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to what I say, just listen to the rhythm. Just listen to the harmony, the harmony of the opposites. And it is a single note, remember. I go on repeating the same thing every day in different ways. Sometimes a Zen story is the excuse, sometimes a Sufi story is the excuse, sometimes the Gita, sometimes Jesus or Mahavir; these are all excuses. But I go on repeating the same note. I go around you trying from everywhere, all the possibilities.
Listen to the music! Don't listen to the logic. It has no logic in it -- it has only a melody.
Returning to the Source
Chapter #2
Chapter title: Throw It Out!
12 December 1974 am in Buddha Hall
Archive code: 7412120
ShortTitle: SOURCE02
Audio: Yes
Video: No
Length: 94 mins
JOSHU WAS A MASTER WHO STARTED TO STUDY ZEN WHEN HE WAS SIXTY. WHEN HE WAS EIGHTY HE FOUND ENLIGHTENMENT. THEY SAY HE TAUGHT FOR FORTY YEARS AFTER HIS ENLIGHTENMENT.
ONCE A STUDENT ASKED OLD JOSHU: 'YOU TEACH THAT WE SHOULD EMPTY OUR MINDS. I HAVE NOTHING IN MY MIND -- NOW WHAT SHOULD I DO? 'THROW IT OUT,' SAID JOSHU. 'BUT I HAVE NOTHING -- HOW CAN I THROW IT OUT?' JOSHU SAID:' IF YOU CAN'T THROW IT OUT, CARRY IT OUT, DRIVE IT OUT, EMPTY IT OUT -- BUT DON'T STAND THERE IN FRONT OF ME WITH NOTHING IN YOUR MIND !'
What is Joshu's single note? This is the single note -- emptiness. This is the lotus flower that Buddha transmitted to Mahakashyap. And this is what all of the Buddhas have been teaching through the ages -- be empty. The ego wants to be All. The All happens, but it happens through emptiness, and therein lies the difficulty, the impossibility of it. You can become perfect, but if perfection is the ideal, then you will miss it. You can become perfect through being totally empty. That seems inconceivable for the mind, because the mind says: To be perfect one has to make much effort, to be perfect one has to create an ideal in the future, and one has to make effort to reach the goal. The goal happens. Perfection comes to man, man need not go there. The goal comes to you. Nobody has ever gone to the goal. It has always been otherwise; the goal comes to you
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