26 Nothing Exists
Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku.
Desiring to show his attainment, he said: "The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no relaization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received."
Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth quite angry.
"If nothing exists," inquired Dokuon, "where did this anger come from?"
25 Returning to the Ordinary World
A monk asked Kegon, “How does an enligthtened one return to the ordinary world?” Kegon replied, “A broken mirror never reflects again; fallen flowers never go back to the old branches.”
7 The Zen Librarian
A woman asked the Zen Librarian where to find a book with a certain call number. The Zen Librarian directed her to a shelf where she should look. She returned to the Zen Librarian and said, “There is nothing on that shelf but a pile of stones. Where may I find that book?” The Zen Librarian told her to look on the same shelf as before.
The woman went to the shelf again, and she returned with a large stone, which she dropped on the Zen Librarian’s foot. He bowed and retrieved the book for her.
When the book was returned after being checked out, it was a week overdue. The Zen Librarian picked up a stone, dropped it on his foot, and handed the book to a clerk.
6 the Zen Librarian
The Zen Librarian searched for nothing on Google and received 27,987,384 hits
9 The True Path
Just before Ninakawa passed away the Zen master Ikkyu visited him. “Shall I lead you on?” Ikkyu asked.
Ninakawa replied: “I came here alone and I go alone. What help could you be to me?”
Ikkyu answered: “If you think you really come and go, that is your delusion. Let me show you the path on which there is no coming and no going.”
With his words, Ikkyu had revealed the path so clearly that Ninakawa smilled and passed away.