sky diving
is not
about the sky.


.

"Can you become invisible, Sadhuji," asked Connor.
"Of course," he replied.
And he got up and walked away.

Sadhus, Going Beyond the Dreadlocks
Patrick Levy

Quantum Mechanics Made Easy

appear, disappear
appear, disappear


(repeat endlessly)



.

when circling Mt. Kailash
say hello to Shiva.
when circling New York
say hello to Statue of Liberty.
when circling Tokyo
say hello to Emperor.
when circling Yellowstone Park
say hello to Grizzly Bear.
when circling Dharamsala
say hello to Dalai Lama.
when tired of circling
sit down.

make tea.
enjoy.

.

how to explain
rocket science?

ask rocket.



.

Master Kong's Direct Transmission

1. When crossing one-way street, look both ways.
2. Don't shoot self in foot.
3. Never follow bad advice.
4. Sitting like lump of clay produces Clay Buddha.
5. Mindlessly chanting sutras is a waste of good air.
6. To dream the impossible dream is impossible.
7. The flute with no holes makes no-sound.
8. Monkeys in fancy clothes are still monkeys.
9. To follow the Way requires good shoes.
10. When reaching other shore, recycle raft.


Dragonfly Temple
2013


.

great painters
only need one stroke
to say everything
that needs saying.




.

spiral galaxy
Chinese tea cup
curl of smoke
cicada's song
moon horns

eternal moment.



.

Ji Bo's Gardening Tip # 123

plant 2 million flowers
water frequently with moon tears
fertilize with cosmic manure
remove weeds growing in mind.
talk to plants every day
be patient for reply.
when flowers fully appear
have party
invite all beings.
when flowers fade
say "thank you!"



.

While you're alive, shine:

never let your mood decline.

We've a brief span of life to spend:

Time necessitates an end.

(song from ancient Greece)

...

"Imagine that you were being watched by Martians. They would be amazed by how much you use your mouth."  Trungpa Rinpoche

Myself - -

One

Double Natured

Three Minded

Multiple Characters

All in equilibrium

All harmonious

Beautiful and Perfect.

M.D. Shrader, the King of Alabama


.

Dalai Lama, Emory U., 10-8-13

no chair for sitting
no bear skin for warmth.
following a stream through cloud draped mountains
riding an ox-cart past turtles and dogs.
heading east in spring, west in autumn
general direction: the Yellow Springs.
evergreens singing at the foot of my bed
dreaming of peaches and roadside flowers.
a curtain of mist obscures the other shore
if only the moon had wings.



(for Red Pine)



.

when drinking tea --

where did tea come from?
how did it get to you?
what was farmer's name?
did tea have good life on farm?
is tea well groomed?
does tea have pleasant aroma?
is taste just right?
how does tea work with mind?

tea is very big miracle;
appreciate every drop!



.

String Theory Explained

weather man predicts big storm,
nothing happens.
general predicts horrible war,
nothing happens.
economist predicts bad recession,
nothing happens.
guru predicts end of world,
nothing happens.
zen master predicts nothing will happen,
Universe disappears.




.

in vast Universe
autumn comes without hindrance -
orange persimmon.



.

Tea Fact # 5

a good green tea
should taste
like
eternity.



.

man reads book about quantum physics.
book explains Uncertainty Principle.
man looks in box, sees Schrodinger's cat.
man feeds cat and lets it out of box.
"wave form is illusion!" cat says.
"spooky action at a distance!" man says. 





.

"The good painter learns from things, not from other painters. The good philosopher learns from his mind, not from some doctrine. The good poet learns from the panoply of images, not from writers of the past." Yuan Hung-tao



.

Special Zen Salad #4

place Universe in salad bowl
rince with River of Stars
add sprinkling of gamma rays
season with comet dust
spin dry for thirty million years
(serves infinite number of beings)


Special Zen Vinaigrette #7

in test tube, add:
1 galaxy of vinegar
14 asteroids
2 million tons of quarks
3 light years of photons
1 neutrino
splash of wasabi
mix in black hole
(serve chilled)


.

There is the leisurely one,
Walking the Tao, beyond philosophy,
Not avoiding fantasy, not seeking truth.
The real nature of ignorance is the Buddha-nature itself;
The empty delusory body is the very body of the Dharma.

Yung-chia Hsuan-chueh (R. Aitken trans.)

The Cyber Sutra

10010101010101000010101010101
   1000101011010100100101011101010
     0001010101001001001000111101001001
       100101010011001010101001110000101101
           01001001011101001010100101010010010010 



.

Cyber Buddha's 4 Digital Truisms

1. Binary life is full of problems.
2. The cause of problems is zeros and ones.
3. There is a Way out of the binary quandary.
4. Follow Cyber Buddha's 8 Fold Digital Detox.


Cyber Buddha's 8 Fold Digital Detox

1. Turn off cell phone.
2. Turn off TV.
3. Turn off talk radio.
4. Turn off MP3 player.
5. Turn off e-mail.
6. Turn off GPS.
7. Turn off video game.
8. Turn on mind.



.

best spiritual advice -
be honest.



.

when thunder disappears
where
does it
go?


.

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect….." Aldo Leopold

ice is water
steam is water
snow is water
cloud is water
rain is water
ocean is water.

boil water
pour in teapot.
let leaves steep.
fill tea cup.
taste -
ah!

thank you, water.



.

eat meat
cruel to cow.
eat tofu
cruel to soybean.
eat squash
cruel to zucchini.
eat cheese
cruel to sheep.
eat cake
cruel to wheat.

eat self
no more cruelty!



.

Tea Fact # 4

Nothing is so important
that it can't wait
until after tea time.



...

Master Kong says:

The human brain is bowl of electric Jello
that can't quit talking to itself.
One moment of silence and you hear
the Big Laugh!



..

one leaf
falls to earth -
enlightenment!



..

Master Kong says:

shoot self in foot
for hurts.
don't shoot self in foot
foot not hurt.

you decide.



..

brain: a river of neurons
connected by empty space.
thoughts come and go
like clouds in sky.

no need for umbrella.



..

itch
scratch -
enlightenment!


..

10 reasons to live without a car

1. no gasoline.
2. don't need mechanic.
3. less traffic.
4. save on insurance.
5. less guilt about global warming.
6. reduce pollution.
7. garage can be yoga studio.
8. more exercise.
9. never buy new tires.
10. parking not a problem.

when giving, give without regret;
when taking, take with gratitude.
this is enough.



..

Diamond Sutra -
too complicated.
Lankavatara Sutra -
too complicated.
Lotus Sutra -
too complicated.

green tea sutra -
just right!




..

today was a day to appreciate


1. no compulsory work
2. no root canal
3. free jar of salt
4. a few good laughs
5. time to read
6. tea to drink
7. no headache
8. salmon to eat
9. sale on hot sauce!
10. surprise rain



..

Master Kong says:

shoot self in foot,
foot hurts.
don't shoot self in foot,
foot not hurts.

you decide.



....

spiritual path big problem:
rock stars in red robes
zen master on every block
ten million yogis
five million gurus.

soon Wal-Mart will sell Enlightenment -
get family discount!



.....

"Do not follow the past. Do not anticipate the future. Relax. Leave your mind alone as it is, and then supreme liberation arises on its own." (in Anam Thubten's The Magic of Awareness)


....

penetrate noise

cling to Buddha,
attachment.
cling to Dogen,
attachment.
cling to Dalai Lama,
attachment.
cling to Emptiness,
attachment.
cling to Enlightenment,
attachment.

to sever clinging
send habit energy mind
on vacation.


...

"I don't know what you learned from books, but the most important thing I learned from my grandfathers was that there is a part of the mind that we really don't know about and it is that part that is most important in whether we become sick or remain well." Thomas Large Whiskers, Navajo medicine man

"To be or not to be,
that is a stupid question."


from the innumerable saying of Tao Jones

...

how
many
tuesdays
exist
in
the
Universe?

read I Ching
read Tao Te Ching
read Yin Fu Ching
fill head with words.

dance to clouds
sing to birds
harmonize with plants
empty head of words.

mind full of words
mind empty of words -
same mind?

if same mind, mind is like suitcase.
if different mind, mind is like radio.
when suitcase and radio disappear,
where is mind?

__ __

"It does not require many words
to speak the truth."

Rolling Thunder (Chief Joseph)

..

"I have become aware of raw nature is in a state of change and how that change is the key to understanding. I want my art to be sensitive and alert to changes in material, season, and weather. Often I can only follow a train of thought while a particular weather condiiton persists. When a change comes, the idea must alter or it will, and often does, fail." 

Andy Goldsworthy

"Whereas knowledge simply requires information, wisdom requires understanding; knowledge informs us whereas wisdom transforms us; knowledge is something we have, wisdom is something we must become." (The World of Shamanism, Roger Walsh)


...

"Someone who follows the Tao must emulate nature and realize the life cycle of anything he says or does or creates." (Chapter Five, Tao Te Ching, Sifu John Fey)


...

"Usually a line is serious - part of a square. This makes funny lines valuable." Kazuaki Tanahashi

circle dance

in winter, watch snow
in spring, watch flowers
in summer, watch sun
in autumn, watch leaves -
repeat often.

best tea - green?
ask tongue.
best flower - red?
ask eye.
best sound - harmony?
ask ear.
best emotion - happy?
ask mind.
best moment - now?
ask Buddha.

for every question - answer?
ask self.

zen experiment # 224

for next 5 minutes
go about normal business
without silently talking
to yourself.

Genesis

God makes man
out of clay,
makes woman
out of man's rib.
only one man
one woman.
woman is clone,
same DNA as man.

today -
7 billion people.
very suspicious!


...

Famous Episode of TV Game Show

Game Show Host: "Renowned psychiatrist, Sigmund Freud, says obsessive-compulsive behavior is cause of big headaches. For $2,000,000, what is most common form of obsessive-compulsive behavior?"

Contestant: "Thinking!"

did contestant win $2,000,000?


___ ___
___ ___
_______

did Yellow Emperor discover tea?
did tea sprout from Bodhidharma's eyelids?
did monkey help farmer grow tea?
did Tao hermit teach art of perfect tea?
is tea answer to diseases of man?

make pot of tea.
pour into cup.
if tea tastes good, say "ah!"
enough about tea.

to wash hands
use soap.
to wash dishes
use sponge.
to wash car
use hose.
to wash mind
use mantra.
to wash planet
use solar power.
to was Universe
use samadhi.

when Universe is clean
use impermanence.

repeat as needed.


....

"More than 2,500 years ago, the philosopher Pythagoras told his followers that a stone is frozen music, an intuition fully validated by modern science; we now know that every particle in the physical universe takes its characteristics from the pitch and pattern and overtones of its particular frequencies, its singing." George Leonard (The Silent Pulse)

The trees show the bodily form of
   the wind;
The waves show the spiritual vitality of
   the moon;
If there were no tree waving
We would not know that the wind had
   any power;
And if there are no waves
The moon cannot break itself into a thousand pieces
   and dance.

Zen poem (via Alan Watts)

Bodhidharma says, "observe mind."
Lao Tzu says, "observe Tao."
Chuang Tzu says, "observe butterfly."
Chang San Feng says, "observe qi."
Master Kong says, "observe Universe."

mind is tao
tao is butterfly
butterfly is qi
qi is Universe
Universe is mind.

big circle.

to increase IQ, go to college.
to increase longevity, practice yoga.
to increase sex life, read Kama Sutra.
to increase good karma, give to poor.
to increase bank account, get job.
to increase awareness, sit zazen.
to increase sanity, turn off TV.
to increase dreams, deep sleep.
to increase relaxation, take vacation.
to increase freedom, lose desires.

when increases are complete
hit remote control:
let go.

____
__ __
____

wild goose
 turns sky
   upside
     down.

in order to have thought
must have brain.
in order to have brain
must have body.
in order to have body
must have ecosystem.
in order to have ecosystem
must have planet.
in order to have planet
must have galaxy.
in order to have galaxy
must have Universe.

one thought very complicated.
if no thought
what happens to Universe?


____

one flake
of snow
on
squirrel's tail

when paying bills, use check
when reading book, use words
when flying kite, use string
when sweeping house, use broom.

when seeking Tao
use nothing.


__ __

As the Anonymous Wise Man said: "The more you think, the less you know!"

from "the innumerable sayings of Tao Jones"


//

stick calligraphy

"In the end, accepting one's dependence on the delicate balance of nature is more important than striving to gain mastery over the world." Yi-Ping Ong

too many books?

man has 10,000 books.
wife says, "we're drowning in sea of books!"
man says, "books contain knowledge."
wife says, "what good is knowledge if all you do is read books?"
man takes 5,000 books to thrift store.
everybody happy.
man walks to car, smiles.
man says, "now have room for 5,000 new books!"

____

“The Tao is a treasure … This has nothing to do with material alchemy. It is utterly simple, utterly easy … It is completely spiritual, true goodness. The ridiculous thing is that foolish people seek mysterious marvels, when they do not know enough to preserve the mysterious marvel that is actually present.” 

Liu I-ming  Awakening to the Tao, trans by Thomas Cleary and Into Mountains, Over Streams

monkey walks on 2 feet
dog walks on 4 feet
ant walks on 6 feet
spider walks on 8 feet.
centipede walks on 100 feet.
millipede walks on 1,000 feet.
alens from Jupiter walk on 10,000 feet.

vast Universe, many feet.
just walk.
when tired rest feet.
shoes optional.


_ _ _

one big Mu

man has dream.
dream master asks "what is Mu?"
man has dream enlightenment -
"hahaha! dream is Mu!"
dream master hits man with dream stick.

next morning dream is just dream
sun is just sun
tree is just tree
dog is just dog.

walking, talking, eating -
100% Mu -

man says, "Universe one big Mu!"


--- --- ---

to create reality:
look, listen, taste, touch, smell.
to transcend reality:
look, listen, taste, touch, smell.

no ladder required.

--  -- --

when drinking tea, taste each sip.
when eating noodles, taste each bite.
when driving car, taste each mile.
when watching sky, taste each cloud.
when taking nap, taste each dream.

when waking up - taste Universe!

.

amphibious zazen

when sitting like frog,
   think
      like
         frog.

              in
           center
of expanding Universe -
          a small
              ?

don't know

Only go straight - don't know!

This means drop your ideas and concepts and see clearly, hear clearly. Then the constantly changing, appearing and disappearing situations, conditions and relationships of our life are clear, untainted by our small-minded greed, anger and delusion.

Zen Master Bon Soeng

......

Chuang Tzu

"Earth's natural process is itself both our fate in life and our transcendence, for self is but a fleeting form taken on by earth's process of change - born out of it, and returned to it in death. Or more precisely, never out of it: totally unborn. Our truest self, being unborn, is all and none of earth's fleeting forms simultaneously." David Hinton, Chuang Tzu, The Inner Chapters.

.

laughing Buddha

Otagaki Rengetsu

The clear

enlightening wind

of the Buddha,

blowing across the mountains:

a procession of white clouds.

using I Ching to solve existential problem of self

toss three coins
six times:
off on off on off off
hexagram 40
water/thunder.

sit back
inhale/exhale -
repeat.

read commentary in Book of Changes:
"don't shoot self in foot!"

put coins away
put Book of Changes on shelf
walk outside:
sun on vacation
clouds dance like geese in sky
thunder rumbles over snake river.

at this moment
infinite possibilities;
how to decide right action"
big existential problem.

       __ -- __

make pot of tea.
when tea is ready
sit beneath umbrella,
listen to birds sing.
be careful not to spill tea.
drink slowly
perceive hidden flavor
of mountain, soil, nitrogen, fungi, photosynthesis,
river, earth energy.
enjoy!

no more existential problem.

      --_--

Blue Buddha

ice is water
steam is water
snow is water
rain is water
ocean is water.

boil water
pour into tea pot.
let leaves steep,
fill tea cup.
taste -
ah!

thank you
water.

to understand flower
talk to flower.
to understand tree
talk to tree.
to understand mountain
talk to mountain.
to understand ocean
talk to ocean.

to understand self
quit talking.


.....

atomic dance

Universe -
big game
of
musical
chairs.

new moon
year of snake -
eat dumplings
drink tea
enjoy family.

bow to Universe.


.....

cup of tea

( ^^) _U~~　( ^^) _旦~~

.........

watercourse way

"There is no point in trying to suppress the babble of words and ideas that goes on in most adult brains, so if it won't stop, let it go on as it will, and listen to it as if it were the sound of traffic or the clucking of hens." Alan Watts

......

U 5.0

when painting with ink
make brush one with paper.
when painting a house
make brush one with wood.
when painting a portrait
make brush one with face.
when painting Buddha
make brush one with impermanence.
when painting Universe
make brush disappear.

Echigo Tsumari Art Field

"In summer, cultivate the fields. In winter, cultivate the mind."


.....

U=what?

watch kung fu movie -
cheer for good guy
boo bad guy.
at end of movie
good guy and bad guy
shake hands,
laugh,
on Way
to bank.

Tofu Dog runs
in blinding
snow storm.
woof! woof!
snow storm answers
with thundering silence.

Big Dream

man wakes up, says, "Eureka!'

wife says, "now what?

man says, "big dream shows me Meaning of Life!'

wife says, "will Meaning of Life help you mow yard or carry out garbage?"

man says, "Meaning of Life too cosmic for garbage."

wife says, "go back to sleep."

when drinking tea
don't forget
to turn on
taste buds.

no
such
thing
as
a
clumsy
squirrel.

frequency (static)

winter chi

en-so 4

pine straw calligraphy

dialing for dharma

getting busy
signal
when calling
Universe?
turn off
self-phone!


......

tea time

"..... to maintain mindfulness for as long as it takes to drink a cup of tea accumulates more merit than years of practicing generosity, discipline, and asceticism." Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse

"In the instruction of students under his charge, the master did not lay down any rules or establish any regulations. Yet a silent, respectful atmosphere always prevailed in his temples - an example of 'Not governing, yet having no disorder; doing what is right without being told.'" (The Unborn: The Life and Teachings of Zen Master Bankei)

motion

when studying Pa Kua
important to enjoy
going around
in circles.

Bankei and the Unborn Mind

A layman: Master, I've heard that you can see right into people's minds. Right now, what am I thinking?

Bankei: You're thinking that.


......

universe

scientific experimet # 3243

measure the effects
to the environment
of 7 billion people
suddenly
taking one
deep
breath.

why say

Epigallocatechin gallate

when you

can simply

drink

TEA?

think of bell
does image of bell in mind have self?
when bell rings
does sound of bell have self?
when mind hears sound
does mind have self?

mind, bell, sound -
one
   or
     many?

BONG!


......

10,000 thoughts
ZAP!

time for tea.

mind
   is
wind
   in
trees.

at Shaolin Temple
a cold monk
wears
electric
shoes.

(for Andy Ferguson)

to find pot of gold

seek end of rainbow.

to find peace

seek end of war.

to find big fortune

seek winning lottery ticket.

to find answer to meaning of life

seek enlightened guru.

to find yourself

seek nothing. 

Gary Snyder, 1970s, Alabama

old mind,
thought jumps in -
plop!

when reaching 100 years old
best to have doctor
who makes house calls.

snow tree

"I attain all my knowledge through observing the mind within.... Thus all my thoughts become the teaching of the Dharma, and apparent phenomena are all the books one needs." Milerepa (in One Dharma, Joseph Goldstein)

meatball koan

200 Zen masters gather for Big Mind meeting at Hilton Hotel.
hotel's top chef is from Argentina and speaks no Dharma.
somehow Zen diet instructions become lost
in translation and chef serves meatball sandwiches
to 200 Zen masters.

master from Shaolin bangs table with fist,
says, "meatballs bad for kung-fu!"
master from Daitokuji waves whisk in air,
says "only hungry ghosts eat meatballs!"
master from Marin County draws enso on napkin,
says, "not-eating meat is vegetarian no-mind."
master from Korea slams stick on table,
says "only don't know meat!"
master from Vermont clasps hands in gasho,
says, "meat is emptiness, emptiness is meat."

200 Zen masters begin debating karma of ingesting meat.
soon a food-fight spontaneously arises from the Void.

Master Kong walks into hotel kitchen and says to chef from Argentina,
"very good meatball sandwich! I'll have another one to go."

chef bows to Master Kong and Hilton Hotel disappears.

time flies
when
you're
taking
 a nap.

sifr = zero.

zephirum = zero. 

shunya = zero.

0 = zero.

mu = zero.

one 
zero

or 
many? 

video

silent wind chimes

vanishing calligraphy 5

so many 

opinions,

so little

 time.

vanishing calligraphy 2

Jumping from the
bucket into the world -
frog in the well.

Fukuda Kodojin (aged 5)

U = 5

fire calligraphy

Old Man listens to mind: big noise.

Old Man says, "big noise is big nuisance!"

Old Man calls Zen Master, "mind is nuisance, need cure."

Zen Master  says, "zazen."

Old Man calls Pope, "mind is nuisance, need cure."

Pope says, "Jesus."

Old Man calls Taoist Immortal, "mind is nuisance, need cure."

Taoist Immortal says, "qigong."

Old Man calls Sigmund Freud, "mind is nuisance, need cure."

Sigmund Frued says, "psychoanalysis."

Old Man calls Big Lebowski, "mind is nuisance, need cure."

Big Lebowski says, "abide."

Old Man calls Master Kong, "mind is nuisance, need cure."

Master Kong says, "bring mind to my house, I will cure."

Old Man drives to Master Kong's house.

Master Kong hands Old Man a shovel, "sewer problem, dig here."

Two hours later Master Kong says, "must plant tree, dig here."

Two hours later, Master Kong says, "need to build bomb shelter, dig here."

Two hours later Old Man is very tired, no more noise. 

Master Kong says, "mind now cured!"

Coyote Buddha goes to Wal-Mart

Coyote Buddha watches automatic doors
open and close by invisible habit energy,
shoppers search aisles for meaning of life,
big sale on disposable diapers,
free antibiotics,
two-for-one bedroom slippers.

man in blue vest says, "Can I help you?"
Coyote Buddha laughs and hands man a magic rock:
"Rub rock and get enlightened!"

man rubs rock and Wal-Mart disappears -
no more automatic doors
no more shoppers
no more meaning of life
no more disposable diapers
no more free antibiotics
no more bedrom slippers
no more man in blue vest.

Coyote Buddha shakes head and says,
"Must have given man wrong rock."

soon - year of snake

                  2013
 New Year's Resolution

put ego
on
  Bikini
     Diet!