Two Quotes from NDHighlights

[Guest guest]

A Monk asked Nanquan, " Master, where will you be found

in a hundred years? "

" Nanquan said, " I'm going to be an ox living down

at the bottom of the mountain. "

 

P:This can be viewed at two levels:

1) Nanquan was poking fun at the idea of transmigration.

That he, a master, would be reincarnated as an ox was

for the monk, sacrilege.

 

2) The ox in Zen could symbolize Buddha Nature. So in

a hundred years Nanquan's Buddha Nature wouldn't be any different

than it was now.

 

 

" The monk said, " May I follow you to that place [as an ox]? "

" Nanquan said, " If you follow me, you must do so

with a single blade of grass in your mouth. "

 

P:Which meant, to follow me, you must be one with me (Buddha Nature)

 

The master then became ill. He said to the monks,

" Starlight is dim but eternal.

Don't say that I'm coming or going. "

When he finished speaking, the master died.

 

P: " Don't say I'm coming or going "

Which means we are never born or die. So, who could

be reborn?

 

It's quite irrelevant whether we lived only once or a million lives.

Our true nature is clear and perfect as the void. It doesn't need to

store memories or thoughts. And even if it did, and we could remember

our previous lives, what could we have done then, different

than now. We eat, we sleep, we love, we fight, we hope, we suffer.

It's always the same. Now if you could remember when you were neither

born, nor dead, that would be something to crow about. Then you could

join Nanquan bringing him a single blade of grass.

 

Best wishes,

Pete

 

 

 

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advaitatozen

 

Sheilah

Sat Apr 24, 2004 6:38 am

From the summit of peace

 

 

 

 

 

May calmness take you to the summit of peace, where

you will be able to see everything with a infinite

perspective.