.. ZEN Illumination .. 「Inner Peace.」

[Saga]

Hello all! :3

 

Ready for another Zen tour? *grins

 

 

It's funny when night falls upon Earth, well... at least when the time zone allows it, human mind starts going to some philosophic paths. You know, these small hours of the night, when you start feeling awesomely 'smart' for asking awesomely 'weird' questions to yourself. Like the flow of life, how we were created...or whatever your mind is curious about.

Actually, it's not some night spell. It's the inner peace.

 

And since I love...I mean 'LOVE' to ask questions, I realized that the wrong question leads to wrong answer. Simple, right? Here is the catch though, it'd be a lot easier if we actually knew which question is wrong and which is right. The "thrill", if I can call it this way, is not getting the answer - it's the journey through which you go to there. And that journey is strictly bound to finding the right question.

 

Zen is actually that kind of journey. Puzzles of questions and to get the right answer, you have to learn how to listen. Listen to the silence.

 

Last time I asked a question, probably many people would think that was some ...damn odd frigging question.

"If two hands clap and make no sound, what is the sound one hand make?"

 

It is truly beautiful. Come on. Turn off your music or whatever you have on. Clap your hands. Yeah, don't roll eyes. Just clap them now, it doesn't request anything at all. Clap them and stay with the hands as they are connected.

What actually you did? Yes, it is obvious. You clapped hands. Stay like that a bit more. Ah, there is no sound, right?

 

The problem is that you listened to the clap, not to the silence.

 

I could say "If two hands clap and the lights turn off."

Then what? You will actually notice the lights turning off? But why when I said " -- they make no sound", you actually went for the sound itself, while clapping. But ignored the silence.

 

Simple. Because you are deaf to the silence like you are blind to the darkness. And once you get the inner peace, you wouldn't need eyes, ears, nose or whatever. Of course, I suppose. *chuckles

 

Oh,sorry. Are you still standing with the hands connected? ;D

If no, okay. Gather them after the clap again. Now, when you listen to the silence relax yourself and close your eyes for a bit... what does it feel like? You standing there, with hands becoming ONE, silent, closed eyes.... Let's add to the image one temple. Oh, are you praying? *grins

 

The sound of one hand is a prayer.

 

Well, according to me. As I said, the answer doesn't matter. The question does - so...are you praying or simply clapping hands? Hm.

 

So, I will end today's journey with something very interesting. I am still thinking over it. Read that story, you may state your thoughts.

 

The Zen master Hakuin was praised by his neighbors as one living a pure life.

 

A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near him. Suddenly, without any warning, her parents discovered she was pregnant.

 

This made her parents very angry. She wouldn't confess who the man was, but after much harassment at last she named him - Hakuin.

 

In great anger the parents went to the master.

"Is that so?" was all Hakuin would say.

 

After the child was born it was brought to Hakuin. By that time he had lost his reputation, which did not trouble him, but he took very good care of the child. He obtained milk from his neighbors and everything else the little one needed.

 

A year later the girl-mother could stand it no longer. She told her parents the truth - that the real father of the child was a young man who worked in the fish-market.

 

The mother and father of the girl at once went to Hakuin to ask his forgiveness, to apologize at length, and to get the child back again.

 

Hakuin was willing. In yielding the child, all he said was: "Is that so?"

[1978]

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