Bring Me the Rhinoceros: And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life

As well as coming at this koan through the question, you can come at it through the answer. This is really quick. Zhaozhou pointed to the cypress tree to point to you. What is the cypress tree in your life? And if you, yourself are the ancestor, what will you do now?

And, unlike many Buddhists, he has not made a pretend Buddhist world to live in. He likes and dislikes this world with its physical pains and its pungent salami and the low, midday sun warming the window. He doesn’t yearn toward another world than this one.

When you can’t see the light in your own kitchen, could it be because you are making things small, measuring your life in coffee spoons?

perspective. Connecting with her was a dearest wish, but I had long since given up thinking how to pull it off. Then everything changed. One minute there was the horrible, cavernous relationship we’ve had all my life. Then poof! It was fine. She called me up out of the blue to tell me what color she is painting her new house. “That’s a great color,

Koans light up a life that may have been dormant in you; they hold out the possibility of transformation even if you are trying to address unclear or apparently insoluble problems.

Before dawn the next morning I heard my father’s voice come through the answering machine. “Mum died, John. That’s all I have to say. Bye.” I felt a love for him and also felt that my mother had indeed said farewell in a completely satisfactory way.

The only thing I can imagine about the change with my sister is my perception. But it wasn’t announced; it had to be felt. Love, there is so much love. You see it. You see that bird over there, and at the same time you feel it walking in your heart. It’s not just the birds; everything is walking in your heart. I never had really put the words love

You don’t even have to go looking for a koan, since there’s no way to find it. It will find you.

Can you find where this moment comes from or where it goes home to?