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Main Index
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or those who use the terminology of God, they say it happens through his grace. Chiyono or Buddhists don't believe in any God, they don't use that symbology. So Chiyono cannot say, "Out of his grace" -- she cannot. Eckhart would say, "Out of his grace -- no qualification on my part. I have done nothing for it. I have not caused it." Meera would say, "Krishna's grace." Theresa would say, "Jesus and his grace."
Buddhists don't believe in any personalized God; their approach is absolutely beyond personalized symbols. They are not anthropocentric. So Chiyono cannot say 'grace', she simply says, "Suddenly it happened," but the meaning is the same. "Suddenly it happened. I was doing rather the contrary. Everything disappeared: water flowed out, the moon disappeared -- EMPTINESS IN MY HAND."
And this is enlightenment: when emptiness is in your hand, when everything is empty, when there is nobody, not even you -- because if you are there, the pail is there, the old pail. If you are not there and the room is totally empty, your being is not filled at all, you have become the source. You have attained to the original face of Zen.
And this is the most blissful moment possible. And this moment becomes eternal -- then there is no end to it. This moment becomes eternity. Then you can never be anything otherwise, because you are no more. Who can be sad? Who can be in sorrow? Who can be disappointed? Who can desire and feel frustrated? Emptiness cannot be frustrated. Emptiness cannot desire. Emptiness cannot expect anything, so it remains absolutely in bliss, absolutely bliss.
If you are, you will be in misery. If you are not, there cannot be any misery. So the whole problem is: To be or not to be?
And Chiyono suddenly found that she is not: Emptiness in the hand.
Enough for today.
No Water, No Moon
Chapter #2
Chapter title: Trading Dialogue for Lodging
12 August 1974 am in Buddha Hall
Archive code: 7408120
ShortTitle: NOMOON02
Audio: Yes
Video: No
Length: 108 mins
THERE IS AN OLD TRADITION IN SOME JAPANESE ZEN TEMPLES THAT IF A WANDERING MONK
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