Basho’s 9th Century Message for Today
Basho was a master of the ninth century. One day he was sitting with his feet across the garden-path. A monk came along with a wheel-barrow. Tuck in your feet, …
You Are The Buddha
There is no such person as Buddha. Buddha is simply a Sanskrit word meaning initiate. The Absolute is immanent in every man’s heart. This treasure of the heart is the …
Unusual Way of Spiritual Practice
There is a characteristic of Zen which cannot be found in any other practice or in any religion. That is to say, its peculiar mode of expressing profound religious insight …
The Zen Master Eno
Eno was a great Zen master of the seventh century. He had lost his parents when he was young and earned his living by gathering firewood. One day when he …
What is Wisdom?
Shall I teach thee what is wisdom? To know what we know, and know what we do not know. That is wisdom. Confucius.
About Zen
Buddhist and non-Buddhist religions, lay stress on scriptural authority, that is holy books, writings, and doctrine. But Zen denounces all this on the grounds that words or characters can never …
Voltaire on the Beauty of Machines
When we see a beautiful machine, we say that there is a good engineer, and that this engineer has excellent judgment. The world is assuredly an admirable machine. Therefore there …
Old Friends Meet After 20 Years
It is almost as hard for friends to meet as for the morning and evening stars. Tonight then is a rare event, joining in the candlelight two men who were …