Look into the mirror

When you get what you want in your struggle for self,

And the whole world makes you king for a day,

Just go to the mirror and look at yourself,

And see what that person has to say.

For it is not your father or mother, or spouse,

Whose judgement upon you must pass.

The being whose verdict counts most in your life

Is the one staring back at you from the mirror.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years

And get pats on the back as you pass.

But your final reward will be heartache and tears

If you cheated that soul staring back through the glass.

You may be like Jack Horner and chisel a plum,

And think your a wonderful creature,

But the person in the mirror says you're only a bum

If you can't look yourself in the eye.

That's the person to please--never mind all the rest,

For this being is with you for good.

And you've passed your most dangerous and difficult test

If the person in the mirror is your true friend.

*Borrowed from Bits & Pieces Vol. R/ No.41C

Where to meet after death

Dogo paid a visit to his sick fellow monk, Ungan.

"Where can I see you again if you die and leave only your corpse?" Dogo asked. "I will meet you where nothing dies," Ungan replied. Dogo criticized his response saying,

"What you should have said is that there is no place where nothing is born and nothing dies and that we need not see each other at all."

This Zen koan is taken from the book Zen Koans by Venerable Gyomay Kubose copyright © 1973; published by Henry Regnery Company. In that text also lie possible answers to the various koans.

Sound the voice of Happiness

After Bankei had passed away, a blind man who lived near the master's temple told a friend:

"Since I am blind, I cannot watch a person's face, so I must judge his character by the sound of his voice. Ordinarily when I hear someone congratulate another upon his happiness or success, I also hear a secret tone of envy. When condolence is expressed for the misfortune of another, I hear pleasure and satisfaction, as if the one condoling was really glad there was something left to gain in his own world.

"In all my experience, however, Bankei's voice was always sincere. Whenever he expressed happiness, I heard nothing but happiness, and whenever he expressed sorrow, sorrow was all I heard."

For further Zen koans, consult for example; http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/

"Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.  And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.  And how else can it be?  The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain." -Kahlil Gibran

15 Unorthodox answers to awaken soul

Every moment, human beings are tempted to generate emotion and judge. This diverts inner spirit from its true path.

Each action shapes your awareness and sense of the world. Consider 15 unorthodox answers to awaken your soul. Which one(s) resonate(s) most right now? Share related lessons;

1) If someone gives you an answer, reject it. Insight is felt.

2) To consciously stop thinking, is to heal in spontanaeity.

3) Serve others and you forget concerns about life and death.

4) Empty the mind of speculation, or no room exists to grow.

5) To experience true meditation transcends all sounds.

6) Offer blessing and wish merit for every being, no exception.

7) True happiness is discernable in the sound of one's voice.

8) Everything in your life is the best. You may not realize it yet.

9) If nothing stands out in mind, actto get rid of it quickly.

10) Any true giver is always unconsciously grateful to give.

11) To see through your nature teaches you birth and death.

12) On paths beyond delusion, coming and going do not exist.

13) Silence and humility ly beyond profession, ego and belief.

14) What arises unexpectedly is not of your true nature.

15) Censure self, not others. Resist judging right and wrong.

How to subjugate a ghost

A young wife fell sick and was about to die. "I love you so much," she told her husband, "I do not want to leave you. Do not go from me to any other woman. If you do, I will return as a ghost and cause you endless trouble."

Soon the wife passed away. The husband respected her last wish for the first three months, but then he met another woman and fell in love with her. They became engaged to be married.

Immediately after the engagement a ghost appeared every night to the man, blaming him for not keeping his promise. The ghost was clever too. She told him exactly what had transpired between himself and his new sweetheart. Whenever he gave his fiancee a present, the ghost would describe it in detail. She would even repeat conversations, and it so annoyed the amn that he could not sleep. Someone advised him to take his problem to a Zen master who lived close to the village. At length, in despair, the poor man went to him for help.

"Your former wife became a ghost and knows everything you do, " commented the master. "Whatever you do or say, whatever you give your beloved, she knows. She must be a very wise ghost. Really you should admire such a ghost. The next time she appears, bargain with her. Tell her that she knows so much you can hide nothing from her, and that if she will answer you one question, you promise to break your engagement and remain single."

"What is the question I must ask her?" inquired the man.

The master replied: "Take a large handful of soy beans and ask her exactly how many beans you hold in your hand. If she cannot tell you, you will know that she is only a figment of your imagination and will trouble you no longer."

The next night, when the ghost appeared the man flattered her and told her that she knew everything.

"Indeed," replied the ghost, "and I know you went to see that Zen master today."

"And since you know so much," demanded the man, "tell me how many beans I hold in this hand!"

There was no longer any ghost to answer the question.

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Zen koans such as that above offer a way to approach happiness indirectly. Strategically subvert unhappiness. Readers areinvited to go beyond what they imagine.

Additional Zen koans can be found at www.ashidaKim.com/zenkoans