A Sudden Clash of Thunder

A Sudden Clash of Thunder

A Sudden Clash of Thunder. The emperor asked Fu-daishi to explain the Diamond Sutra. He mounted the platform, rapped the table, descended, left without speaking. 'Fu-daishi has never been more eloquent.' A sudden clash of thunder: truth cannot be spoken—the rap on the table IS the teaching. Silence is the most eloquent discourse.

When you are Not, God is

When you are Not, God is. 'How to stop thinking?' Thinking cannot be stopped—it stops of its own accord. The effort to stop creates more thinking. When you are not, God is: don't try to stop the mind—watch it. When watching becomes total, the mind stops by itself. Your presence, not your effort, stops it.

Why Should I Grieve Over Him?

Why Should I Grieve Over Him? Tung-men Wu didn't grieve when his son died. 'I had no son and didn't grieve. Now he's dead, it's the same. Why grieve?' Why should I grieve: the sage sees death as a return to the prior state. The son came from nowhere and returned there. Grief is for the ego, not for the one who sees.

Man is Always an Opening

Man is Always an Opening. 'I believed I was uncreative. How to find my creativity?' Creativity has nothing to do with painting or dancing. You can clean the floor creatively. Man is always an opening: creativity is bringing quality to activity, not the activity itself. Everything can be creative if you bring awareness to it.

Listen to the Waves

Listen to the Waves. The wrestler O-nami was strong in private, weak in public. The master: 'Listen to the waves—become the waves.' By dawn the temple was surging water. He won every bout. Listen to the waves: become what you are—not the wrestler but the wave. When the ego dissolves into nature, power flows.

Life Undefined is What God is

Life Undefined is What God is. 'I have been with Bhagwan and not been with Bhagwan. Have I missed you?' No—you can't miss and you can't catch. Life undefined is what God is: the undefined cannot be caught. If you could define it, you'd miss it. The unseeable, unhearable—that's the real master.

Only the Gold

Only the Gold. A man snatched gold in front of everyone. 'I didn't see the people—I only saw the gold.' Only the gold: the fool sees only the object of desire. The awakened one sees everything—the gold, the people, the whole. Desire narrows vision to a point. Awareness expands it to the whole.

Choicelessness is Bliss

Choicelessness is Bliss. 'Only compassion is therapeutic—comment on compassion.' All illness is lack of love. Compassion is passion purified. Choicelessness is bliss: compassion is not choosing to help—it's the natural overflow of a loving heart. The body needs food; the soul needs love. Without love, the soul is never born.

Laugh Your Way to God

Laugh Your Way to God. Hotei, the laughing Buddha, carried candy for children. 'What is the significance of Zen?' He dropped his sack. 'What is the actualization?' He swung the sack over his shoulder and walked on. Laugh your way to God: Zen is dropping the load and walking freely. The sack is the ego—drop it, then carry it playfully.

Towards Nothingness

Towards Nothingness. 'I have seeker's ego—it congratulates me on progress. It comes back.' Don't fight it—it's a shadow. Towards nothingness: the ego is a shadow of the seeker. Don't fight shadows—just walk. When you reach the light, the shadow disappears. Nothingness is the destination—the ego can't enter there.