Zen Koans

[Bob Hubbard]

Share a koan, explore a koan, enlightenment shall come.


Zhaozhou washes the bowl

A monk asked Zhaozhou to teach him.
Zhaozhou asked, "Have you eaten your meal?"
The monk replied, "Yes, I have."
"Then go wash your bowl", said Zhaozhou.
At that moment, the monk was enlightened.

 

[Carol]

Crap, my mother was right. Doing the dishes really is important

 

[Freestyler777]

I have a zen story to share with you guys:

Someone asked a poet how to write a chinese poem. He said, 'one makes a statement with one sentence. Then a second to support the first statement, then a third line brings in a new subject, and the fourth ties them together, for example:

'A silk merchant from kyoto had two daughters,
The elder 18, the younger 17,
A soldier may kill with his sword,
But these girls slay men with their eyes.'

 

[Blotan Hunka]

Zuigan Calls Himself "Master"

Every day Master Zuigan used to call to himself, "Master!" and would answer, "Yes!"

Again, he would call, "Thoroughly awake! Thoroughly awake!" and he would answer, "Yes! Yes!"

"Don't be deceived by others, any day or any time." "No! No!"