Preface

Tradition of haikus shall continue! However, as opposed to subjecting y’all to my terrible haikus, I will relay actual zen-esque literature since I was personally irrevocably influenced by that Eastern philosophy

Most of the quotes will be from essentially two books

The first which I can’t recommend enough is entitled

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones

Edited by Paul Reps

This book has likely influenced my life more than Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Spinoza, Kant, Hume, Paine, Mills, Nietzsche…

It doesn’t take a PhD in comparative religion, theology or philosophy to “get” it. Like the greatest works, it isn’t a manual or some detailed metaphysical castle built on clouds. It’s more akin to that anecdote about five blind people feeling different parts of an elephant. The one by the trunk is going to describe the elephant one way, while the one feeling the leg, another, or the one feeling the underbelly, or riding on top. It’s the same elephant, but their imaginings of what the ‘real’ elephant is will subjectively differ. As such, the best works, teachers, neighbors or strangers will provide perspective to take it all in. To step back from your ‘self.’ “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones” is mainly a collection of stories, anecdotes, plus some additional ancient material:

” 101 Zen Stories, a collection of tales that recount actual experiences of Chinese and Japanese Zen teachers over a period of more than five centuries

The Gateless Gate, the famous thirteenth-century collection of Zen koans

Ten Bulls, a twelfth century commentary on the stages of awareness leading to enlightenment

Centering, a 4,000 year-old teaching from India that some consider to be the roots of Zen.”

The second book is entitled

“The Little Book of Zen“

by David Schiller

I will be quoting from this book more simply because the material is concise – essentially a collection of sayings, parables, meditations, haikus and poetry

I’ve actually come to this more recently, and while perhaps not as ‘transformative’, I do find myself reading between living

Honestly, it’s a fantastic ‘bathroom book’ as you won’t be reading Hegel in there unless you take painful 2 hours scheißes!

Besides, who knows? Maybe you’re doing your biz, read a line, reach for the last square of toilet paper, and attain enlightenment

There’s nothing more zen than ascending to Buddhahood while taking a dump

“A Cup of Tea“

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the [cup] overflow until he no longer could restrain himself.

“It is overfull. No more will go in!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

—

“Study of Two Pears“

The pears are not viols
Nudes or bottles.
They resemble nothing else.

– Wallace Stevens