Dang Dang Doko Dang
Discourses
Table of Contents
Never Pretend, Even About Skulls
Truth can be approached through mind or heart—meditation or prayer. Zen is the culmination of the path of meditation: watch thoughts until the mind disappears. Dhyana became chen in China, then zen in Japan. On the path of prayer, love dissolves the ego. Both paths end in egolessness. Fugai's skull: never pretend, even about purity.
Magicless Magic
On the path of meditation, imagination is the greatest pitfall. Feeling hit by a stick that wasn't there is sheer imagination. Gurdjieff: unless you can remember in a dream that it is a dream, you will never awake. Dreams are private; the world is a common dream. See things as they are—don't project.
'As within, so without'
Man is split—schizophrenia is the normal condition. Bankei's voice was always sincere; others hide envy behind congratulations. You cannot falsify your eyes. 'As within, so without'—unless your within matches your without, you can never be at rest. The periphery delays; only the center wins.
When Grapes Are Sour
Happiness needs great intelligence, not intellect. Unhappiness is discord between you and existence; happiness is when you disappear. Life has no meaning—you must create it. You must create your own soul; man is not born with one. The religious person is the greatest artist: he creates himself.
Two Ladies And A Monk
Meditation is not concentration or contemplation—it's delighting in your own presence, doing nothing. Joy is the stuff existence is made of. Love is the test of meditation. The old woman burned the monk's hut after twenty years—he showed detachment but no compassion. Love gives freedom; attachment is using another as a means.
Joy Is The Criterion
Joy is the criterion. Detachment brings more joy, love, freedom; indifference shrinks and dies. Monks look crippled, not radiant. Love is not attachment—attachment is possessiveness born of fear. Never treat a person as a means; treat everyone as an end. Let happiness be your touchstone, not scriptures.
Be A Light Unto Yourself
Knowledge is borrowed, not knowing. It's better to be ignorant than knowledgeable—at least ignorance is authentic. Zen says truth has nothing to do with authority or tradition. Knowing is uncertain, hazardous; knowledge is guaranteed. I can guarantee only danger and growth. Truth requires total sacrifice—belief is counterfeit.
Another Sunday
Don't make a problem out of happiness. The mind searches for something to pounce upon—even happiness. When happy, don't ask 'why?' Every day is a Sunday, every moment holy. The Sufi secret: each morning choose to be happy or unhappy. Your life is your decision. Suffering is a mechanical habit.
Dang Dang Doko Dang
'What is truth?' The question that makes us human. Below questioning: animal. With the question: the path. Without the question: home. Pilate asked Jesus; Jesus remained silent—either the question wasn't sincere, or silence is the only answer. Nothing fails like worldly success; nothing succeeds like failure. Ho-shan: 'Dang, dang, doko dang.'
Lady You Need Love!
The problem is in the mind, not the energy. Anti-sexual upbringing creates the problem—repressed sex exploits meditation energy. Jaina monks dropped meditation out of fear of sexual energy. Love and food are entangled from the mother's breast. Lady, you need love, not meditation techniques. Love is dangerous—fear of rejection—but the other becomes a mirror.