-- How Strange! How Strange!! -- Changqing Huileng (854-932) was an earnest Zen student. It is said that he wore out seven sitting cushions in his twenty years of monastic practice. When he went to Zen Master Xuefengs monastery the master said to him, Ill give you the medicine that horse doctors use to revive dead horses. Can you take it? Changqing said he could, so Xuefeng advised him to maintain body and mind as still as a burnt stump on a mountain. If youre slow youll realize something in ten years; if youre average, then after seven; and if youre quick, then after three. One night, after he had practiced in this way for two and a half years, Changqing rose from meditation to walk around the garden a bit, and then lay down on the bare ground to sleep. Upon awaking he returned to the meditation hall. As he raised the bamboo screen at the entrance he suddenly saw the beam of the lantern inside and at that moment was enlightened. He went to the masters quarters and waited there for Xuefeng to finish his nights sleep. Suddenly he let out a laugh. Xuefeng came out and enquired what had happened. Changqing replied, How strange! How strange! When the screen is rolled up, all under Heaven is complete. Were someone to ask me what Ive seen, Id pick up my whisk and hit him on the mouth. Xuefeng approved of his enlightenment. -----!!!!----- But people are very strange! They dont meditate and just walk around in the garden and think this way they will get enlightened. There are stories like someone got enlightened while peeling potatoes, someone got enlightened while meditating under a tree etc etc. And some foolish people start peeling potatoes, some other people think that they will go under that tree, sit for while and their duty is done. They think they will get enlightened by doing so. And moreover, there are some people who think that by meditation they will become enlightened! No! Zen doesnt give you any such guarantee. Still meditate. Thats all Zen has to tell you.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 02:31:26 +0000
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