Ecstasy-The Forgotten Language - 02

Sannyas: the radical revolution

12 December 1976 am in Buddha Hall

Question 1:

WHAT I MEAN BY SANNYAS IS A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE SO THAT ONE BECOMES A RELIGIOUS PERSON, BUT IT IS NOT HAPPENING TO ME. WHAT TO DO?

MY SANNYAS IS NOT A DISCIPLINE. My sannyas is freedom, freedom from all control - even from self-control. A controlled man is a dead man. Whether you are controlled by others or by yourself does not make much difference.

My sannyas is spontaneity, living moment to moment without any prefabricated discipline, living with the unknown, not exactly knowing where you are going. Because if you know already where you are going you are dead. Then life runs in a mechanical way. A life should be a flow from the known towards the unknown. One should be dying each moment to the known so the unknown can penetrate you. And only the unknown liberates.

Ecstasy-The Forgotten Language - 01

Now or never

11 December 1976 am in Buddha Hall

I. 13. mo ko kahan dhunro bande

O FRIEND, WHERE DOST THOU SEEK ME?

LO! I AM BESIDE THEE.

I AM NEITHER IN TEMPLE NOR IN MOSQUE: I AM NEITHER IN KAABA NOR IN KAILASH:

NEITHER AM I IN RITES AND CEREMONIES, NOR IN YOGA AND RENUNCIATION.

IF THOU ART A TRUE SEEKER, THOU SHALT AT ONCE SEE ME: THOU SHALT MEET ME IN A MOMENT OF TIME.

KABIR SAYS: "O FRIEND! GOD IS THE BREATH OF ALL BREATH."

I. 57. sadho bhai, jivat hi karo asa

O FRIEND! HOPE FOR HIM WHILST YOU LIVE, KNOW WHILST YOU LIVE, UNDERSTAND WHILST YOU LIVE: FOR IN LIFE DELIVERANCE ABIDES.

No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity - 12

Nothing to choose, nothing to discard

BELOVED ZORBA THE BUDDHA,

WHEN HE FIRST MET SEKITO, HO KOJI ASKED, "WHO IS HE THAT IS INDEPENDENT OF ALL THINGS?"

BEFORE HE COULD FINISH HIS QUESTION, SEKITO COVERED KOJI'S MOUTH WITH HIS HAND. AT THIS, KOJI UNDERWENT AN EXPERIENCE AND EXPRESSED HIMSELF IN THE

FOLLOWING VERSE:

"DAILY, NOTHING PARTICULAR,

ONLY NODDING TO MYSELF.

NOTHING TO CHOOSE, NOTHING TO DISCARD.

NO COMING, NO GOING,

NO PERSON IN PURPLE.

BLUE MOUNTAINS WITHOUT A SPECK OF DUST.

I EXERCISE OCCULT AND SUBTLE POWER,

CARRYING WATER, SHOULDERING FIREWOOD."

LATER, WHEN HE CAME TO VISIT MA TZU, KOJI AGAIN ASKED, "WHO IS HE THAT IS

INDEPENDENT OF ALL THINGS?"

MA TZU SAID, "WHEN YOU HAVE DRUNK ALL THE WATER IN THE YANGTZE RIVER, I WILL TELL YOU." AT THIS, KOJI UNDERWENT ANOTHER GREAT EXPERIENCE AND COMPOSED A SECOND VERSE:

"THE TEN DIRECTIONS CONVERGING,

EACH LEARNING TO DO NOTHING,

THIS IS THE HALL OF BUDDHA'S TRAINING;

MIND IS EMPTY, ALL IS FINISHED."

No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity - 11

Only creation shows your power

BELOVED ZORBA THE BUDDHA,

WHEN KOKO, A DISCIPLE OF JOSHU, WENT TO SEE MASTER HOGEN, HE WAS ASKED WHERE HE HAD BEEN RECENTLY.

"WITH JOSHU," HE ANSWERED.

HOGEN ASKED, "I HAVE HEARD ABOUT JOSHU AND THE OAK TREE; ISN'T THIS SO?"

KOKO SAID, "IT IS NOT SO!"

HOGEN COMMENTED, "BUT EVERYONE SAYS THAT WHEN A MONK ASKED ABOUT THE MEANING OF DARUMA'S COMING FROM THE WEST, JOSHU ANSWERED, 'THE OAK TREE IN THE FRONT GARDEN.' HOW CAN YOU SAY IT WAS NOT SO?"

KOKO REPLIED, "MY MASTER SAID NOTHING OF THE KIND! PLEASE DO NOT INSULT THE LATE MASTER."

HOGEN COMMENTED, "TRULY YOU ARE A LION'S CUB!"

ON ANOTHER OCCASION, A MAN SAID TO KOKO, "ALL MY LIFE I HAVE KILLED COWS AND ENJOYED IT; IS THIS SIN OR NOT?"

"IT IS NOT," SAID KOKO.

"WHY NOT?" THE MAN ASKED.

"ONE KILLED, ONE GIVEN BACK," WAS KOKO'S ANSWER.

No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity - 10

When I call you my friends, I mean it

BELOVED BUDDHA,

A NON-BUDDHIST SCHOLAR, MEETING MASTER DAIZUI, GAVE HIM A BOWL. A MONK OBSERVING THIS ASKED DAIZUI, "WHAT DID YOU USE BEFORE HE PRESENTED YOU WITH THE BOWL?"

DAIZUI SAID, "I USED THE ONE I SHALL USE ON MY LAST DAY ON EARTH."

ONCE, DAIZUI WAS ASKED, "WHEN ALL THINGS ARE ANNIHILATED, WILL THAT ALSO BE ANNIHILATED?"

"IT WILL BE ANNIHILATED," SAID DAIZUI.

ON ANOTHER OCCASION, A MONK ASKED DAIZUI, "I AM TOLD THAT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE A GREAT FIRE TAKES PLACE AND EVERYTHING IS DESTROYED. MAY I ASK YOU WHETHER OR NOT THIS ALSO SHARES THAT FATE?"

DAIZUI REPLIED, "YES, IT DOES."

THE MONK WENT ON, "IF THAT IS THE CASE, IT MUST BE SAID THAT THIS FOLLOWS OTHERS."

DAIZUI SAID, "YES, IT DOES."

THE SAME QUESTION WAS LATER ASKED OF ANOTHER MASTER WHOSE NAME WAS SHU.

HE ANSWERED, "NO, THIS DOES NOT FOLLOW OTHERS."

WHEN HE WAS ASKED "WHY NOT?" THE MASTER REPLIED, "BECAUSE IT IDENTIFIES

ITSELF WITH THE WHOLE UNIVERSE."

No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity - 09

Be ready to be chopped

BELOVED BUDDHA,

MAYOKU CAME TO SHOKEI CARRYING HIS BELL STAFF WITH HIM. HE CIRCUMNAVIGATED SHOKEI'S SEAT THREE TIMES, SHOOK HIS STAFF, RINGING THE BELLS, STUCK THE STAFF IN THE GROUND, AND THEN STOOD UP STRAIGHT.

SHOKEI SAID, "GOOD."

MAYOKU THEN WENT TO NANSEN. HE WALKED AROUND NANSEN'S SEAT, SHOOK HIS STAFF, RINGING THE BELLS, STUCK THE STAFF IN THE GROUND AND STOOD UP STRAIGHT.

NANSEN SAID, "WRONG."

MAYOKU SAID, "SHOKEI SAID, 'GOOD'; WHY DO YOU SAY, 'WRONG'?"

NANSEN SAID, "SHOKEI IS 'GOOD,' BUT YOU ARE WRONG. YOU ARE BLOWN ABOUT BY THE WIND. THAT WILL LEAD TO DESTRUCTION."

No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity - 08

Truth has no history

BELOVED BUDDHA,

A MONK CAME TO SEE MASTER DAIZUI, AND SAID TO HIM, "MOUNT GOTAI AND MOUNT DAIZUI - WHAT ARE THEY LIKE? HOW IS MOUNT DAIZUI?"

DAIZUI SAID, "SPEAK LOUDER - I'M HARD OF HEARING."

THE MONK REPEATED THE QUESTION IN A LOUD VOICE.

DAIZUI SAID: "IT IS LIKE A THOUSAND MOUNTAINS, TEN THOUSAND MOUNTAINS!"

ON ANOTHER OCCASION A MONK SAID, "ONE OF THE ANCIENTS STOOD IN THE SNOW AND CUT OFF HIS ARM. WHAT TRUTH WAS HE SEEKING?"

DAIZUI REPLIED, "HE DIDN'T CUT OFF HIS ARM."

THE MONK PROTESTED, "HE did CUT IT OFF! WHY DO YOU SAY THAT HE DIDN'T?"

DAIZUI OBSERVED, "HE WAS ENJOYING BEING IN THE SNOW."

AT ANOTHER TIME, A MONK BOWED TO THE STATUE OF MANJUSHRI, IN THE PRESENCE OF DAIZUI. THE MASTER LIFTED UP HIS MOSQUITO-FLAPPER AND SAID, "MANJUSHRI AND SAMANTABHADRA ARE BOTH CONTAINED IN THIS."

THE MONK DREW A CIRCLE, THREW IT BEHIND HIM, AND THEN STRETCHED OUT HIS

ARMS. DAIZUI TOLD THE ATTENDANT TO GIVE THE MONK A CUP OF TEA.