Zen: The Path of Paradox, Vol 2

Hey! Wait a Minute

Hey! Wait a Minute. A thief demanded money. Shichiri: 'Don't disturb me—money's in the drawer.' 'Don't take it all—I need some for taxes.' 'Thank a person when you receive a gift.' The thief thanked him. Later, Shichiri said: 'This man is no thief—I gave him the money.' The thief became his disciple. Hey! Wait a minute: the master treats the thief as a guest—because nothing is 'mine.' Gratitude transforms even theft.

Selling Water by the River

Selling Water by the River. 'How much inner peace is appropriate in a world with Vietnam, Attica?' The world contains violence because inner peace is missing. Selling water by the river: you're selling what's already free. You ARE peace—you just don't know it. The world's violence is the symptom; the individual's unrest is the disease. Don't withdraw—transform.

And the Sky Abides

And the Sky Abides. A pupil was caught stealing. Bankei ignored it—twice. The others threatened to leave. 'You know right from wrong—you can go. This poor brother doesn't—who will teach him if I don't?' The thief was transformed. And the sky abides: compassion is passion purified of all poison. The sky doesn't reject clouds—it lets them pass. Bankei's compassion was the sky.

Slipping Lazily into Divinity

Slipping Lazily into Divinity. 'What about the real, authentic woman?' Authenticity has no gender. Man is unisex—each contains both. Slipping lazily into divinity: not climbing, not striving—slipping. Like falling asleep—divinity happens when you stop trying. The real woman is the real man—authenticity is unisex.

The White Flame of Life

The White Flame of Life. Nobunaga attacked with one-tenth the men. He tossed a coin—heads. The soldiers won. The coin was doubled—heads both ways. The white flame of life: it's not destiny that decides—it's your own confidence. The double-headed coin is the master's secret: make the disciple believe, and belief creates the reality.

The Door to the Wild

The Door to the Wild. 'I'm fifty but don't feel mature.' You haven't killed your parents, teachers, leaders. They're inside you, keeping you childish. The door to the wild: maturity means killing all inner authorities—not actual people but their voices within. Buddha said of a monk: 'He has killed his mother, father, relatives, king.' He killed them within—and became free.

An Explosion of Insight

An Explosion of Insight. Children made sand castles, fought over them, then at evening stamped on their own and went home. An explosion of insight: life is sand castles. You fight for them, defend them, then at evening (death) you stamp on them yourself. The sage sees this while still playing—plays without attachment, knowing it's sand.

There is No Back of this Book

There is No Back of this Book. 'I got the feeling I am perfect as I am—with all my anger, grief, hate.' The idea of perfection persists—you just changed its direction. There is no back of this book: you can't get behind enlightenment. The book (life) has no back—it's all front, all surface, all now. Don't try to be perfect or imperfect—just be.

Scratching the Shoe

Scratching the Shoe. The master: 'Ha! Ha! Ha! What's all this? Go have some tea.' Scratching the shoe: when your head itches, you scratch your shoe—the mind always scratches the wrong place. The master's 'Ha!' is the real scratch—on the ego, not the intellect. Nothing can be said about the ultimate—only 'Ha!'

The Bridge but not the Water Flows

The Bridge but not the Water Flows. 'Why is Adam a sinner? Is the concept of sin just a trick?' Yes. The bridge but not the water flows: consciousness remains—the world flows. Sin is a trick to make you feel guilty—guilt makes you controllable. Osho is a pagan: God is existence, not a person. To live totally is divine; to live partially is sin.