Banishing a Ghost
Banishing a Ghost
The wife of a man became very sick. On her deathbed, she said to him, "I love you so much! I don't want to leave you, and I don't want you to betray me. Promise that you will not see any other women once I die, or I will come back to haunt you."
For several months after her death, the husband did avoid other women, but then he met someone and fell in love. On the night that they were engaged to be married, the ghost of his former wife appeared to him. She blamed him for not keeping the promise, and every night thereafter she returned to taunt him. The ghost would remind him of everything that transpired between him and his fiancee that day, even to the point of repeating, word for word, their conversations. It upset him so badly that he couldn't sleep at all.
Desperate, he sought the advice of a Zen master who lived near the village. "This is a very clever ghost," the master said upon hearing the man's story. "It is!" replied the man. "She remembers every detail of what I say and do. It knows everything!" The master smiled, "You should admire such a ghost, but I will tell you what to do the next time you see it."
That night the ghost returned. The man responded just as the master had advised. "You are such a wise ghost," the man said, "You know that I can hide nothing from you. If you can answer me one question, I will break off the engagement and remain single for the rest of my life." "Ask your question," the ghost replied. The man scooped up a handful of beans from a large bag on the floor, "Tell me exactly how many beans there are in my hand."
At that moment the ghost disappeared and never returned.
People's reactions to this story:
"Ghosts are just human and can't know or do anything that a human can't."
"No one knows everything. Not even a spirit. You can be wise in some ways, but not in all ways."
"The ghost kept coming back because the man was always impressed by how it seemed to know everything. It had power over him. But when he finally stood up to it, and challenged it, the ghost disappeared forever."
"The ghost is actually a part of the man. So it couldn't know anything that the man himself didn't know."
"The ghost comes from the man's own mind. He created it. It is his own guilt that came back to haunt him."
"The reason something haunts us is because we keep our attention on it. When we move on beyond it it will disappear."
"To me, this story just shows that souls have memories, but not enlightenment."
"I don't like the ending. I read the story with high expectations, but felt let down in the
end."
"Why didn't the ghost know that the man had seen a Zen master?"
"If the wife really loved the husband, how could she subject him to such a promise?"
"Everything the ghost knew didn't amount to a handful of beans!"
هنوز نمردم
امپراطور از پیشوا گودو پرسید:پس از مرگ برای روح چه اتفاقی می افتد؟
گادو پاسخ داد: من چگونه بدانم؟
امپراتور گفت: چون شما یک پیشوا هستید
گادو گفت: بله آقا ، ولی نه یک آدم مرده
Not Dead Yet
The Emperor asked Master Gudo, "What happens to a man of enlightenment after death?"
"How should I know?" replied Gudo.
"Because you are a master," answered the Emperor.
"Yes sir," said Gudo, "but not a dead one."
People's reactions to this story:
"Knowledgeable people are not afraid to say "I don't know" regarding things that they _cannot_ know. Observe all that you can. Do not invent what you cannot know."
"This story seems to me to be saying that we should rely on our own experience. That is the only thing that we truly "know". The master could not talk about what happened to an enlightened man after death because he had never experienced death."
Why should the emperor care? If he doesn't know, he's not enlightened and shouldn't try to act enlightened because he's not!!!
"I believe that this story is trying to tell us that first hand experience is the only kind of knowlage we can truely have."
"I guess that the master is still not enlightened completely."
A wise man knows that he is not wise-just like Socrates.
The truely wise are not afraid to say "I don't know."
To know that you know what you know is all anyone can really know!!
Your alive so mind your own business!
I think master Gudo wants the emporer to realise he should not think of the future but now.
The future is unforseeable and the past is but dead images, we only really experience the present moment.
When one answers a question with another question that person is avoiding answering the question. Maybe the Zen master knows the answer and doesn't want to share it with the Emperor.
Sometimes, if you have to answer a question with a question, maybe more thought should have been put into it before it was spoken.
A fool can ask more questions than a wise man can answer.
I think this story is beautiful. It states,very briefly, the great flaws I see with traditional western religions. They all promise life after death and eternal bliss-worshipping God. But they miss the point--it doesn't matter what happens after death if we live our lives right.
Cross each bridge when you get to it.
"The World of the Living and the World of the Dead....so close but yet so far."
Just shows that you shouldn't trust all the quacks who claim to know everything about the afterlife!
جانشین
تندرستی پیشوای ذن در حال زوال بود. او می دانست مرگش نزدیک است بنابراین به همه ی رهروها اعلام کرد که به زودی لباس و کاسه ی برنجش را به پیشوای بعدی معبد خواهد داد. او گفت که انتخابش بر اساس یک مسابقه خواهد بود.هر کسی که خواهان آن است باید خرد معنوی خود را با یک شعر
The old Zen master's health was fading. Knowing his death was near, he announced to all
the monks that he soon would be passing down his robe and rice bowl to appoint the next master of the monastery. His choice, he said, would be based on a contest. Anyone seeking the appointment was required to demonstrate his spiritual wisdom by submitting a poem. The head monk, the most obvious successor, presented a poem that was well composed and insightful. All the monks anticipated his selection as their new leader. However, the next morning another poem appeared on the wall in the hallway, apparently written during the dark hours of the night. It stunned everyone with it's elegance and profundity but no one knew who the author was. Determined to find this person, the old master began questioning all the monks. To his surprise, the investigation led to the rather quiet kitchen worker who pounded rice for the meals. Upon hearing the news, the jealous head monk and his comrades plotted to kill their rival. In secret, the old master passed down his robe and bowl to the rice pounder, who quickly fled from the monastery, later to become a widely renowned Zen teacher.
Successor
The old Zen master's health was fading. Knowing his death was near, he announced to all the monks that he soon would be passing down his robe and rice bowl to appoint the next master of the monastery. His choice, he said, would be based on a contest. Anyone seeking the appointment was required to demonstrate his spiritual wisdom by submitting a poem. The head monk, the most obvious successor, presented a poem that was well composed and insightful. All the monks anticipated his selection as their new leader. However, the next morning another poem appeared on the wall in the hallway, apparently written during the dark hours of the night. It stunned everyone with it's elegance and profundity but no one knew who the author was. Determined to find this person, the old master began questioning all the monks. To his surprise, the investigation led to the rather quiet kitchen worker who pounded rice for the meals. Upon hearing the news, the jealous head monk and his comrades plotted to kill their rival. In secret, the old master passed down his robe and bowl to the rice pounder, who quickly fled from the monastery, later to become a widely renowned Zen teacher.
People's reactions to this story:
"The person who everyone thinks is best doesn't always end up winning."
"The obvious choice is not always the best choice."
"Expect the unexpected. Take nothing for granted."
"Some people are born leaders."
"Never judge a book by its cover. It's a platitude, but it's true. Everyone has a hidden talent inside them."
"I would tell this story to children who lack self-esteem. It would allow them to see that anyone can accomplish anything, regardless of their appearance, race, money, etc."
"Why is it that the quiet people always seem to be the intelligent ones?"
"This story says a lot about 'little' people. Those who are not well known often are the ones who are well-composed and insightful."
"People you would never expect to be the 'ONE' usually turn out to be the best, if they're just given a chance."
"Sometimes the one you expect least to speak out does so, and does so wonderfully. I think this is a major problem with Americans. They prejudge so quickly."
"The greatest good can exist in the most unlikely places. Some people really hate this fact."
"The people who act like they are smart aren't really smart at all."
"Power corrupts."
"The other monks didn't understand that it was not a contest to find a winner, but to find a believer."
"People of great importance often fail to realize that everyone is equal.... And for the monks who plotted the killing, they are already part dead. "
"The kitchen worker would never have killed for the position. Knowledge (Zen) is not politics.
"Some people will do just about anything to get what they want."
"I guess pounding rice gives you lots of time to meditate and find selflessness."
"When small-minded people don't get what they want, their true colors come out."
"It pisses me off when the successful underdog is attacked for no other reason than just being the best! Were this story told to an impressionable individual, it might frightened that person away from trying to succeed."
"In life, there are no rules."
"Instead of this weak little rice pounder staying in the village, he runs away with the robe and bowl. He could have been an inspiration to the others in the village who didn't succeed! There are always people who are jealous, but to give into them only gives them another victory."
"The rice pounder didn't really want to become the next master. He just wanted to show his self without anyone knowing."
"Reminds me of King Arthur and how he pulled the sword out of the stone - but no one believed him."
"This sounds like Cinderella!"
"People who are truthful and genuine will go furthest in life."
"I guess the old Zen master learned to read the writing on the wall."
ماه دزدیده نمی شود
یک پیشوای ذن به ساده ترین شکل ممکن در یک کلبه ی کوچک در پای کوه زندگی می کرد . یک سر شب که او در کلبه اش نبود ، دزدی پنهانی وارد کلبه اش شد و چیزی برای دزدیدن در آنجا نیافت. پیشوای ذن بازگشت و او را در کلبه دید و به آن ولگرد گفت:تو راهی طولانی برای ملاقات من آمده ای نباید دست خالی برگردی لطفا لباسهای من پیشکش تو.
دزد گیج شد، ولی او لباسها را برداشت و از آنجا دور شد
پیشوا در حالی که برهنه نشته بود و ماه را تماشا می کرد،با خود فکر می کرد: بیچاره مردک ، کاش می توانستم این ماه زیبا را به او بدهم
. "
The Moon Cannot Be Stolen
A Zen Master lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening, while he was away, a thief sneaked into the hut only to find there was nothing in it to steal. The Zen Master returned and found him. "You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty handed. Please take my clothes as a gift." The thief was bewildered, but he took the clothes and ran away. The Master sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, " I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."
People's reactions to this story:
"First, be grateful to everyone: perhaps because the Master was before distracted by his material belongings, he never noticed the beauty around him. The thief in fact gave to the Master through his theft and maybe lost the sight of the Moon. Also, the beauty of nature is available to all - free and forever, and we forget this when we get caught up in the dazzle of our commercial society. "
"The Zen master was not attached to any material possessions. He could even give away his clothes without thinking twice. What he would have liked to give the thief was not anything material, but his appreciation of nature or enlightenment."
"The thief is poor because he does not understand what is of value in this life and what is not. The Zen Master is wealthy because he is content. The moon, I think, is a symbol of that contentment and peace."
"This reminds me of the vicar in Les Miserables who tells the thief that giving him what the thief has tried to steal means that the thief now belongs to God. The clothing is only a thing, which means nothing to the Zen master, so he removes the dishonor of the theif's act by giving him something. I think the moon represents the master's internal spiriual connection, which is something he cannot give away; it is there for all who seek it. The Zen master realizes that he cannot just give spirituality away, as the vicar attempted in Les Miserables. In Judaism, there is the evil impulse and the good impulse in all men, and resisting the evil impulse requires active participation in seeking through prayer and study, so that the difference between good and evil impulses becomes obvious. The Zen Master was acting with loving kindness, which is an element of all major religions (unfortunately, it is not always practiced)."
"Material things mean nothing.... that is not wisdom that can be stolen, nor can it be easily given."
"Its a nice story. My interpretations are thus: (1) Maybe the Zen master wants to give the moon since if the thief had the moon, he could make use of it while he was at job in night. So it would imply that we should try to give to other people things after a thought of what may be useful for them, and not just for sake of giving, unless (as in thi case) we do not have a choince or chance, (2) Second interpretation could be that when you give, you should give with all your heart, the best of what you can. the moon in this case, (3) Maybe the Zen master is talking of enlightening the thief, and the giving of moon signifies the bringing of light into his black nights... maybe you choose :))
"The master gives unto the thief the most that he can give materially. The one thing he can not give to the thief is that which he needs most; his own true nature. The moon represents our own true nature. The master's gesture represents his attitude towards those not-enlightened. He does not look down on them, he does not hate enemies; he is beyond animosity brought from attachments and materialism. The gesture is also an example of this."
"Material things are nice but fleeting, the understanding of matrial things is forever."
"The Master and the thief walked beneath the same moon but the thief could not know the peace that the master held inside him. So their moons were, in fact, different. He was only giving to the poor."
"I look at this story in the way that the Zen Master acknowledges that the thief came into to steal something, the Zen Master is enlightened in not only can he forgive the thief for breaking in and invading his personal space but does a greater act by giving him his cloth. Like the feeling of fullfilment that the Zen Master gets from the moon, there is nothing like the emotional fullfilment of acts of kindness to another and having the strenth to forgive others for wrongs done against you."
"Most of these stories depict a wiser master who knows what is truly important. Here, the master feels sorry for the thief, it is painful to the master that the thief cannot appreciate what is freely provided by all things. Painful enough for the master to give the poor soul his clothes."
"This is a story not of the power of posession, but the power to posses. The zen master has the ability to give away something to one who does not have the ability to acquire what he has. If the zen master could acquire the moon to give it away it would further his power to posses. This would connote a hierarchy distinguishing who has the ability to posses, but if the zen master could give the moon away then his power to posses would dissolve any hierarchy. Ultimately the power to posses is the downfall of humankind because it lends to the false belief that there is power in possession."
"The zen master feels sorry for the thief whose contentment lies only in material possessions and not in appreciating priceless possesions he already has ... like the moon."
"When sitting and watching the moon the zen master came to realize something about himself, that He did what gave him most happiness- giving the thief something that gave HIM happiness.So he mused, I wish I could give him the moon, for that which gives me so much happiness will surely give me more happiness when i give it to the one who craves others' possessions."
"The zen master sits naked enjoying life in the moonlight; he has no concern for tomorrow when the sun might burn his skin or when other people might be nonplussed by his nakedness. Does he have no concern for self because he has no self. He seemed to be concerned for the thief's self. Has he perhaps 'one-upped' the thief with his superior magnanimity? Why does he assume that the thief cannot enjoy the moon? Is his zen correct-attitude zen or is it truly no mind?"
"The zen master has nothing and yet there is nothing he does not have."
"The zen master has found a way of life that keeps him content, it is a simple life but he is happy. There are people who are still looking. The zen master wishes he could pass on this enlightenment that he has found to others. On a personal note - I am jealous of the zen master and am still trying to find my way of life."
کامیابی
مرد ثروتمندی از یک پیشوای ذن خواهش کرد برای کامیابی خانوده اش در سال های آینده یادداشتی دلگرم کننده بنویسد ، چیزی که برای نسل ها آن را گرامی داشته باشند.
پیشوا در یک تکه کاغذ بزرگ نوشت :پدر بمیرد، پسر بمیرد ، نوه بمیرد
مرد ثروتمند وقتی این کار پیشوا را دید، عصبانی شد."من خواهش کردم که چیزی بنویسید که شادی و کامیابی برای خانواده ام بیاورد . چرا شما این نوشته ی ناراحت کننده را به من دادید؟ "
پیشوا پاسخ داد:" اگر پسر شما قبل از شما بمیرد، غمی تاب ناپذیربرای شما و خانواده تان به بار می آورد. اگر نوه ی شما پیش از پسرتان بمیرد ، این هم سوگ بزرگی می آورد. اگر خانواده ی شما نسل اندر نسل ، آن گونه که من توضیح دادم از دنیا بروند، این یک سیر طبیعی زندگی خواهد بود و این به راستی شادی و کامیابی است."