The Zingara Project

Tag: Zen

  • Great Waves

    In the early days of the Meiji era there lived a well-known wrestler called O-nami, Great Waves.

    O-nami was immensely strong and knew the art of wrestling. In his private bouts he defeated even his teacher, but in public he was so bashful that his own pupils threw him.

    O-nami felt he should go to a Zen master for help. Hakuju, wandering teacher, was stopping in a little temple nearby, so O-nami went to see him and told him of his trouble.

    “Great Waves is your name,” the teacher advised, “so stay in this temple tonight. Imagine that you are those billows. You are no longer a wrestler who is afraid. You are those huge waves sweeping everything before them, swallowing all in their path. Do this and you will be the greatest wrestler in the land.”

    The teacher retired. O-nami sat in meditation trying to imagine himself as waves. He thought of many different things. Then gradually he turned more and more to the feeling of the waves. As the night advanced the waves became larger and larger. They swept away the flowers in their vases. Even the Buddha in the shrine was inundated. Before dawn the temple was nothing but the ebb and flow of an immense sea.

    In the morning the teacher found O-nami meditating, a faint smile on his face. He patted the wrestler’s should. “Now nothing can disturb you,” he said. “You are those waves. You will sweep everything before you.”

    The same day O-nami entered the wrestling contests and won. After that, no one in Japan was able to defeat him.

    From Zen Flesh Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings compiled by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki

  • Three Days More

    Suiwo, the disciple of Hakuin, was a good teacher. During one summer seclusion period, a pupil came to him from a southern island of Japan.

    Suiwo gave him the problem: “Hear the sound of one hand.”

    The pupil remained three years but could not pass this test. One night he came in tears to Suiwo. “I must return south in shame and embarrassment,” he said, “for I cannot solved my problem.”

    “Wait one week more and meditate constantly,” advised Suiwo. Still no enlightenment came to the pupil. “Try for another week,” said Suiwo. The pupil obeyed, but in vain.

    “Still another week.” Yet this was of no avail. In despair the student begged to be released, but Suiwo requested another meditation of five days. They were without result. The he said: “Meditate for three days longer, then if you fail to attain enlightenment, you had better kill yourself.”

    On the second day the pupil was enlightened.

    From Zen Flesh Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings compiled by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki

  • The Two Frogs

    Once upon a time in the country of Japan there lived two frogs, one of whom made his home in a ditch near the town of Osak, on the sea coast, while the other dwelt in a clear little stream which ran through the city of Kioto. At such great distance apart, they had never even heard of each other; but, funnily enough, the idea came into both their heads at once that they should like to see a little of the world, and the frog who lived at Kioto wanted to visit Osaka, and the frog who lived at Osaka wished to go to Kioto, where the great Mikado had his palace.

    So one fine morning in the spring they both set out along the road that led from Kioto to Osaka, one from one end and the other from the other. The journey was more tiering than they expect, for they did not know much about traveling, and half way between the two towns there arose a mountain which had to be climbed. It took them a long time and a great many hops to reach the top, but there they were at last, and what was the surprise of each to see another frog before him! They looked at each other for a moment without speaking, and then fell into conversation, explaining the cause of their meeting so far from their homes. It was delightful to find that they both felt the same wish — to learn a little more of their native country — and as there was no sort of hurry they stretched themselves out in a cool damp place, and agreed that they would have a good rest before they parted to go their ways.

    “What a pity we are not bigger,” said the Osaka frog; “for then we could see both town from here, and tell if it is worth our while going on.”

    “Oh that is easily managed,” returned the Kioto frog. “We have only got to stand up on our hind legs, and hold on to each other, and then we can each look at the town he is traveling to.”

    The idea pleased the Osaka frog so much that he at once jumped up and put his fron paws on the shoulders of his friend, who had risen also. There they both stood, stretching themselves as high as they could, and holding each other tightly, so that they might not fall down. The Kioto frog turned his nose toward Osaka, and the Osaka frog turned his nose toward Kioto; but the foolish things forgot that when the stood up their great eyes lay in the backs of their head, and that though their noses might point to the placed to which they wanted to go their eyes beheld the places from which they had come.

    “Dear me!” cried the Osaka frog, “Kioto is exactly like Osaka. It is certainly not worth such a long journey. I shall go home!”

    “If I had had any idea that Osaka was only a copy of Kioto I should never have travelled all this way,” exclaimed the frog from Kioto, and as he spoke he took his hands from his friend’s shoulders, and they both fell down on the grass. Then they took a polite farewell of each other, and set off for home again, and to the end of their lives they believed that Osaka and Kioto, which are as different to look at as two towns can be, were as like as two peas.

    From The Violet Fairy Book edited by Andrew Lang