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| | | Book Name: Zen - The Solitary Bird, Cuckoo of the Forest | Previous Next | |
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hankering to be known to the whole world. That was the only desire and the only dream, to be known by the whole world. I never thought of what I was going to do then. And now that I have become world famous it is such a failure. I am so ashamed that now I want to hide from people, because they gather everywhere, wherever I go. I am not left even for a single moment without a crowd. I have to hide in my own house. In this house I used to dream about becoming a famous celebrity, and now I have become famous and my eyes are filled with tears at my stupidity. I wasted my whole life in becoming famous and now I am trying to hide from the same people I wanted to be known to."
Ummon's reply simply means that if thinking ceases and you are still asking for something, then you are only asking for a dream, a golden dream, a paradise, a Sumeru Mountain. The fact is, the moment thought ceases, you disappear too.
And in that disappearance you can hear the solitary cuckoo, the birds chirping, the great silence raining on you with great blessings.
You don't need any Sumeru Mountain.
Listen to the cuckoo ... particularly because this series is dedicated to a solitary bird, a cuckoo in the forest.
ANOTHER MONK ASKED UMMON, "WHEN ALL MENTAL ACTIVITY IS AT AN END, HOW IS IT?"
The same question, asked by millions of people down the centuries. Rather than entering into yourself and finding the silent space, people have been intellectualizing, philosophizing. It is certain that this monk who is asking Ummon, "WHEN ALL MENTAL ACTIVITY IS AT AN END, HOW IS IT?" is a stupid intellectual -- as all intellectuals are stupid. When all mental activity has ceased, there is just pure space, a peace that passeth understanding.
UMMON SAID, "BRING THE BUDDHA HALL HERE, AND WE WILL WEIGH IT TOGETHER!"
The Buddha Hall is in every Zen monastery, where the monks gather to hear the master. Ummon must be sitting in the garden under some tree by the side of some lake. He said, "Before I can answer, it is better to bring the Buddha Hall here, so that the whole assembly of the Buddha Hall together can weigh what remains when mind ceases."
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