Fuke Stories from the Sayings of RinZai

One day the master and Fuke went to a vegetarian banquet
given them by a believer. During the meal, the master asked
Fuke: " 'A hair swallows the vast ocean, a mustard seed contains
Mt. Sumeru' — does this happen by means of supernatural
powers, or is the whole body (substance, essence) like this?"
Fuke kicked over the table.
The master said: "Rough fellow."
Fuke retorted: "What place is this here to speak of rough and
refined ?"


The next day, they went again to a vegetarian banquet. During
that meal, the master asked: "Today's fare, how does it compare
with yesterday's?"
Fuke (as before) kicked over the table.
The master said: "Understand it you do — but still, you are a
rough fellow."
Fuke replied: "Blind fellow, does one preach of any roughness or
finesse in the Buddha-Dharma?"
The master stuck out his tongue.


One day the master and the two old teachers Kayo and
Mokuto were sitting in the hearth pit of the meditation hall. The
master remarked: "Every day Fuke plays the fool in the street
markets. Does anyone know whether he is a vulgar fellow or a
sage?"
Before he had finished speaking, Fuke came in. The master asked
him: "Are you a vulgar fellow or a sage?"
Fuke replied: "Say it yourself whether I am a vulgar fellow or a
sage." The master gave a Katsu.
Fuke, indicating each with his pointing finger, said: "Kajo's style
of the newlywed bride, Mokuto's grandmotherly Zen, Rinzai's
little servant — all three have the single eye."
The master remarked: "This robber."
Fuke left, shouting "robber, robber."


One day Fuke was eating raw cabbage before the meditation
hall. The master saw him and said: "You have quite the air of an
ass." Fuke began to bray.
The master said: "This robber."
Fuke went away, shouting "robber, robber."

Fuke always used to roam about in the street markets, ringing
a bell and shouting: "When it comes in brightness, I hit the
brightness. When it approaches in darkness, I hit the darkness.
When it comes from the four quarters and eight directions (of
space), I hit like a whirlwind, and if it comes out of the empty
sky, I thrash like a flail."
The master made one of his attendants go there, instructing him
to grab Fuke while speaking and ask him "If it does not come in
any of these ways, what then?"
Fuke freed himself from the grasp of the attendant and said:
"Tomorrow is a vegetarian banquet in the monastery of Great
Compassion."
The attendant returned and told the master, who remarked: "I
was always intrigued with this fellow."


One day at the street market Fuke was begging all and sundry
to give him a robe. Everybody offered him one, but he did not
want any of them.
The master made the superior buy a coffin, and when Fuke
returned, said to him: "There, I had this robe made for you."
Fuke shouldered the coffin, and went back to the street market,
calling loudly: "Rinzai had this robe made for me! I am off to the
East Gate to enter transformation" (to die)." The people of the
market crowded after him, eager to look.
Fuke said: "No, not today. Tomorrow, I shall go to the South
Gate to enter transformation." And so it went for three days,
until nobody believed it any longer.
On the fourth day, and now without any spectators, Fuke went
alone outside the city walls, and laid himself into the coffin. He
asked a traveler who chanced by to nail down the lid. The news
spread at once, and the people of the market rushed there.
On opening the coffin, they found that the body had vanished,
but from high up in the sky they heard the ring of his hand bell.

The master left Issan. Gyosan went with him to see him off,
and said: "If later on you go north, there will be a place for you."
The master said: "How should that happen?"
Gyosan said: "Just go there. Later there will be someone to help
you, elder brother. That someone will have a head but no tail, a
beginning but no end."
When the master later went to the prefecture of Chin, Fuke was
already there and helped the master when he started teaching.
But soon after the master had settled in there, Fuke cast off his
body and vanished.


No cometary from me on these, I just like the stories and felt compelled to share them today.

With great gratitude to Irmgard Schloegl

Here is a story

There once was a demon who was always raging against the world.
There seemed to be no end to the demons greed and anger.
One day the demon saw destruction that was not of his creation, and he remembered the Buddha’s teaching.
As a result of this; the demon became a devout protector of Buddhism.
Thanks to his good karma gained through protecting the Buddha’s law, the demon was reborn as a human being, and was able to become enlightened.

With the right aspiration, anyone can realize Buddha.

In gratitude for the teachings.
Jordan

Good Roots

When I was young, I saw my fathers Buddha statue in a terrarium. That lead to reading the Dhamapada when I was barely old enough to read.

Happy Halloween y'all!

Jordan

This weeks Tea

Tastes like green, I like green. I would like to get a picture of my benefactor up here to immortalize her on the www. Letting someone be kind to you is an act of compassion in itself and just as important as being kind to others. Strange how that works.

In other events, our kitchen cabinets are in the process of being refinished.
Megumi is doing the lion's share of the work.
I am just offering advice and assistance.
Not being attached to the results is tough.
The dishwasher has died and the oven is not far behind so this is the perfect time to work on the kitchen.

I had a functional area inspection at work last week. I hear I did above average. That is interesting to me because I have been sick for a while and felt like things were not going so well.
just goes to show you don't ever know.

May you be well and happy,
Jordan

Early to bed

Things kids will do not to eat their greens number 1.

How I spent my "enlightenment day"

0643- Cat puts paw in my mouth, I wake up.

0645-put on some pants, go to kitchen.

0649- make a bowl of matcha tea.

0653- Megumi comes to kitchen, says I am making the tea the “wrong” way. Shows me the “correct” way.

0658- I enjoy two bowls of matcha tea.

0700- go to the study to do some yoga

0715- Zazen start, kids are arguing in next room, in Japanese but it sounds like it is about t=clothes.

0746- 2 bells, start writing down today’s events on a piece of scratch paper.

O752- make breakfast. Rice was cooked last night. Stir nato (fermented soybeans)

0805- breakfast with family. New tea, beautiful packaging. This Tea is some of my favorite, green tea leaves dusted with matcha. like tea with tea..


0848- read comments on the blog, make some short comments back, please forgive the short comments. Practice seems more important than intellectual pontificating at the moment.

0915- Go to toilet, brush teeth. Can still sense the Nato on my breath. Strong stuff.

0926- Zazen start, Iris comes in and protests. “daddy no zazen time, daddy play with me, play with Iko!” I get up and go to living room. Tell Iris she needs to clean up her toys than I will play with her.

0936- restart Zazen timer, Sit. Megumi is yelling at the kids like a Jappanese drill instructor. I am attached to quiet.

1007- 2 bells- I have run out of paper, start typing log in ms word.

1016- gather cloths to donate to good will. Talk with Megumi about today’s plan, she wants to watch “heros” again, but makes no action. I think I would like to give more stuff away, but the family is not game for that right now.

1039- attempt to put up some holiday lights. Look at my neighbors display and give up, I will try again later. I think I need more lights. I have 2 strands of 25 feet each.

1041- Iris is crying, she wants to watch cartoons. Megumi decides we will have a star wars marathon today.

1046- the dog has taught me the dharma by destroying a part of the table.

1055- play with Hannah & Iris, piggybacks and tickle time, dog joins in the fun.

1120- Ice cream

1140- Zazen, kids sit too for a few moments.

1200- star wars marathon begins.

1650- first two movies, and a lot of snacks(celery, carrots, rice balls, pickles) down, kids are getting a shower with their mom, I am getting a Zazen break.

1720- Samu? helping out with laundry, updating blog... Picture won't load,

2034- made it through the first three movies. noted a bunch of Buddhist clichés. started to watch the fourth movie, c3po says it seems it is our lot in life to suffer. I am going to do one more sitting and hit the rack. Hope you all had a happy Rohatsu!

May you be well and happy!
Jordan

Bosatsu Thoughts

Jizo

Contemplation

Peace

Ebb and flow

I have taken notice of a phenomenon in my practice. I am over a period of time going through similar phases. For a while I will be filled with joy and at peace with EVERYTHING. Then for a while life will be stressful and chaotic. Practice helps take the edge off most of the time. But there are moments that mind is dull and I can not seem to polish it for all my efforts. I recently have gotten over one of these periods and feel like sharing the joy again. But everyone has there own pace. Everyone is on there own ride of ebb and flow. Words are so limited. I like the Chinese and Japanese poets who did so much with so little. But when ever I try to express something that way I worry that I may sound arrogant or like a know it all (I know not) or like a bad Yoda impersonator. Sometimes I want to point out things and yell "IT'S RIGHT THERE!!!" and other times I wish someone would do the same (quickly)for me. I am lucky to have encountered some who have.

Yesterday was my birthday. It was hot. My mom called and was wishing me a happy one. I retreated to the coolest room in the house and lay on the bed as I spoke. Then the girls came. They had fun using me as a spring board giggling constantly. I quoted Dr. Suse and said "no you must not hop on pop!" But to no avail they were having allot of fun at the expense of the conversation with my Mom. She could hear the laughter too and I think she appreciated it just as much as she would have a conversation. I know I did. The laughter of children is priceless.

As the sun went down and outside became cooler than inside I directed the family to the back patio. I practiced with the Shakuhachi, my wife read a book, the girls played in the yard. The fish swam and nibbled at algae. The dog ran about and played with the kids after he was let outside. The neighbor smoked a cigarette. A cool breeze blew the scent into my yard. A lone ant raced across the timber outlining the pond.

There is so much more to appreciate. Trying to make a phone call at work to a distant office where the phone is answered only rarely and e-mails and messages are seemingly ignored. Or when you see someone close to you is causing their own suffering, unwilling to take action to end it. Or the constant abuse of "absolutes" by an organizational leader. How do can I even make a tiny dent in my own sea of ignorance let alone everyone else's? Can I whole heartedly appreciate these things for what they are?

I sit, and I endeavor to sit brightly.

Be well, and if you can, be happy!
Jordan