Quote:
Originally Posted by disastermouse
I was confused about that story - I thought it was the Buddha who took the monk's shirt.
This is the version of the story that I have seen in a few places, it's from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones:
One evening a thief visited Ry?kan's hut at the base of the mountain only to discover there was nothing to steal. Ry?kan returned and caught him. "You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift." The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away. Ry?kan sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, "I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon."
The story is probably just an interpretation of Ryokan Taigu's Haiku:
The thief
Left it behind-
The moon at the window.
In other words, I think we may interpret it in any way we want. Clothes, shirt, Kesa, blanket, rags. I haven't heard the interpretation with the Buddha as the thief! :shock: :lol:
The message is, if I have understood Taigu Sensei correctly, is that we should let Shikantaza be Skikantaza and not become the thief in Ryokan's poem by stealing some rags, not noticing the real treasure, the beautiful moon. In other words, not try to use Zazen, take something from it into our lives, expect some use or reward from it. Instead of defiling it, we should let it be the pure manifestation of reality in this present moment, enlightenment, true nature, universal self or whatever we want to call it. Please correct me if I've misunderstood completely (again)!
Gassho,
Pontus