One Hand Clapping [antikvár]

Introduction Among the sixteen kinds of meditation, the baby's practice is the best. Yuan-wu How delightful it is To play with the children The whole spring day, When the mist is gone! Ryokan (from Dewdrops on the Lotus, jakob Fischer) The stories in this collection are all from or about Zen, the spiritual tradition which began twenty-five hundred years ago in India with the life and experience of the Buddha. "Zen" is a Japanese word. It comes from the Sansicrit word "dhyana," and the Chinese word "ch'an," both of which mean "meditation." In Zen meditation, or zazen, a Zen student learns to let his or her mind rest at ease, beyond all limiting thought forms. In this freedom of mind, we can realize our true nature, our oneness with everyone and everything. Who was the Buddha? He was a prince born in the sixth century B.C., and the name his parents actually gave him was Siddhartha. It was a beautiful name for, in Sansicrit, Siddhartha means "every wish fulfilled." As a young man Prince Siddhartha was moved by the sufferings of others. Even the sufferings of birds and animals caused him concern. "That's good," thought his father, "when he becomes king he'll care about his subjects." But Siddhartha wanted to do more than be a king. One day, when he was twenty-nine years old, he suddenly left the wealth of his father's palace and, all alone, set out to find a way to free himself, and all living beings, from the sufferings of old age, sickness, change, and death. One morning, after six years of meditation in the forests and mountains, just as he glanced up at the morning star, he suddenly experienced Enlightenment. In a flash he saw how every plant, tree, bug, stone, animal, person, and star is itself the entire Universe and is entirely Perfect just as it is, free from all limitation or suffering. He saw clearly, too, how our clouded thinking makes it seem and feel quite otherwise. After that he was known as the Buddha, which means "the Awakened One," and he dedicated every day of his life to joyfully helping others.