Disciple to Master: “How do you see things so clearly?
Master: “I close my eyes.”(Zen parable,
quoted in Zen Culture by Thomas Hoover)
Discípulo al Maestro: «¿Cómo ves las cosas tan claramente?»
Maestro: «Cierro los ojos.»(Parábola zen,
citado en Zen Culture por Thomas Hoover)
Don’t you know the poems of Han-shan?
They’re better for you than scripture-reading.
Cut them out and paste them on a screen,
Then you can gaze at them from time to time.
Don’t you know the poems of Han-shan? Don’t you know Han-shan, the hermit and accidental poet, the legendary Master of Cold Mountain, the early Chinese Zen philosopher?
Well, if you don’t, it’s time you got to know him. 🙂
Continue reading “The Master of Cold Mountain”
I occasionally see world weary westerners traipsing down Regent Street in loose robes and sandals chanting ‘Hare Krishna’, apparently believing that this would ease their existential angst, or, better still, solve all their problems – I blame the Beatles. Personally, I’ve never yet felt tempted to sing ‘Hare Krishna’; mainly because it’s somebody else’s cultural background and I’ve got a perfectly serviceable one of my own. Even so – and despite the Beatles – I recognise that the East has much to offer us.
Continue reading “The Amazing Cynicism of the Tao Teh King”
