Zen a day - Apr 22

Quite often I travel out of town on a weekend, which is why there is occasionally no Zen-a-day weekend post, such as this past weekend.

Friday 18 April 2008
How shall I grasp it? Do not grasp it. That which remains when there is no more grasping is the Self.
- Panchadasi

Saturday 19 April 2008
How many things do you say just to make an impression on others? What are you really achieving when you try to make an impression? If you didn't do things for merit or advancement, or if you didn't act with motives at all, what would life be like? At work? In bed? Alone in a room. Even alone in a room you can be consumed with wanting other people to see you in a good light.
- John Tarrant

Sunday 20 April 2008
You are the music while the music lasts.
- T. S. Eliot

Monday 21 April 2008
Shih-tou once said, "Whatever talk you have about it, however you conduct yourself, such things have no concern with it."
To which Weiyen answered, "Even when you do not talk about it, even when you do not conduct yourself in any way, such things have no concern with it."
"Here I have no room even for a needle's point," said Shih-tou.
To which Wei-yen replied, "Here it is like planting flowers on a rock."
- Zen mondo


Tuesday 22 April 2008
The mountains, rivers, grasses, trees, and forests are always emanating a subtle, precious light, day and night, always emanating a subtle, precious sound, demonstrating and expounding to all people the unsurpassed ultimate truth.
- Yuan-sou