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Zen Antics
Throughout Zen history, stories and anecdotes of Zen masters and their students have been used as teaching devices to exemplify the enlightened spirit. Unlike many of the baffling dialogues between Zen masters preserved in the koan literature, the stories retold here are penetratingly simple but with a richness and subtlety that make them worth reading again and again. This collection includes more than one hundred such stories—many appearing here in English for the first time—drawn from a wide variety of sources and involving some of the best-known Zen masters, such as Hakuin, Bankei, and Shosan. Also presented are stories and anecdotes involving famous Zen artists and poets, such as Sengai and Basho.
99 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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About the author
Thomas Cleary
245 books279 followersDr. Thomas Francis Cleary, Ph.D. (East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University; J.D., Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley), was a prolific translator of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Muslim classics, with a particular emphasis on popular translations of Mahāyāna works relevant to the Chan, Zen, and Soen systems.
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October 12, 2021Thomas Cleary is perhaps the most eminent / and certainly the most prolific translator of ancient Confucian / Taoist / and Zen texts.
Referring to the stories as antics is a bit of a stretch. There are a handful that might deserve that term. Most would be better described as Zen teachings / or simply Zen stories. Calling them Stories of Enlightenment is also an exaggeration / as stories of enlightenment usually tell of the moment of a practitioner’s unrepeatable realization. Some of the questioners do experience some kind of realization. Mostly of the stories are of Zen masters teaching / of Zen in action.
Let’s give one example of a teacher whose method does qualify as an antic.
All the stories are definitely worth the read / and many will suggest ways of being in the world that can be helpful for anyone.
What is Zen practice and what does it consist of? There are schools of Buddhist meditation / and of Zen practice / each of which teaches its own methods. In reality there are as many answers to the question of what Zen is as there have been Zen teachers / and students as well. From my point of view there are two main aspects to the practice of Zen – there is the formal practice of meditation / intended to let go of hindrances / and there is how that practice plays out in the world / how the Zennists live their lives.
While sitting meditation / what are the meditators doing? They have stilled their bodies / and shut their mouths / in order to allow the mind to become still. Kakushin said – If you want to arrive at Buddhahood you must look into your own mind. The Sōtō tradition stresses just sitting / and the Rinzai tradition stresses koan practice. Koan practice uses pithy anecdotes and questions to allow meditators to clear their minds.
For what it’s worth / my own practice of meditation consists of sitting down and letting go. Letting go of what? Of anything that arises.
Some people think that meditation is a matter of clearing or cleaning the mind of everything. Someone asked me about the mind in which no thought arises. I told him that if he was getting close to that point / to let me know so I could get out my black suit. To counter that notion / let’s examine a statement by Man-An –
A student asked his teacher how he could clear his mind completely. Later he came upon the teacher sitting against a wall rubbing a brick against a stone. The student / in a state of bewilderment / asked the teacher what he was doing. The teacher said he was polishing the stone to make a mirror. The student learned a lesson.
The great teacher Bankei said of his own practice –
He added –
Some Zen teachers were very strict. Hakuin was so strict with himself that his dogged determination to break through almost killed him. His spiritual autobiography / Wild Ivy / is a stunning and inspiring story of great will at work on the path to (potential) enlightenment. All Zen teachers had their own methods / their own stories to tell / and their own instructions to students. For example / Gettan taught – When you have a talking mouth, you have no listening ears. When you have listening ears, you have no talking mouth. Think about this carefully. There are thousands of examples of these teachings / many of which provide useful advice to anyone who simply wants to feel better and/or to do better.
This practice leads to clear realizations. The first by Tenkei / the second by Ranryo –
People come to Zen practice for a lot of reasons / which usually have to do with suffering. Questions that commonly plague people’s minds include – Why is there suffering? Why am I suffering? Why is this happening? Why did my friend or relative have to die? What is death? Is there anything after death? How can I calm down? How can I get out of this depression? Why is there war all the time? Can we survive the climate disaster? Why can’t I always be happy? Does anything have any meaning?
Bankei –
The student Insan said to his teacher – I am only here because the matter of life and death is important, and impermanence is swift. His teacher Gessen replied – Here at this place there is no big thing to life and no big thing to death. How could it seem that life passes by quickly and death comes swiftly? Gifted teachers / from the depths of their own experience / are often able to set one’s mind at rest / and sometimes to set it free.
I practiced with Zen teacher Seung Sahn who had a koan that he favored above others. He instructed his students to ask themselves – What am I? – and to answer – Don’t know. Letting go of our habitual clinging to what we think of as our own self / is enormously freeing. And if we let go of that one rigid notion / a lot of the questions we have will naturally find answers / or simply dissolve.
Yui-e said – There is no secret trick to Zen study. It’s just a matter of freedom from life and death. And it is said of Enzui that – One day his mind opened up, and he attained a state where there is no doubt.
Other teachers have thought of death in a different way / or have used the word differently. Daiyū said – No, no! If you really want to attain the Way, you must die completely once; only then can you realize it. Daiyū was referring to what is sometimes called the great death, which is a death to the world of delusions and conceptualizations. It is understood that one awakens from this into a life of clarity and composure.
People that have practiced for some time are often able to face death with equanimity. Frequently teachers are asked for a last word / or for a poem before they die. There is a terrific book / Japanese Death Poems Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death compiled by Yoel Hoffman. The book is full of the joy of living.
The enlightened laywoman O-San was asked for some last words.
And –
And Genrō let the whole thing go with his shout of joy –
*
I’ll allow myself to close with a few words about one of my favorite masters. Among enlightened teachers Ryōkan was a bit out of the ordinary. He wasn’t born with that name but chose it when he became a monk. It means Great Fool. After receiving inka / confirmation of enlightenment and dharma transmission / he chose to live as a hermit. He loved playing hide-and-seek and kick ball and other games with the village children. He is best known to some for his exquisite poetry / so unadorned and deft. His calligraphy was also much-prized. When asked by an admirer to write something down / he might or might not consent. But when children asked him he always complied. Soon children were being set up to get what adults sometimes could not. Ryōkan was cared for during his last years by a young nun named Teishin. They enjoyed an intimate relationship. They wrote haiku for one another / which survive as a token of their loving friendship / a shared mind. He used to tell people – There are three things I very much dislike: the poetry of poets, the writing of writers, and the cuisine of cooks. Perhaps his meaning has been clarified / perhaps it has been dumbed down / in another translation – There are three things I detest: professional calligraphers’ calligraphy; professional poets’ poems, and professional cooks’ food.
Two poems / John Stevens tr –
&
/ Copyright © Alan Davies 2021
Referring to the stories as antics is a bit of a stretch. There are a handful that might deserve that term. Most would be better described as Zen teachings / or simply Zen stories. Calling them Stories of Enlightenment is also an exaggeration / as stories of enlightenment usually tell of the moment of a practitioner’s unrepeatable realization. Some of the questioners do experience some kind of realization. Mostly of the stories are of Zen masters teaching / of Zen in action.
Let’s give one example of a teacher whose method does qualify as an antic.
Izu studied Zen with Hakuin for a long time. As a teacher in his own right, Izu inherited the harsh manner of the redoubtable master Hakuin but was even sterner. Whenever he would receive people asking about Zen, he would lay a naked sword next to his seat. If they were hesitant or argumentative, he would chase them out with the sword.
All the stories are definitely worth the read / and many will suggest ways of being in the world that can be helpful for anyone.
What is Zen practice and what does it consist of? There are schools of Buddhist meditation / and of Zen practice / each of which teaches its own methods. In reality there are as many answers to the question of what Zen is as there have been Zen teachers / and students as well. From my point of view there are two main aspects to the practice of Zen – there is the formal practice of meditation / intended to let go of hindrances / and there is how that practice plays out in the world / how the Zennists live their lives.
Settan once wrote a set of guidelines for Zen monasteries. “An ancient said that Zen study requires three essentials. One is a great root of faith. The second is a great feeling of wonder. The third is great determination. If one of these is lacking, you are like a tripod missing a leg.
While sitting meditation / what are the meditators doing? They have stilled their bodies / and shut their mouths / in order to allow the mind to become still. Kakushin said – If you want to arrive at Buddhahood you must look into your own mind. The Sōtō tradition stresses just sitting / and the Rinzai tradition stresses koan practice. Koan practice uses pithy anecdotes and questions to allow meditators to clear their minds.
For what it’s worth / my own practice of meditation consists of sitting down and letting go. Letting go of what? Of anything that arises.
Some people think that meditation is a matter of clearing or cleaning the mind of everything. Someone asked me about the mind in which no thought arises. I told him that if he was getting close to that point / to let me know so I could get out my black suit. To counter that notion / let’s examine a statement by Man-An –
Many people of both ancient and modern times have awakened to the way and seen essential nature in the midst of reality. All beings in all times and places are manifestations of one mind. When the mind is aroused, all sorts of things arise; when the mind is quiet, all things are quiet. When the one mind is unborn, all things are blameless. For this reason, even if you stay in quiet and serene places deep in the mountains and sit silently in quiet contemplation, as long as the road of the mind-monkey’s horse of conceptualization is not cut off, you will only be wasting time.
The third patriarch of Zen said, ‘If you try to stop movement and resort to stillness, that stopping will cause even more movement.’ If you try to seek true suchness by erasing random thoughts, you will belabor your vital spirit, diminish your mental energy, and make yourself sick. Not only that, you will become oblivious or distracted and fall into a pit of bewilderment.
A student asked his teacher how he could clear his mind completely. Later he came upon the teacher sitting against a wall rubbing a brick against a stone. The student / in a state of bewilderment / asked the teacher what he was doing. The teacher said he was polishing the stone to make a mirror. The student learned a lesson.
The great teacher Bankei said of his own practice –
Harmonization with the ineffable wisdom inherent in everyone before getting involved in thinking and conceptualization is called meditation; detachment from all external objects is called sitting. But closing your eyes and sitting there is not what I call sitting meditation; only sitting meditation attuned to subtle knowledge is to be considered of value.
He added –
I too toiled over the occurrence of thoughts when I was young, but suddenly I realized that our school is the school of the enlightened eye, and no one can help another without clear perception. From the beginning I transcended all other concerns and concentrated on working solely on attainment of clear vision.
Some Zen teachers were very strict. Hakuin was so strict with himself that his dogged determination to break through almost killed him. His spiritual autobiography / Wild Ivy / is a stunning and inspiring story of great will at work on the path to (potential) enlightenment. All Zen teachers had their own methods / their own stories to tell / and their own instructions to students. For example / Gettan taught – When you have a talking mouth, you have no listening ears. When you have listening ears, you have no talking mouth. Think about this carefully. There are thousands of examples of these teachings / many of which provide useful advice to anyone who simply wants to feel better and/or to do better.
This practice leads to clear realizations. The first by Tenkei / the second by Ranryo –
Everything is conditional and ultimately empty of inherent selfhood.
My way is right there, wherever I happen to be. There is no gap at all.
People come to Zen practice for a lot of reasons / which usually have to do with suffering. Questions that commonly plague people’s minds include – Why is there suffering? Why am I suffering? Why is this happening? Why did my friend or relative have to die? What is death? Is there anything after death? How can I calm down? How can I get out of this depression? Why is there war all the time? Can we survive the climate disaster? Why can’t I always be happy? Does anything have any meaning?
Bankei –
All confusion is a matter of revolving in vicious circles of delusion because of using thoughts. When angry thoughts come out, you become a titan; craving makes you an animal; clinging to things makes you a hungry ghost. If you die without giving these up, you revolve in routines forever, whirling in the flow of birth and death.
The student Insan said to his teacher – I am only here because the matter of life and death is important, and impermanence is swift. His teacher Gessen replied – Here at this place there is no big thing to life and no big thing to death. How could it seem that life passes by quickly and death comes swiftly? Gifted teachers / from the depths of their own experience / are often able to set one’s mind at rest / and sometimes to set it free.
I practiced with Zen teacher Seung Sahn who had a koan that he favored above others. He instructed his students to ask themselves – What am I? – and to answer – Don’t know. Letting go of our habitual clinging to what we think of as our own self / is enormously freeing. And if we let go of that one rigid notion / a lot of the questions we have will naturally find answers / or simply dissolve.
Yui-e said – There is no secret trick to Zen study. It’s just a matter of freedom from life and death. And it is said of Enzui that – One day his mind opened up, and he attained a state where there is no doubt.
Other teachers have thought of death in a different way / or have used the word differently. Daiyū said – No, no! If you really want to attain the Way, you must die completely once; only then can you realize it. Daiyū was referring to what is sometimes called the great death, which is a death to the world of delusions and conceptualizations. It is understood that one awakens from this into a life of clarity and composure.
People that have practiced for some time are often able to face death with equanimity. Frequently teachers are asked for a last word / or for a poem before they die. There is a terrific book / Japanese Death Poems Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death compiled by Yoel Hoffman. The book is full of the joy of living.
The enlightened laywoman O-San was asked for some last words.
In this world
where words do not remain at all,
any more than the dew
on the leaves,
whatever should I say
for posterity?
And –
As Kokan was nearing death, his foremost disciple asked him for a final verse. He hollered, “My final verse fills the universe! Why bother with pen and paper.”
And Genrō let the whole thing go with his shout of joy –
At dawn, in response to the temple bell, the universe opens;
The orb of the sun, bright, comes from the Great East.
What this principle is, I do not know;
unawares my jowls are filled with gales of laughter.
*
I’ll allow myself to close with a few words about one of my favorite masters. Among enlightened teachers Ryōkan was a bit out of the ordinary. He wasn’t born with that name but chose it when he became a monk. It means Great Fool. After receiving inka / confirmation of enlightenment and dharma transmission / he chose to live as a hermit. He loved playing hide-and-seek and kick ball and other games with the village children. He is best known to some for his exquisite poetry / so unadorned and deft. His calligraphy was also much-prized. When asked by an admirer to write something down / he might or might not consent. But when children asked him he always complied. Soon children were being set up to get what adults sometimes could not. Ryōkan was cared for during his last years by a young nun named Teishin. They enjoyed an intimate relationship. They wrote haiku for one another / which survive as a token of their loving friendship / a shared mind. He used to tell people – There are three things I very much dislike: the poetry of poets, the writing of writers, and the cuisine of cooks. Perhaps his meaning has been clarified / perhaps it has been dumbed down / in another translation – There are three things I detest: professional calligraphers’ calligraphy; professional poets’ poems, and professional cooks’ food.
Two poems / John Stevens tr –
First days of Spring – the sky
is bright blue, the sun huge and warm.
Everything’s turning green.
Carrying my monk’s bowl, I walk to the village
to beg for my daily meal.
The children spot me at the temple gate.
&
Who says my poems are poems?
My poems are not poems.
After you know my poems are not poems,
Then we can begin to discuss poetry.
/ Copyright © Alan Davies 2021
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April 1, 2025Este título siempre estará al alcance de cualquier hombre que esté fascinado por la iluminación. En realidad es importante acercanos con mirada expectante ante este tipo de sabiduría. Vaya, sí que las bibliotecas suelen apreciar este término. La historia de la sabiduría siempre nos llevará a mejores instancias. Habrá que vernos en esta situación. Estamos todos inmersos en la misma experiencia.
#Avadana #Literatura #Narración #Cuento #Parábola #Compilación.
#Avadana #Literatura #Narración #Cuento #Parábola #Compilación.
August 17, 2020
Interesting stories and anecdotes, but I personally didn’t resonate with them.
December 9, 2020
I was deeply moved by some of these stories and completely confused by others. Both are probably equally valuable.
September 29, 2013
Very fun tales of enlightened masters and their students. Enlightenment cannot be understood by the mind, but rather is experienced through the cessation of thought, so these tales give you more of a glimpse of enlightenment than an intellectual explanation of enlightenment can.
October 29, 2011
August 2011
December 24, 2013
Neskutečné. Úžasné čtení.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews