Fall

 

As clear as a cloudless autumn sky.

 

Do not be bound by anything.

 

A famous Zen story tells of a warlord during
the Liang Dynasty in China who said to the
great Zen Buddhist monk Daruma,
“I have built many temples until now,
and supported many monks.
Will I obtain much happiness from this?”

The venerable Daruma replied,
“There is no such thing,”

The warlord, dissatisfied with that answer,
asked, “What is the heart of Zen?”

To this the Venerable Daruma
replied, “It’s a clear, dry place.
There is no sacred thing there.”

The disheartened warlord
asked, “Who are you?”

The Venerable Daruma replied, “I don’t know.”

 

Good deeds are not to be done in
hopes of receiving something in return.

Achieving the height of Zen does not mean
that you will go to a sacred place.
All that happens, is that you arrive at
a place where you no longer compare
and contrast things such as sacred
versus profane, or good versus evil.

“Who am I?”

We don’t know.
The things we don’t know,
we keep pursuing.

That is what it means to live a life.

 

If I let go I will fall into the water,
and there I will shine
in ten thousand directions.

 

Do not cling to anything.

 

A curious monkey was entranced by the
moon’s reflection in a pool. The monkey held
onto a branch with its left hand, and tried
to scoop up the moon with its right hand.

If the monkey had let go of the branch to grasp
the moon with both hands, it would have fallen
into the deep spring for sure. But suddenly the
monkey realized that the moon reflected on the
surface of the water was a false moon. The real
moon was shining brightly in the sky above.

People, too, try to grasp at so many
things. Status, fame, reputation,
knowledge and experience.

It’s impossible to count all the
things we hold dear.

 

Try letting go.

If you fall into a deep pool, you will flail about.
This time of flailing about is a time of suffering.

But from there, when you raise your face from
the water and look up, you can be bathed in
the light of the true moon, not a false one.

You can feel the light of the moon that
is known as “true happiness.”

 

Feel the gentle autumn breeze.

 

Let go of it all.

 

Under a boundless, cloudless autumn
sky, try feeling a refreshing autumn breeze
with your entire being.

Discard all doubt and worries: the desire to be
promoted, the desire to be famous, the desire
to be praised by others. Throw away all such
greed, and allow your whole being to feel the
refreshing autumn breeze that fills the land.

Look at the golden fields of grain
spread out in front of you.

What is here, now, is just a pure heart that
can see and feel all that is beautiful.

 

A pure, refreshed heart can
accept what is real.

Discard everything from your life
up until now; the good as well as
the bad. Throw it all away.

When you have done this, enlightenment
will be awakened inside you.

 

Last night I heard the geese calling.
Fall came before I even noticed.

 

At a certain point,
a person realizes the meaning of their life.

 

A Buddhist monk in training can achieve
enlightenment after a long period of
discipline. He is released from his
worries at last, and becomes able to
feel the cool, pure autumn breeze.

We all worry at one time or another.
About work, about our families, about
our children, about the future.

 

But as long as you allow yourself to
feel your emotions as you go about
your days, sooner or later, you will
realize the meaning of your life and
your worried heart will be set free.

Then, your heart will become
clear and calm.

 

The maple leaves turn red in the frost.

 

Life burns brighter in trying times.

 

The leaves of a maple tree turn a
bright, burning red when they are
covered by a bone-chilling frost.

Our lives also become richer after
experiencing hardship.

 

If we award ourselves 100 points for fun
times in our life, and subtract 100 points for
sad times, then our life sum will be zero.

If we award ourselves 100 points for fun
times plus 100 points for sad times,
then this comes to 200!

After enduring and surviving deep
hardship, our lives can reach a
period of “bright red leaves.”

 

To scoop water from far below,
a long handle is needed.

 

Do not be too obstinate.

 

Once, a young monk in training
asked an elderly monk, “What is
the true meaning of Zen?”

The elderly monk replied, “To scoop water
from a deep place, a long handle is needed.”

If the place is deep and the water is far
below, a ladle with a long handle is required
to scoop up the water. But if the place is
shallow and the water flows close by, a
ladle with a short handle is needed.

When you listen to another person, there is no
need to deny them, or argue against them.
And of course, there is no need to push
your “self” on them and be obstinate.

 

Try dealing with others flexibly, according
to their strengths and circumstances.

Try living by adapting yourself to others.
Think of what is best for that person.

Try reaching out your hand to others
instead of pushing them away.

This is the role of someone who has
reached the autumn of their life.

 

A cloud emerges from a
valley and floats naturally,
gracefully with the wind.

The birds return to their nests
when they are tired.

 

After all is said and done,
human beings are
a part of nature.

 

A cloud emerges from between the mountains.

Birds return to their nests and stop
flying when they are tired.
Neither birds nor clouds have ulterior
motives or devious plans.

Clouds float where the wind takes them.
Birds follow time. There is no battle.
There is no give and take.
Floating free in the sky.

This is the meaning of freedom of spirit.

 

No matter how much civilization advances, in
the end human beings are part of nature too.

Let us try to move around freely, accept
what is in front of us, and live as if
we are flowing, leaving no trace.

After all is said and done, everything
is just a small incident in nature.

 

Talk of the mountains, the clouds,
the sea and the moon to your
heart’s content.

 

Talk with friends that you can
trust with all your heart.

 

Nature is truth that has been given to
us; a truth that we take for granted.

What the mountains tell us, what the
clouds tell us, what the seas tell us,
what the moon tells us … What we
feel from nature depends on our
heart, as we observe, as we listen.

Fine tune the receptors of your heart,
and feel what nature is telling you.

 

Talk with friends who have grown
up in the same environment, friends
you trust with all your heart.

Your conversation is sure to flow
endlessly, like the clouds that emerge
from between the mountains.

 

What you seek
may be somewhere in the mountains
but hidden by clouds.

 

The fact is, everyone has the heart
of enlightenment within them.

 

We all have the pure,
innocent heart we were born with.
But sometimes this heart is obscured by cloud.

Every person possesses the ability
to achieve enlightenment.

To truly achieve an enlightened heart may
seem very difficult. However, an enlightened
heart is not as far away as you think.
It is inside your body, not outside it.
It is merely concealed, by uncertainty,
by the desire for worldly things,
by delusions, by the fog of distraction.

 

We have lost sight of our pure, innocent hearts.
But if we sweep away the fog,
our heart is right here.

Happiness is here. It is inside us.

Do not laugh in order to get a reaction,
and do not cry in order to get a reaction.
Laugh when you feel like laughing,
and cry when you feel like crying.

Where is the heart that is like that of a baby,
with no pride and no self-consciousness?

That heart exists inside all of us.

 

Live as though you are a pair
of worn, discarded sandals.

 

Keep going, do not stop,
even when you reach the limit
known as “nothingness.”

 

Think of a pair of worn-out straw sandals
that are of no use to anyone anymore.

Cut off all distractions, and stand at the
border of nothingness. And then, throw
away what is called myokyogai, the limit of
enlightenment. If you are still basking in the
praise of others, you still have some way to go.

Be like a simpleton, in whom others cannot
sense a trace of enlightenment or saintliness.

When you have lost the sense that
you have lost everything, you will
achieve true nothingness.

 

Live as if you are a useless, broken sandal,
whose existence itself has been forgotten,
yet still exists. That’s just about right.

Try to forget everything you’ve
learned, everything you’ve built.

And then, pick things up again.

And again, and again, and again.

 

A gentle breeze flows
through the old pine tree.
The closer you get, the more
comforting it sounds.

 

Look at the things you haven’t noticed before.

 

A gentle breeze blows through
a quiet old pine tree.

That breeze can be heard only when you
stand right next to the tree and listen closely.

When listening to someone else’s worries,
it’s important be close to that person.
However, instead of sitting opposite each
other, each facing a different direction, the
most important thing is to sit side by side, so
that you are both looking at things from the
same point of view.

 

The soul does not shout out loud.

People do not shout out their true
feelings in loud voices. We have to
listen closely to others so that we can
understand what they are saying.

If you become a listener, and become able
to see things from the same point of view
as someone else, only then can you truly
understand what that person is feeling.

Sit quietly, and listen.

You will become aware of something
that goes beyond the five senses.

 

Do we really understand the nature
of Buddha, which is like the autumn moon?

Are we clouding the moon that is Buddha
with a fog of worldly desires and distraction?

Are our hearts as pure and clean as the
autumn moon, and as clear as deep blue water?

 

A heart that has reached enlightenment
is as peaceful as the autumn moon.

 

Try to become aware of the true
heart that hides deep within you.
That true heart is as pure as the autumn
moon, and cannot be described in words.

Try making some waves in your heart
by asking yourself these questions.

What is the meaning of my life?

What is my purpose, my duty?

 

Ask yourself these questions, which
will make waves in your heart.

When you have calmed those waves, you will
be able see into your heart’s deepest place.

You will be able to see a quiet world
that cannot be described in words.

 

The methods do not matter.

 

The heart is what is important.
The techniques do not matter.

 

Long ago, in China, there was a Zen Buddhist
monk called Nangaku. One day he saw an
apprentice monk called Baso doing Zen
meditation very diligently. Nangaku asked him,
“What are you trying to achieve by meditating?”

Baso replied, “I am trying to become Buddha.”

Nangaku started to polish a roof tile. Baso
asked, “What are you trying to achieve?”

“I’m trying to polish the tile to make
it into a mirror,” replied Nangaku.

“A roof tile will not become a mirror
by polishing it,” said Baso.

To that, Nangaku said, “In the same
way, you cannot become Buddha just
because you do Zen meditation.”

 

Do not get caught up in the “form” of
Zen meditation, believing that this will
help you achieve a “Zen” state.

What is important is the heart.

Zen meditation techniques are not important.
Your heart needs to be fully engaged.

This lesson can also be applied to the way
you live your life. If you are too caught up in
the method you are using to do something,
you will eventually lose sight of the goal.

What is the real goal?

What is our true nature?

Remember to ask yourself these questions.

They will bring peace to your heart.

 

The mountains glimpsed
through the evening clouds
continue in layers of green forever.

 

Make every day important, for we do
not know what tomorrow will bring.

 

On a late autumn evening, the mountains
are shrouded in red-tinged sunset clouds.

Glimpsed between the clouds are layers
of mountains, high and low, stretching
on and on, as far as the eye can see.

On life’s long journey, we do not
know what tomorrow will bring.

We don’t know if tomorrow will come at all.

That is why every day is the twilight of life.

 

Was I able to live today without any regrets?

Did I come home at the end of the day
having achieved what I set out to do?

Did I live today as best I could?

Constantly ask your heart these questions.