Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

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  • Undo
    Member
    • Jun 2007
    • 495

    Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

    As the title says really. Do you have a favourite zen related aphorism, quote, on-liner or saying?












    (I'm doing some boring work and wondering mind is kicking in. I suspect I will start housework in a bit (shudders) so humour me please)
  • Longdog
    Member
    • Nov 2007
    • 448

    #2
    Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

    Do you :?: :wink:
    [url:x8wstd0h]http://moder-dye.blogspot.com/[/url:x8wstd0h]

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    • chessie
      Member
      • Jun 2008
      • 266

      #3
      Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

      Can't resist.

      The end of the story goes:

      Have you eaten?

      Yes.

      Then wash your bowl.
      (my favorite three words in Zen, so far--wash your bowl! :P
      Gassho, ann

      Comment

      • Hans
        Member
        • Mar 2007
        • 1853

        #4
        Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

        Hello!



        Wide open space, nothing holy.



        Gassho,

        Hans

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        • will
          Member
          • Jun 2007
          • 2331

          #5
          Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

          Titles of books and what not ie:

          Branching streams flow in the Dark
          The merging of relative and absolute
          Opening the hand of thought
          etc.

          Will
          [size=85:z6oilzbt]
          To save all sentient beings, though beings are numberless.
          To penetrate reality, though reality is boundless.
          To transform all delusion, though delusions are immeasurable.
          To attain the enlightened way, a way non-attainable.
          [/size:z6oilzbt]

          Comment

          • lora
            Member
            • Jun 2008
            • 122

            #6
            Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

            Hi,

            The following, I think, falls under the "et cetera" bit (did'nt know where else to put it, heard it when I was a child and for some reason it keeps popping up in various sources lately):

            As i was going up the stair
            I met a man who was'nt there,
            He was'nt there again today.
            I wish to God he'd go away.

            Hughes Mearns, "Antigonish"

            ( laughter then and laughter now!)

            Many blessings,
            Lora

            Comment

            • Tb
              Member
              • Jan 2008
              • 3186

              #7
              Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

              Hi.

              Don't separate things in warm and cold.

              May the force be with you
              Tb
              Life is our temple and its all good practice
              Blog: http://fugenblog.blogspot.com/

              Comment

              • Keishin
                Member
                • Jun 2007
                • 471

                #8
                Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

                One of my teachers, a zen priest ordained by Zengaku Soyu Matsuoka Roshi, Rev. Robert McNeil had 3 statements.
                It seemed to me those three and silence itself are all anyone really needs to conduct themselves in the world:

                Is that so.

                We'll see.

                Thank you. (Thank you very much).

                Don't take my word for it. Try them yourself. See if you can make it through the day using only these three responses (of course you would choose the one suitable for the situation/occasion).

                And who says we zen folk don't know how to have fun?

                Comment

                • chicanobudista
                  Member
                  • Mar 2008
                  • 864

                  #9
                  Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

                  Originally posted by plankton
                  As the title says really. Do you have a favourite zen related aphorism, quote, on-liner or saying?
                  "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few." - S. Suzuki

                  "Sadly, the words immediately begin to crumble and fail the heart's knowing. As several Zen teachers have pointed out, open your mouth and you have made your first mistake..."
                  --James Ford (UU Minister & Soto Zen Priest)

                  Not Buddhist....but


                  "Half of what I say is meaningless; but I say it so that the other half may reach you."
                  --"Sand and Foam" by Kahlil Gibran

                  I use it alot on my emails. :wink: :mrgreen:
                  paz,
                  Erik


                  Flor de Nopal Sangha

                  Comment

                  • disastermouse

                    #10
                    Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

                    "Those stone Buddhas deserve all the bird shit they get,
                    I wave my skinny arms,
                    Like a tall flower in the breeze" - Ikkyu

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                    • Bansho
                      Member
                      • Apr 2007
                      • 532

                      #11
                      Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

                      Hi,

                      From birth until death -- it's just this.
                      (from the Shinji Shobogenzo)


                      Gassho
                      Ken
                      ??

                      Comment

                      • Jundo
                        Treeleaf Founder and Priest
                        • Apr 2006
                        • 40535

                        #12
                        Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

                        From the 'Ol Blue Eyed Buddha ...

                        Scooby-dooby-do
                        Do-do-dah-di-dah
                        Dah-dah-dah-di-dah
                        Dah-di-do-di-dah

                        etc. etc. (to ininity)
                        ALL OF LIFE IS OUR TEMPLE

                        Comment

                        • Fuken
                          Member
                          • Sep 2006
                          • 435

                          #13
                          Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

                          Mu
                          Yours in practice,
                          Jordan ("Fu Ken" translates to "Wind Sword", Dharma name givin to me by Jundo, I am so glad he did not name me Wind bag.)

                          Comment

                          • Undo
                            Member
                            • Jun 2007
                            • 495

                            #14
                            Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

                            Some beautiful, some abstract and (I suspect) some not taking this seriously :wink:

                            Thanks for all of the replies and feel free in posting more.

                            One of my own is

                            "As things are viewed, so they appear to be".
                            Not sure where is comes from.

                            Right, back to house work.

                            Comment

                            • Chris H.
                              Member
                              • Jul 2008
                              • 10

                              #15
                              Re: Your favourite zen aphorism, quote et cetera?

                              I'm not sure who actually said this and I admit I got it from a Microsoft commercial but I think it works surprisingly well:

                              I'm a human being. Not a human thinking. Not a human doing. A human being.

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