Zen: The Special Transmission

Here it is...

Here it is... Chao Chou asked Nan Chuan: 'What is Tao?' 'The ordinary mind is Tao.' 'How to approach it?' 'If you approach it, you'll miss it.' The Tao is not knowing or not knowing. Here it is: the ordinary mind IS Tao. Don't approach—just be. Knowing is delusion, not-knowing is insensibility. Realize it and the mind becomes like great space—vast, void, clear.

Come and Get It!

Come and Get It! 'What is understanding and what is misunderstanding?' Mind is misunderstanding. All mind—good, bad, educated, uneducated—is misunderstanding. Come and get it: understanding is when mind stops. Mind projects; awareness sees. Understanding is not intellectual—it's existential. Drop the projector and see the screen as it is.

The Empty Door is Open Wide

The Empty Door is Open Wide. The bee tried to fly through paper, not the open door. 'The empty door is open wide—how foolish to thrust against the window!' The old master was reading sutras—Shen Tsan showed him the open door. The empty door is open wide: scriptures are paper windows—truth is the open door. Stop reading about truth and walk through.

At a Time Like This?

At a Time Like This? 'Can a woman really drive a man crazy?' It depends on the man. If wise, he becomes henpecked. If not, he goes crazy. At a time like this: the woman is not the problem—the man's reaction is. The wise man accepts; the fool fights. Ninety-nine percent choose henpecked—just to survive.

Why not Shoot Yourself?

Why not Shoot Yourself? Shih-kung the hunter met Ma Tzu. 'How many can you shoot with one arrow?' 'One.' 'I can kill a whole flock with one arrow.' 'Why shoot a whole flock?' 'Since you know, why don't you shoot yourself?' Why not shoot yourself: the hunter became a monk. Killing the ego is the only real hunting. The self is the deer.

Wake up, Lazarus!

Wake up, Lazarus! 'Did Jesus really call Lazarus from death?' The function of the master is precisely that—to call the dead to life. Wake up, Lazarus: most people are dead while appearing alive. The master's function is resurrection. Jesus didn't call a dead body—he called a dead consciousness. The dead hear and live.

Mind is Gone

Mind is Gone. An angel saw a radiant forest—found a bodhisattva meditating. He searched the mind but found nothing. 'On what are you meditating?' The bodhisattva smiled and remained silent. Mind is gone: when the mind is gone, even angels can't find it. No object, no idea—just pure being. The smile is the answer.

Get It?

Get It? 'What is for lunch today?' Celibates become obsessed with food—their sexuality perverts. Get it: the question about lunch is really about the questioner's state. The celibate's food obsession is displaced sexuality. Don't suppress—transform. The master answers the real question, not the apparent one.

The Bird Has Flown

The Bird Has Flown. The monk recited: 'If one sees that forms are not forms, he sees Buddha.' The master: 'Wrong—forms ARE forms, he sees Buddha.' The monk: 'That's opposite to the sutra!' 'How can a blind man read the sutra?' The bird has flown: seeing forms as forms IS seeing Buddha. Don't deny forms—see them as they are. The blind man reads words, not truth.

It's a Special Transmission

It's a Special Transmission. 'I will take sannyas—I'm afraid, there are doubts, but happiness arises.' Fear is natural—every adventure brings fear. It's a special transmission: from heart to heart, not book to mind. The fear means it's real. The happiness means you're ready. Sannyas is the adventure into the unknown—and the unknown is your own nature.