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lightning flashes—
close by my face,
the pampas grass.

— Bashō, 1694

'Lightning flashes' means, our human lifespan is extremely brief, "like a flash of lightning in the sky."
'Close by my face' means, death is always imminent.
'The pampas grass' signifies the impermanence of all conditioned things.

Also,

'Lightning flashes' signifies the nature of instantaneous enlightenment.
'Close by my face' means the undeniable realization of Buddha-Nature.
'The pampas grass' is the manifestation of suchness. "Grasses endlessly expound the inconceivable, profound dharma." by @oldcraftway

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13 days ago

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When a man rules his feelings and desires, his voluntary nervous system comes under his control and changes go on in his fourfold physical body. [...]
As the nerves in the sense organs become keyed up to matter that is finer than the matter ordinarily perceived, the senses perceive matter within the matter which they have so far perceived and which was their limitation. The gross matter is then no obstruction. On the physical plane, things unsuspected will come within the ken of man as he perceives new dimensions of physical matter and is no longer limited by the on-ness or surface matter spoken of as length, breadth and thickness. That one may then see solid objects and within the solid matter finer matter that is circulating through it; he can watch the sap flowing through plants, the digestion of food and the circulation in his own body and in other bodies, the currents of the breath going through the body and its physical atmosphere, the currents in the air and in the water. Distance will not interfere with sight. He may see through the crust of the earth into the interior. Then the shape of the earth crust will not be that of a globe or of a plane. He will see the sun and moon through the earth crust as he now sees them above it. He will see the planets working through the earth as he now sees them cycling around the sun. He will see the stars not as millions of miles away and of fantastic size but as they are and connected with the nerves of human bodies.
Then he will hear what he sees in plants and in human and animal bodies, the circulation of sap and blood and nervous fluid. He will hear finer matter flowing through the coarser matter that forms solid objects. He will hear the sound made by the earth and other celestial bodies as they move in their courses. He will so see and hear by focusing his sight and hearing on the objects and their movements. Without physical contact he will sense the properties of any thing as being palatable, poisonous, fragrant, friendly or inimical. All this can be done by the four senses acting as reporters, on the physical plane. No exercise of psychic power should be required.
— Thinking & Destiny, Ch. VI Psychic Destiny by @oldcraftway

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25 days ago

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Tales told about unusual phenomena produced by African sorcerers, dancing dervishes, medicine and miracle men of various tribes, conjurers, fakirs, ascetics and holy men, either alone, in company, during religious orgies of an ecstatic assembly or among a band wallowing in debauch, are sometimes true. Some of them can exercise their powers at any time and place, and some only under certain conditions. These people require for their sorcery, charms and fascination, certain phases of the moon or seasons of the year, caves or mountains, forests or groves, fires, sounding of instruments, chanting, dancing, bloodletting, incense and symbols, which have a magic power.
In every case the phenomena are produced by mysterious powers, that is, an unusual development of feeling and desire [...]. So are produced such phenomena as eating coals of fire from a burning stick, walking through flames or over red hot coals, making people see living pictures of persons and scenes, rising or floating in the air, traveling through it, producing without instruments sounds in the air, ringing astral bells, transporting huge stones through the air and precipitating flowers, letters, pictures, food and other objects out of it. So, too, are performed walking on water, precipitating rain, locating springs, increasing or decreasing a quantity of water in a vessel. Making the earth to undulate, causing a landslide, making precious stones, transmuting lower metals into gold, making plants grow rapidly to giant size, or dwarfing trees like pines to the size of mushrooms, and passing one solid object through another, are done in the same manner. And so also men are enabled to slash the flesh and pierce the bones of their own bodies or those of others, without pain and without leaving an injury; to be entombed or buried in the ground, to become as a wolf or a tiger, to reanimate a dead form, to take possession of another’s body and operate it, to summon elementals and compel them to render service, to have them as familiars, messengers, reporters and as guards, to cast evil spells over people or places and to bring back the dead by necromancy.
— Thinking and Destiny, Ch. VI. Psychic Destiny
——— by @oldcraftway

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a month ago

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Genius, like heroism, is a matter of bravery—you have to forget fear, or incapacity somehow . . . . hence its expression is always spontaneous. How simple it is to acquire genius—you know the means; who will take the plunge? The learning of “How” is the eternal “Why”—unanswered! A genius is such, because he does not know how or why.
— Zos the Goatherd, The Book of Pleasure (1913)
——— by @oldcraftway

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a month ago

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Know the sub-consciousness to be an epitome of all experience and wisdom, past incarnations as men, animals, birds, vegetable life, etc., etc., everything that exists, has and ever will exist. Each being a stratum in the order of evolution. Naturally then, the lower we probe into these strata, the earlier will be the forms of life we arrive at; the last is the Almighty Simplicity. And if we succeed in awakening them, we shall gain their properties, and our accomplishment will correspond. They being experiences long passed, must be evoked by extremely vague suggestion, which can only operate when the mind is unusually quiet or simple. [...] Now, if we observe Nature, the early forms of life are wonderful in their properties, adaptablility, etc; their strength enormous, and some are indestructible. No matter what the desire is, it always is its accomplishment. A microbe has the power to destroy the world (and certainly would if it took an interest in us). If you were to dismember its limb, the mutilated part would regrow, etc. So by evoking and becoming obsessed or illuminated by these existences, we gain their magical properties, or the knowledge of their attainment. This is what already happens (everything happens at all times) though exceedingly slowly; in striving for knowledge we repel it, the mind works best on a simple diet.
— Zos the Goatherd, The Book of Pleasure (1913)
——— by @oldcraftway

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a month ago

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A monk asked Joshu, “Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?” Joshu said, “No.” This one word “no” (mu) is a knife to sunder the doubting mind of birth and death. The handle of this knife is in one’s own hand alone: you can’t have anyone else wield it for you: to succeed you must take hold of it yourself. You consent to take hold of it yourself only if you can abandon your life. If you cannot abandon your life, just keep to where your doubt remains unbroken for a while: suddenly you’ll consent to abandon your life, and then you’ll be done.
Only then will you believe that when quiet it’s the same as when noisy, when noisy it’s the same as when quiet, when speaking it’s the same as when silent, and when silent it’s the same as when speaking. You won’t have to ask anyone else, and naturally you won’t accept the confusing talk of false teachers.
During your daily activities twenty-four hours a day, you shouldn’t hold to birth and death and the Buddha Path as existent, nor should you deny them as nonexistent. Just contemplate this: A monk asked Joshu, “Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?” Joshu said, “No.”
— Swampland Flowers:
The Letters and Lectures of Zen Master Ta Hui (1089-1163)
Woodblock: Masao Ido, Kennin-Ji Temple, 1985
——— by @oldcraftway

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2 months ago

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Using skillful means
I have manifested the state of nirvana
To bring sentient beings to this path;
Yet I have not actually entered nirvana,
But continually abide here expounding the Dharma.
Although I am always among these erring beings,
With my transcendent powers,
I prevent them from seeing me.
The sentient beings,
Seeing me enter perfect extinction
Earnestly revere my relics
And, filled with longing,
Yearn for me. [...]

Not knowing this, you only think
That I have entered parinirvāṇa.
I see all sentient beings
Submerged in the ocean of suffering.
That is why, by not manifesting my form,
I cause them to yearn for me.
Then, after awakening this longing,
I appear and expound the Dharma;
Such are my transcendent powers.
For innumerable kalpas
I have constantly resided
On Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa and elsewhere. [...]

But all who cultivate merit,
And are receptive and honest,
Will see me residing here,
Expounding the Dharma.
For the sake of these sentient beings
I teach that the lifespan
Of the Buddha is immeasurable.
To those who, after a long time,
Finally see the Buddha,
I teach that it is difficult to meet him.
Such is the power of my wisdom.
The light of my wisdom illuminates immeasurably,
And my lifespan is of innumerable kalpas.
This has been achieved through long practice.
You wise ones, do not give in to doubt!
Entertain no doubts in this regard!
The Buddha’s words are true, not false. [...]

To the deluded and unenlightened I say that
I have entered nirvana,
Although, in fact, I am really here.
For if they were to see me,
They would become lazy and arrogant.
Attached to the desires of the five senses,
They would fall into the troubled states of being.
Always aware of which sentient beings
Practice the path and which do not
I teach the Dharma in various ways,
According to their ability to be saved.
I am always thinking:
By what means can I cause sentient beings to be able to
Enter the highest path
And quickly attain the Dharma?
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— The Lotus Sutra
Ch. 16: The Lifespan of the Tathāgata
Art: Shakyamuni Flanked by His Main Disciples
Karmapa Workshop, 17th Century
---- by @oldcraftway

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2 months ago

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𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥,
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯,
𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵
𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯
𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳,
𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭,
𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥.

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sculpture: Gandhāra Buddha, 1st-2nd century CE
Housed at the Tokyo National Museum by @oldcraftway

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2 months ago

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'The Guru is a great and miraculous deity. Don’t think that a realized Guru is an ordinary person and abandon him; you will understand his greatness only when his full grace descends on you. The Guru elevates his disciples to a high level, shows them their own true nature, merges them with Shiva, and makes them Shiva. The Guru has the uncommon power to transform man completely. He bestows a new life in which there is no old age and no sorrow. He makes us attain perfection in this very world. Just as an owl cannot see by day nor a crow at night, without the grace of a Guru man does not see the world as heaven, but only as sorrow and suffering.
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'There are many Gurus in the world. In Guruhood there is no differentiation of sex. Parashiva is the Guru and Parashakti Chiti is also the Guru. The Guru is unfathomable. From the viewpoint of knowledge, men and women are the same. They have the same Shakti, the same soul, the same fulfillment. A human being into whom the energy of Consciousness is transmitted is no longer merely a man or a woman. Whatever such a being’s external form may be, inwardly, that person is fully the all-pervasive Chiti. Although in everyday life such a one may appear to be male or female, that person’s inner being is nothing but Parashiva-Shakti. When the great Kundalini, the mother of yoga, is awakened by the Guru’s divine grace, all impurities of the flesh are destroyed and the consciousness of being a man or a woman is burned away in the fire of yoga. Then the Chiti Shakti enters the seven bodily elements and makes them the embodiment of Chiti. When you mix sugar with water, it becomes syrup. When Kundalini is moving within, the body may appear to be made of flesh, but it becomes—and stays—pure Consciousness. When this is the case, who is man and who is woman?'
— Muktananda, Play of Consciousness
Painting: Mahadeva (Shiva)
———
#GuruYoga #SiddhaYoga #Kundalini
#MahaSiddha #Consciousness by @oldcraftway

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2 months ago

"All of Buddhism is a footnote to zazen"
—Kōdō Sawaki
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Painting: #Kannon
Zazen: seated meditation
——— by @oldcraftway

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2 months ago

'Not even a sage can utter a word about that realm of silence from which thoughts issue.'
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Painting: King of Shambhala, Eastern Tibet, 18th century by @oldcraftway

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2 months ago

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Whether sitting for long periods without lying down or whether engaged in walking practices throughout the six divisions of the day, the vital breath must always be made to fill the space between the navel and the loins. Even though one may be hemmed in by worldly cares or tied down by guests who require elaborate attention, the source of strength two inches below the navel must naturally be filled with the vital breath, and at no time may it be allowed to disperse. This area should be pendulous and well rounded, somewhat like a new ball that has yet to be used. If a person is able to acquire this kind of breath concentration he can sit in meditation all day long without it ever tiring him; he can recite the sutras from morning to night without becoming worn out; he can write all day long without any trouble; he can talk all day without collapsing from fatigue. Even if he practices good works day after day, there will still be no indications of flagging; in fact the capacity of his mind will gradually grow larger and his vitality will always be strong. On the hottest day of summer he will not perspire nor need he use a fan; on the snowiest night of deepest winter he need not wear socks nor warm himself. Should he live to be a hundred years old his teeth will remain healthy and firm. Provided he does not become lax in his practices, he should attain to a great age. If a man becomes accomplished in this method, what Way cannot be perfected, what precepts cannot be maintained, what samadhi cannot be practiced, what virtue cannot be fulfilled!
— Hakuin, Letter in reply to Lord Nabeshima
Portrait of Rinzai (Linji Yixuan) by Hakuin (1750s)
——— by @oldcraftway

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2 months ago