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Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 103 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • the Five Prec 101 The Five Precepts The first precept: I vow to abstain from taking life. The second precept: I vow to abstain from taking things not given. The third precept: I vow to abstain from misconduct done in lust. The fourth precept: I vow to abstain from lying. The fifth precept: I vow to abstain from intoxicants, taken to induce heedlessness. Already, now, it is too late. Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 103 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org 102 Our offenses have no self-nature, but arise only from our minds. If our minds are extinguished, then our offenses will be likewise destroyed. When both our minds and our offenses are extinguished, and both are seen as empty,this is termed true repentance. The Four Vows Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them all. The defilements and passions are inexhaustible, I vow to destroy them all. The teachings are manifold, I vow to learn them all. The Buddha-way is supreme, I vow to attain it. Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 104 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org 103 Long ago, Bodhidharma sat in Sorim. One day Hui-Ko came to Sorim and asked him, “Would you please teach me the Dharma?” Bodhidharma said, “Would you believe me?” Hui-Ko answered, “Yes.” “What proof do you have of this?” “How can I prove this? “Cut off your hand and give it to me.” Hui-Ko cut his left hand off, which was very painful. He said, “My mind hurts very much. Please give me a healthy mind.” “Bring me this pain in the mind.” “I can’t see or hold my mind, so I can’t give it to you.” “Then put it down.” Like lightning, Hui-Ko attained Satori. Hui-Ko became the second Chinese patriarch and the twenty-ninth in line from Buddha. Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 105 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org 104 The Four Gates 1. The ice frog is flying into the sun. 2. The mud bird swims in the water, and returns home. 3. The kapok fish rides the bone of space and sings a spring song. 4. The wooden dog eats steel, shits fire, and runs far away. One of these four gates has become the Buddha gate. Which one? Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 106 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org 105 Long ago, Zen Master Hui-Ko went to the house of a student, who was incurably sick. The student asked the Zen Master, “In my past lives, I have accumulated much bad karma, and so am now very sick. I am suffering greatly. I wish this karma would disappear, that you would teach me the way of repentance, and that I may live.” The Zen Master said to him, “Is that so? Now, bring this karma here. I must make it disappear.” After a few minutes, the student said, “I have searched for the karma, but cannot find it. How can I become well?” “It is your karma that you cannot find it. I have just made it disappear.” At this moment, the student understood both karma-nature and Buddha-nature. So, he became the third Chinese patriarch, Seng-ts’an. At South Mountain, clouds are formed. At North Mountain, rain falls. Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 107 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org 106 One day long ago, Seung Sahn Soen Sa gave a speech to all his students. “An egg is placed into a small-necked bottle, and kept warm. After twenty days, the egg hatches and a small chick come out. Food is passed through the neck of the flask, and the chick grows each day, bigger and bigger, until it is full-grown. At this point, the neck of the jar is much too small for the chicken to get out.” “How can you get him out without either breaking the jar or killing the chicken?” Clouds rise up from below to the sky. Rain falls back down to the ground. Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 108 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org 107 One day, a thirteen-year-old boy came to Zen Master Seng-Ts’an’s temple, and bowed to him. The Master asked, “What teaching do you want?” “Have compassion on me and give me the teaching that delivers all people from suffering.” “Who bound you?” “No one bound me.” “If no one did, why do you want the teaching of deliverance?” At this, the child was freed and said, “Thank you very much, Master.” “What do you mean by this thank you?” The child only stood up and bowed. The Zen Master said, “Very good, wonderful.” Afterwards, the child became the fourth Chinese patriarch, Tao-shin. Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 109 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org 108 Long ago, Seung Sahn Soen Sa visited the Dharma room at Brown University and gave a Zen talk. “When you are thinking, all minds are different. When you are not thinking, all minds are alike. The not-thinking mind is your substance; your substance and the substance of all things is the same, so the substance of the Universe and you are the same. You are the Universe; the Universe is you.” At this point, one person asked him, “What do you think of the sun?” “If you think there is North, South, East and West, then you have these. If you do not think so, you do not have them. Mountain and river are only names; there are no mountains or rivers. They are made only in the thoughts of people. The name of all things is the same. Originally, there is no name. You think of the sun; therefore, you have sun. You do not think of the sun; therefore, you do not have it. You are the sun; the sun is you.” The student said, “Thank you. I understand now.” “What do you understand by ‘Thank you’?” “I understand One.” “What is One?” “One is truth.” “What is truth?” “Truth is all.” “Then, is two truth?” “Yes. Two is one; one is two.” “What does one come from?” After a moment, the student said, “I don’t know. Please teach me.” “If I taught you, would you believe me?” “If I taught you, would you believe me?” Soen Sa said, “Yes, I believe everything. Would you like me to teach you?” Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 110 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org “Yes.” “Come here.” The student came and sat in front of Soen Sa. Soen Sa hit him and said, “Do you understand?” “Yes, I do.” Then I ask you: This stick, the sound it makes, and your mind—are they different or the same?” “They’re the same… no, they’re different… no, they’re both different and the same.” “If you say they’re the same, I’ll hit you thirty times. If you say they’re different, I’ll hit you thirty times. If you say both, I’ll hit you sixty times.” The student covered his mouth with his hands and returned to his seat. Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 111 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org 109 One day, Zen Master Tao-hsin was walking and met a strong young man. The Master thought to himself, “This man is very strong; he could become a great container of the Dharma.” When the man came close, the Master asked him, “What is your name?” “My name? That name is not so good; underneath, I have a nature-name.” “”What is your nature-name?” “I am forced to make the name ‘Buddha-nature’.” “If that is your last name, what is your first name?” “My first name is Empty.” “Then are you empty now?” “I don’t need to answer. You already understand.” The Master laughed heartily. The young man later became the fifth patriarch, Hung-jen. Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn • Page 112 © 2008 Kwan Um School of Zen • www.kwanumzen.org 110 One day long ago, Seung Sahn Soen Sa was staying at a student’s house in Boston, and many people came for lunch. One person asked, “With what mind do you practice Zen?” “Did you eat lunch yesterday?” “Yes.” “The mind with which you ate lunch yesterday and the mind today—are they different or the same?” “Different.” “Why are they different?” “Yesterday’s mind is past mind; today’s mind is present.” “Where did yesterday’s mind go? Where is today’s mind coming from?” The student couldn’t answer this question. Soen Sa said, “The Diamond Sutra proclaims, ‘One cannot attain past mind, present mind, or future mind.’ Zen mind is no mind; mind is only name. Thus, there is no past, present, or future. If we put sugar in a glass of water, it becomes sweet; salt, it is salty; medicine, it becomes medicine. If we think good thoughts, our mind is good; bad thoughts, it is bad; no thoughts, it is empty. Emptiness is suchness of mind.” “Thank you very much. I understand. This is Zen mind.” “So you understand. This book and your mind, are they the different or the same?” “They are the same.” “You now understand that your mind is empty. This book is not empty.
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