Daily Zen..

[Bodhisattva]

Publishing the Sutras

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Tetsugen, a devotee of Zen in Japan, decided to publish the sutras, which at that time were available only in Chinese. The books were to be printed with wood blocks in an edition of seven thousand copies, a tremendous undertaking.

Tetsugen began by traveling and collecting donations for this purpose. A few sympathizers would give him a hundred pieces of gold, but most of the time he received only small coins. He thanked each donor with equal gratitude. After ten years Tetsugen had enough money to begin his task.

It happened that at that time the Uji River overflowed. Famine followed. Tetsugen took the funds he had collected for the books and spent them to save others from starvation. Then he began again his work of collecting.

Several years afterwards an epidemic spread over the country. Tetsugen again gave away what he had collected, to help his people.

For a third time he started his work, and after twenty years his wish was fulfilled. The printing blocks which produced the first edition of sutras can be seen today in the Obaku monastery in Kyoto.

The Japanese tell their children that Tetsugen made three sets of sutras, and that the first two invisible sets surpass even the last.

[Bodhisattva]

Time to Die
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Ikkyu, the Zen master, was very clever even as a boy. His teacher had a precious teacup, a rare antique. Ikkyu happened to break this cup and was greatly perplexed. Hearing the footsteps of his teacher, he held the pieces of the cup behind him. When the master appeared, Ikkyu asked: "Why do people have to die?"

"This is natural," explained the older man. "Everything has to die and has just so long to live."

Ikkyu, producing the shattered cup, added: "It was time for your cup to die."

[Bodhisattva]

A Parable
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A Dhamma sutra reads:

A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.

Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other.

How sweet it tasted!


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This parable in the Sutra is given as a Zen Koan. Koans are used by Zen masters to plunge their students into deep incite & reflection.. propagating Awakening!!

What does this Koan Mean to you??

Careful now.. Things aren't always what they seem.. Don't be eager to answer yourself with the first thing that comes to mind.

Reflect deeply on this Koan... I'll answer it in 3 Days!

Namaste

[Bodhisattva]

Reciting Sutras
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A farmer requested a Tendai priest to recite sutras for his wife, who had died. After the recitation was over the farmer asked: "Do you think my wife will gain merit from this?"

"Not only your wife, but all sentient beings will benefit from the recitation of sutras," answered the priest.

"If you say all sentient beings will benefit," said the farmer, "my wife may be very weak and others will take advantage of her, getting the benefit she should have. So please recite sutras just for her."

The priest explained that it was the desire of a practicing Buddhist to offer blessings and wish merit for every living being.

"That is a fine teaching," concluded the farmer, "but please make one exception. I have a neighbor who is rough and mean to me. Just exclude him from all those sentient beings."

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Reciting Sutras is the same as Reciting Prayers in Christianity and Prayers in Islam. Praying is one and the same. Prayer is extremely powerful a tool and a gift that we have to experience and to share here together. Praying is not for one, its for everyone.

Prayer is Universal. As such, while we pray, let us remember all the world, all sentient beings and send them thoughts and feelings of goodwill, health and happiness.

Hmmmm. but instead of praying for a few minutes a day, why not practice this prayer. Practice what we pray. The entire day, 60 seconds per minute 60 minutes per hour, and 24 hours a day. Practice compassion, practice love, practice forgiveness with everyone and every hour. When you talk, when you eat, when you work, when you sleep. Practice affection, careing on each and every occasion.

This is the life we must aspire to reach. When love overcomes hate, compassion overcomes cruelty and forgiveness overcomes revenge. This is the life we are meant to live.

Oh wat a wonderful day it would be.

b.

[Bodhisattva]

Brothers, Sisters.

Patriots.

Members

& Fellow Citizens.




Enough. This is the Title, theme and topic of this "political" post. Enough.

Get your ar$es off the floor. Wipe the dust of your shoulders. and Keep on Walking.


Life is a Journey.. Not a destination:
Who says its about a Destination!?! The Utopian Lebanon some may argue. Thats the destination. Enough. Its the Journey.. Its all and only THE journey. The Journey is the destination.


Acceptance:
The realities of this world and this particular moments are present. Accept them. All of them. Good, or Bad. You cannot choose some and ignore others. Otherwise, they no longer are realities... and you fall in the pits of foolisness and blind ignorance. Accept all the realities with a sense of peace, a sense of calm and a sense of pragmatism. Enough with the sectarian bull that ive been seeing lately, enough with the meaningless, hollow arguments. Enough with attacking one another. Enough with all the pettiness. Accept the REALITIES no matter what they are. And you will fulfill your duties as citizens. Blindness is not an option anymore.. We want to break this ignorance once and for all. Accept blindness as a reality now so we can all walk out of it. Accept the good, and the bad. Afterall, its the journey that counts. The destination fulfills itself.


Compassion & Forgiveness:
Be calm with yourself. Forgive yourself. Start with yourself. You are all wonderful human beings with enormous potential. Start with yourself and take these genuine sentiments and unleash it to ALL. Let this fill the room, the house, the country and the planet. Its a wonderful gift. Share it freely. It is not yours to keep. It is only yours when you give it. Paradox yes. But leave the silly intellectual games aside for now and focus on the essense of sharing. Love all people. All. We are all the same. We drink the same water. Eat the same food. Breathe the same air. We all want happiness. We all dont want suffering. We all want compassion and love. We are all the same.. All these man-made names and discriptions that seperate you ARE AN ILLUSION. The Truth never seperates. Only unites. take refuge in this. Truth is universal, open to all, free for all. Otherwise it cant be truth!


Be the Change:
The Change you want to see in the world. Be the change. Reflect deeply, meditate, on the words and the letters and it will all make sense. Compassion, forgiveness, non-sectarianism, unity, happiness.. Be the Change. Start with yourself. And you can truly change the world. Trust in this. Leadership. You are all natural born-leaders, everyone is. so Lead. Live by example. and Lead. We have a wonderful role-model. Take advantage of this. We have a man who is a Patriot amongst Patriots, who loves ALL his people, ALL of them.. We have a Leader who has the heart and the courage to forgive. Who lives Morally and Ethically, and to Smile. even under the toughest circumstances. He has sacrificed 70 years for you and me. so, No more excuses. Get up. Get off your ****$ and be the CHANGE we ALL want to see!



Its not how many times we fall that count.

its how many times we get back up.


the Courage is there. its yours. Take it!!!




Lets Embrace this reality so that we May Transcend it.




your brother,

bodhisattva.


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p.S: physically, im very weak now. I havent been eating or sleeping well for the past month. this is a reality. and i accept it. So i can overcome this reality. I will be taking time away from my LFPM family so i can recuperate and put my life back together. I wont be any use to you or my country otherwise.

Till then. Every hateful post. Every Attack on each other. Every sectarian egotistical remark. Enough!! I am going on foodstrike till normalcy returns to this forum. FPM is better than that. We are better than that.


p.pS: its been 7 hours since my last meal.


p.p.pS: i really truly sincerely wholeheartedly believe in you and your potentials. Dont keep me away too long! you decide your Morale.. so, keep it HIGH!


and ill see you soon ;)

[PhoenixResurrection]

And whose daily zen poems I'm gonna read now :-(
Don't stay away too long . Get well soon we need your spirit ;-)
Cheers,

[cedrus_libani]

It was said by a zen master : for discovering the way you must have nor hate nor love, nor choice nor reject!

[cedrus_libani]

another one :

Before satori, the mountain was a mountian, the lac a lac
During satori the mountain wasn't a mountain anymore , the lac no more a lac, After Satori, the mountain was again a mountain, the lac again a lac.

PS bodhisatva I have no intention to replace you

[PhoenixResurrection]

Bodhi Come bacccccccccccccck, cedrus is spamming the thread

Just kiddin' cedrus-mordicus ;-))) It is nice of you to share with us such knowledge.

[cedrus_libani]

Originally Posted by PhoenixResurrection

Bodhi Come bacccccccccccccck, cedrus is spamming the thread

Just kiddin' cedrus-mordicus ;-))) It is nice of you to share with us such knowledge.

Ok ok so

P_R we will never confilct in the non political threads so I continue :

Chineese proverb which could have been a Zen one :

I always complained for not having shoes until the day I saw a man without legs...