And when they put me in the ground, I’ll start
Pounding the lid
Saying I haven’t finished yet
I still have a tattoo to get
That says I’m living in the moment
Category: zen
Ching Ching’s “The Sound of Raindrops” (雨滴聲)
鏡清問僧。Ching Ching asked the monk:
門外是什麼聲。 What is the sound outside the gate (gate outside is what sound)?
僧云。雨滴聲。The monk replied: it is the sound of raindrops (rain drop sound).
非呼之而不答 (If there is no call, then there is no response)
“It is said: in emptiness, there is both the sound of a call and response; in stillness, there is no appearance of form or shadow. A valley naturally has an echo, but without a call there is no response. The Buddha’s body does not stir; without a request there is no manifestation.”
The “Evening” Bell Chant
“In the morning and dusk, when walking, standing, sitting or sleeping, as soon as you hear the sound of the bell, recite this verse.”
晨昏於行住坐臥間。一聞鐘聲時。即誦此偈呪。
“supposing we practice without results” (設行不得)
“Hearing [the dharma] even without faith still fructifies into the seed of buddhahood. Training even without success is still superior to the merit of humans and divinities.”
感應不虛 (Sympathetic Resonance Never Fails)
“You must deeply perceive the true nature of yourself, the Buddha, and everything as being in accord with dependent arising. And you must have absolute faith that the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas always respond to your prayers, as certainly as shadows follow form and echoes follow sound.”
“They will all necessarily become wild foxes.”
昧落商量轉失眞.
Flipping back and forth between and making calculations about being subject to karma and being in the dark about it they lose sight of the true.
A Sino-Korean Diamond Sutra Gatha Chant
geu-eum gang ban ya ba ra mil gyeong. bul
chwi eo sang yeo yeo bu dong ha i go
il che yu wi beop yeo mong hwan po yeong
yeo ro yeong nyeo jeon eung jang nyeo si gwan
Diamond Prajna Paramita Sutra. Not
dependent on appearances, and also not moving. Why?
All impermanent dharmas like dream phantom bubble shadow,
like dew also like lightning, should constructed like this perceive.
Burn down the hermitage (烧却庵)
這件事天知地知你知我知，千萬不要给婆婆知。
“Concerning this matter, Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, and I know. Just be sure the old woman doesn’t find out!!”
“This old monk was first in line.” (Joshu in Hell)
崔郎中問。大善知識還入地獄也無。
Student: Can a Zen Master fall into hell or not?
師云。老僧末上入。
Master Joshu: This old monk was first in line.