..."buddha is a shit stick." ... (philippines, life coach, counselor, psychotherapist, psychologist, psychiatrist)

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been doing zen meditation at a zen monastery. here i am in front of it:
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here's what the zen masters have to say about the buddha:
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• "buddha is a shit stick (the ancient equivalent of toilet paper)." -- zen master yunmen wenyan
• "if you meet the buddha on the road, kill him." -- zen master lin chi
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  so what is zen?
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  “true zen consists of sitting quietly in the correct posture. It is not a special state, it is the normal state: silent, peaceful, without agitation. zen means to put the mind at rest and to concentrate the mind and body. in zen there is no purpose, no seeking to gain something, no special effort or imagination. it is not knowledge to be grasped by the brain. it is solely a practice, a practice which is the true gate to happiness, peace and freedom.” -- zen master taisen deshimaru.
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nice zen story:

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a monk sets off on a long pilgrimage to find the truth. he spends many years on his quest and finally finds the river which leads to the temple where truth can be found.

he rides a boat and rows toward the temple.

as he rows, he sees a corpse floating on the water and it approaches his boat.

the monk looks. he recognizes the corpse-- it is his own.

the monk loses all self-control and wails.

there he floats, dead.

nothing remains.

everything he has ever been; he has ever learned; he has ever owned, floats past him, still and without life.

it is the first moment of his liberation.

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