Osho - No Water No Moon

No Water No Moon

 

BAMBOO

ONE NIGHT, SHE WAS CARRYING AN OLD PAIL FILLED WITH WATER. AS SHE WAS WALKING ALONG, SHE WAS WATCHING THE FULL MOON REFLECTED IN THE PAIL OF WATER.

SUDDENLY, THE BAMBOO STRIPS THAT HELD THE PAIL TOGETHER BROKE, AND THE PAIL FELL APART. THE WATER RUSHED OUT; THE MOON'S REFLECTION DISAPPEARED - AND CHIYONO BECAME ENLIGHTENED. SHE WROTE THIS VERSE:

THIS WAY AND THAT WAY I TRIED TO KEEP THE PAIL TOGETHER, HOPING THE WEAK BAMBOO WOULD NEVER BREAK.

SUDDENLY THE BOTTOM FELL OUT. NO MORE WATER; NO MORE MOON IN THE WATER - EMPTINESS IN MY HAND.

Osho - No Water No Moon

Ninakawa Smiles

JUST BEFORE NINAKAWA PASSED AWAY THE ZEN MASTER IKKYU VISITED HIM. "SHALL I LEAD YOU ON?" IKKYU ASKED.

NINAKAWA REPLIED, "I CAME HERE ALONE, AND I GO ALONE. WHAT HELP COULD YOU BE TO ME?"

IKKYU ANSWERED, "IF YOU THINK YOU REALLY COME AND GO, THAT IS YOUR DELUSION.

LET ME SHOW YOU THE PATH IN WHICH THERE IS NO COMING AND GOING."

WITH HIS WORDS, IKKYU HAD REVEALED THE PATH SO CLEARLY THAT NINAKAWA SMILED AND PASSED AWAY.

Osho - No Water No Moon

Trading Dialogue for Lodging

THERE IS AN OLD TRADITION IN SOME JAPANESE ZEN TEMPLES THAT IF A WANDERING MONK CAN WIN AN ARGUMENT ABOUT BUDDHISM WITH ONE OF THE RESIDENT MONKS, HE CAN STAY THE NIGHT. IF NOT, HE HAS TO MOVE ON.

THERE WAS SUCH A TEMPLE IN NORTHERN JAPAN RUN BY TWO BROTHERS. THE ELDER BROTHER WAS VERY LEARNED AND THE YOUNGER BROTHER WAS RATHER STUPID, AND HE HAD ONLY ONE EYE.

ONE EVENING A WANDERING MONK CAME TO ASK FOR LODGING. THE ELDER BROTHER WAS VERY TIRED AS HE HAD BEEN STUDYING FOR MANY HOURS, SO HE TOLD THE YOUNGER BROTHER TO GO AND TAKE THE DEBATE. "REQUEST THAT THE DIALOGUE BE IN SILENCE," SAID THE ELDER BROTHER.

Osho - No Water No Moon

Love Should Be like Breathing

“The basic fallacy that you are carrying within you is that you always loved somebody.

"This is one of the most significant things about all human beings: their love is always for somebody. It is addressed and the moment you address your love, you destroy it. It is as if you are saying, ‘I will breathe only for you, and when you are not there, then how can I breathe?’

Osho - No Mind The Flowers of Eternity

Nothing to choose, nothing to discard

BELOVED ZORBA THE BUDDHA,

WHEN HE FIRST MET SEKITO, HO KOJI ASKED, "WHO IS HE THAT IS INDEPENDENT OF ALL THINGS?"

BEFORE HE COULD FINISH HIS QUESTION, SEKITO COVERED KOJI'S MOUTH WITH HIS HAND. AT THIS, KOJI UNDERWENT AN EXPERIENCE AND EXPRESSED HIMSELF IN THE FOLLOWING VERSE:

Osho - No Mind The Flowers of Eternity

Only creation shows your power

BELOVED ZORBA THE BUDDHA,

WHEN KOKO, A DISCIPLE OF JOSHU, WENT TO SEE MASTER HOGEN, HE WAS ASKED WHERE HE HAD BEEN RECENTLY.

"WITH JOSHU," HE ANSWERED.

HOGEN ASKED, "I HAVE HEARD ABOUT JOSHU AND THE OAK TREE; ISN'T THIS SO?"

KOKO SAID, "IT IS NOT SO!"

When I call you my friends, I mean it

BELOVED BUDDHA,

A NON-BUDDHIST SCHOLAR, MEETING MASTER DAIZUI, GAVE HIM A BOWL. A MONK OBSERVING THIS ASKED DAIZUI, "WHAT DID YOU USE BEFORE HE PRESENTED YOU WITH THE BOWL?"

DAIZUI SAID, "I USED THE ONE I SHALL USE ON MY LAST DAY ON EARTH."

ONCE, DAIZUI WAS ASKED, "WHEN ALL THINGS ARE ANNIHILATED, WILL THAT ALSO BE ANNIHILATED?"

Osho - No Mind The Flowers of Eternity

Be ready to be chopped

BELOVED BUDDHA,

MAYOKU CAME TO SHOKEI CARRYING HIS BELL STAFF WITH HIM. HE CIRCUMNAVIGATED SHOKEI'S SEAT THREE TIMES, SHOOK HIS STAFF, RINGING THE BELLS, STUCK THE STAFF IN THE GROUND, AND THEN STOOD UP STRAIGHT.

SHOKEI SAID, "GOOD."

Osho - No Mind The Flowers of Eternity

Truth has no history

BELOVED BUDDHA,

A MONK CAME TO SEE MASTER DAIZUI, AND SAID TO HIM, "MOUNT GOTAI AND MOUNT DAIZUI - WHAT ARE THEY LIKE? HOW IS MOUNT DAIZUI?"

DAIZUI SAID, "SPEAK LOUDER - I'M HARD OF HEARING."

THE MONK REPEATED THE QUESTION IN A LOUD VOICE.

Osho - No Mind The Flowers of Eternity

world of the gurus has ended

BELOVED BUDDHA,

ONCE, AFTER DAIJI HAD BECOME AN ENLIGHTENED MASTER, HE SAID TO HIS MONKS, "I'M NOT GOING TO EXPLAIN ANY MORE DEBATES; YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A DISEASE."

AT THIS, A MONK STOOD UP FROM THE ASSEMBLY AND CAME FORWARD; DAIJI WENT BACK TO HIS ROOM.

Osho - No Mind The Flowers of Eternity

My change has taken me higher

BELOVED BUDDHA,

ONCE A DISCIPLE OF MA TZU, CALLED IKAN, WAS ASKED BY A MONK,

"HAS THE DOG THE BUDDHA-NATURE OR NOT?"

IKAN REPLIED YES, AND THE MONK THEN ASKED, "HAVE YOU GOT IT OR NOT?"

IKAN RESPONDED, "I HAVE NOT."

THEN THE MONK ASKED, "ALL EXISTENT CREATURES HAVE THE BUDDHA-NATURE; HOW IS IT THAT YOU HAVEN'T?"

Osho - No Mind The Flowers of Eternity

I am just myself

BELOVED BUDDHA,

CHOSA WAS A DISCIPLE OF NANSEN AND A CONTEMPORARY OF TOKUSAN, RINZAI AND ISAN. ONE DAY CHOSA WENT FOR A WALK AND WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE GATE, THE HEAD MONK ASKED HIM, "OSHO, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN STROLLING?"

CHOSA REPLIED, "I HAVE COME FROM WALKING IN THE HILLS."

Osho - No Mind The Flowers of Eternity

your eyes is the hope of the world

BELOVED BUDDHA,

ONE DAY WHEN ISAN AND THE MONKS WERE ENGAGED IN PICKING TEA LEAVES, ISAN CALLED TO KYOZAN, "ALL DAY I HAVE HEARD YOUR VOICE AND NOT SEEN YOU." KYOZAN, INSTEAD OF SAYING ANYTHING, SHOOK A TEA PLANT.

ISAN SAID, "YOU HAVE GOT THE USE, BUT NOT THE SUBJECT."

"I ASK YOU, WHAT DO YOU SAY?" SAID KYOZAN. ISAN KEPT SILENT.

Osho - No Mind The Flowers of Eternity

A meeting of two rivers

BELOVED BUDDHA

ONCE KAKUSAN WENT TO SEE KYOZAN. RAISING HIS FOOT, KAKUSAN SAID, "THE TWENTY- EIGHT INDIAN PATRIARCHS WERE LIKE THIS, AND THE SIX PATRIARCHS OF THE COUNTRY OF T'ANG WERE LIKE THIS, AND YOU ARE LIKE THIS, AND I AM LIKE THIS!"

KYOZAN CAME DOWN FROM THE ZEN SEAT AND HIT HIM FOUR TIMES WITH THE WISTERIA STAFF.

AFTER KAKUSAN BECAME ENLIGHTENED, AN ASCETIC ONCE SAID TO HIM, "WHAT IS THE TRUE MEANING OF BUDDHISM?"

Osho - No Mind The Flowers of Eternity,

An assembly of two buddhas

BELOVED BUDDHA,

ON ONE OCCASION WHEN A MONK ASKED KYOZAN THE MEANING OF BODHIDHARMA COMING FROM THE WEST, KYOZAN DREW A CIRCLE IN THE AIR AND PUT THE CHARACTER FOR BUDDHA INSIDE IT. THIS LEFT THE MONK WITHOUT WORDS.

AT ANOTHER TIME, KYOZAN WAS LIVING IN SEKITEI TEMPLE IN KOSHU. A MONK CAME UP TO HIM AND SAID, "MASTER, DO YOU KNOW CHINESE CHARACTERS?"

"AS FAR AS BEFITS MY POSITION," RESPONDED KYOZAN.