Tag: Stones on the Path

Is that so?

“There was a beautiful young girl who became pregnant out of wedlock, and told her angry parents that the father was an old and revered Zen master with a reputation for living a pure life. When the angry parents accused the Master, all he said was, “Is that so?” After the child was born, the Master brought the baby into his house and raised it as his own. After a year passed, the girl, stricken with remorse, finally recanted and told her parents that the Master was entirely innocent. The embarrassed parents came to fetch the child, apologizing to the Master and begging his forgiveness. All he said was: “Is that so?”
~ Zen Story

humility in practice

“Of ten things you would say, leave off nine. Like a fan in winter, like a bell hung in the air, not questioning the wind from all directions — this is a characteristic of people of the Way. Just go by the principle of the teaching, don’t care about the person; go by the path and do not congratulate yourself — this is the most important thing to remember.”
~Kaizen

we need enlightened action

“We are living in a historical period in which we understand that it is necessary for all of us to be conscious and active in our world. None of us can ignore this call to action. And yet, if we do not practice zazen, whether we call it zazen or whatever we call it and however we do it, we cannot act in any accurate way. There has been plenty of action — too much action. What we need is not more action, we need enlightened action. And this mans letting go of action.”
~Norman Fischer