Grindstone – a talk by Lee Shields, September 12, 2024
Iron Grindstone [Liu] went to [Guishan]. [Guishan] said, “Old cow, you’ve come!” She said, “Tomorrow there’s a great communal feast on Mount Tai —are you going?” [Guishan]lay down. Iron Grindstone Liu then left. Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record, Case 24, p 74. There is an elegance to the concise koans of our tradition like this one. It may sound enigmatic or mysterious, but that’s not what’s intended. In commentary for this case, Hakuin wrote this: This is a meeting of adepts, in which there are no more views of Buddha or opinions of Dharma....
read more…Where There’s Nothing of Value – a talk by Lee Shields, September 8, 2024
I built a grass hut where there’s nothing of value. After eating, I relax and enjoy a nap. When it was completed, fresh weeds appeared. Now it’s been lived in — covered by weeds. Attributed to Shih-T’ou Hsi-ch’ien [Shitou Xiqian], 700-790. Translation and copyright by Taigen Dan Leighton, Cultivating the Empty Field: The Silent Illumination of Zen Master Hongzhi, 1987) This reading was taken from “Song of the Grass Roof Hermitage” written in eighth century China by Shih-T’ou Hsi-ch’ien. It is applicable to us here at Dharma...
read morePilgrimage – Tung-shan’s Sixty Blows – A talk by Lee Shields, September 9, 2024
Gateless Barrier Case 15 Tung-shan’s Sixty Blows Tung-shan came to see Yün-men. Yün-men asked him, “Where were you most recently?” Tung-shan said, “At Ch’a-tu.” Yün-men said, “Where were you during the summer?” Tung-shan said, “At Pao-tzu Monastery in Hu-nan.” Yün-men said, “When did you leave there?” Tung-shan said, “August 25th.” Yün-men said, “I spare you sixty blows.” Next day, Tung-shan came again and said, “Yesterday you said you spared me sixty blows. I don’t know where I was at fault.” Yün-men said, “You rice bag! Do you go about in...
read moreWhat was the Purpose of Bodhidharma Coming from the West? – A talk by Lee Shields, September 10, 2024
Someone asked [Linji], “What was the purpose of [Bodhidharma] coming from the West?” The master said, “If he had had a purpose he couldn’t have saved even himself.” Someone asked, “Since he had no purpose, how did the Second Patriarch obtain the dharma?” The master said, “‘To obtain’ is to not obtain.” Someone asked, “If it is ‘to not obtain,’ what is the meaning of ‘to not obtain’?” The master said, “It is because you cannot stop your mind which runs on seeking everywhere that [an ancestor] said, ‘Bah, superior [people]! Searching for your...
read moreXuefeng’s Turtle Nose Snake – A talk by Lee Shields, September 13, 2024
Xuefeng said to the assembly, “On South Mountain, there’s a turtle-nosed snake. You must all have a close look at it.” Changqing said, “Today, in this very hall, there is definitely someone who has lost his body and life.” A monk told Xuansha about this. Xuansha said, “Only Brother Leng [Changqing] would put it that way. I wouldn’t say it like that.” “What would you say, Your Reverence?” asked the monk. “Why use South Mountain?” responded Xuansha. Yunmen picked up his...
read moreBeing Human – A talk by Madelon Bolling September 11, 2024
Emperor Wu of Liang asked Bodhidharma, “What is the first principle of the holy teaching?” Bodhidharma said, “Really empty, nothing holy.” The Emperor said, “Who is this accosting me?” Bodhidharma said, “I don’t know.” The Emperor could not reach accord. Bodhidharma then crossed the river and went on to the kingdom of Wei. (Blue Cliff Record Case 1)1 Do you wrestle with the business of being human, doing the right thing, looking for truth or transcendence? I think I have failed miserably in this endeavor. Of course, that’s the old familiar...
read moreMeaning – A Talk by Madelon Bolling (August 7,2024)
A monk asked Hsiang Lin, “What is the meaning of the Patriarch’s coming from the West?” Hsiang Lin said, “Sitting for a long time becomes toilsome.” (BCR Case 17) A monk asked Chao-chou, “What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?” Chao-chou said, “The oak tree in the courtyard.” (GB Case 37) Both of these koan begin with the phrase, “What is the meaning . . ?” Well, what is . . . meaning? You might say, “What is the implication of . . .?” which is...
read moreNo Persons – a Talk by Madelon Bolling (July 14, 2024)
Changqing addressed the monks, saying, “If I truly expound the vehicle of our school, then I should simply close the door to the Dharma hall. Therefore I’ll just say that in the inexhaustible Dharma there are no persons.” 1 PSC As we continue to see one another in zenkai, or at Zoom sitting practice on weekday mornings, gardening once a month on a Saturday, one thing becomes clearer and clearer. No matter our current age and condition, we are all getting older. And here and there, one by one, without exception, we will all die. As...
read moreLotus Flowers and Lotus Leaves – A Talk by Leland Shields (July 13, 2024)
A monk asked Chih Men, “How is it when the lotus flower has not yet emerged from the water?” Chih Men said, “A Lotus flower.” The monk said, “What about after it has emerged from the water?” Men said, “Lotus leaves.” (Translation) Thomas Cleary, Blue Cliff Record, p. 139. The story of an unnamed monk asking two questions of Chi Men comes to us from ancient China in the concise language that was the style of Zen then and now. This exchange is not so foreign or far away, though. It is ours this...
read moreHow do you realize the realm where no wisdom can reach? – A Talk by Leland Shields (June 9, 2024)
Upon meeting Shitou, Daowu asked, “By what method do you reveal liberating wisdom to people?” Shitou said, “There are no slaves here. From what do you seek liberation?” Daowu said, “How can it be understood?” Shitou said, “So you’re still trying to grasp emptiness?” Zen’s Chinese Heritage: The Masters and Their Teachings, by Andrew Ferguson. (Please sit comfortably) Tianhuang Daowu is you, and is me in this story, as we meet the inseparable condition of being already liberated, and not yet realizing the fact. At this moment we are completely...
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