Enlight Giving Alms (Hing Shi) One day, returning from the market, Hing Shi saw a monk sitting on the side of the road, begging for alms. Having shared with the poor man a few coins left after shopping, the sage stopped to rest. At... Parables Zen Parables
Enlight Repeated sutra A peasant asked the priest of the Tendai school to recite sutras for his deceased wife. When the reading was finished, the peasant asked: “Do you think my wife will benefit from this?” “Not only your ... Parables Zen Parables
Enlight First principle When a traveler approaches the Obaku Temple in Kyoto, he sees the words carved above the gate: “First Principle.” The letters are unusually large and connoisseurs of calligraphy admired them as the he... Parables Zen Parables
Enlight About death After my master's death, I became friends with Dudjom Rinpoche, one of the greatest masters of meditation, mysticism and yoga of our time. One day he and his wife were driving through France, admiring... Parables Zen Parables
Enlight My heart burns like fire Sen Saku, the first Zen teacher in America, said: “My heart is burning: like fire, my eyes are cold like dead ashes.” He created rules that he followed throughout his life. Here they are: In the morni... Parables Zen Parables
Enlight History of Shunkai The lovely Shunkai, whose other name was Suzu, was married off against her will when she was still very young. Later, when the marriage ended, she began to attend university, where she studied philoso... Parables Zen Parables
Enlight Winter The Zen teacher was driving a carriage in which a woman was sitting with her child. There was a lot of snow and the morning was very cold. There was no sun in the sky, it was cloudy. The teacher began... Parables Zen Parables
Enlight Life is beautiful A Zen master walked through the market and said: - Life is wonderful! The merchant objected to him: - This is not true. I work from early morning until late at night, I earn little and I’m tired all t... Parables Zen Parables
Enlight Three more days Shuwo, Hakuin's student, was a good teacher. During one summer retreat, a student came to him from the South Island of Japan. Xuvo gave him a problem: “Hear the clap of one palm.” The student remained... Parables Zen Parables
Enlight Dispute over shelter Every wandering monk who managed to win a debate about Buddhism with one of the monks already living there could stop at the Zen temple. If he suffered defeat, he was supposed to move on. Two brother ... Parables Zen Parables
Enlight Zen in every moment Zen students spend at least ten years with a teacher before they decide to teach others. One day, Tenno, who had already completed his apprenticeship and became a teacher, came to visit Nan In. It was... Parables Zen Parables
Enlight Voice of Happiness When Bankei died, a blind man who lived near the teacher's temple told his friend: "Because I am blind, I cannot observe a person's face, so I judge his character by the sound of his voice. Usually, w... Parables Zen Parables
