A horse suddenly came galloping down the road. It seemed as though the man had somewhere important to go. Another man, who was standing alongside the road, shouted, “Where are you going?”…
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False harmony
The monk Chu Lai was beaten by a professor who did not believe anything he said. However, the professor’s wife was a follower of Chu Lai, and demanded that her husband had…
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The tunnel
Zenkai, the son of a samurai, journeyed to Edo and there became the retainer of a high official. He fell in love with the official’s wife and was discovered. In self-defence, he…
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The pointer
The Zen teacher’s dog loved his evening romp with his master. The dog would bound ahead to fetch a stick, then run back, wag his tail, and wait for the next game.…
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Paradise
Two men wander the desert, hopelessly lost. Tired and thirsty, they ascend a large sand dune – only to discover a giant stone wall. On the other side of the wall, they…
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Harmony
There is the story of a young martial arts student who was under the tutelage of a famous master. One day, the master was watching a practice session in the courtyard. He…
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The moon cannot be stolen
Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening, a thief visited the hut only to discover there was…
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Finding a piece of the truth
One day Mara, the Evil One, was traveling through the villages of India with his attendants. He saw a man doing meditation walking whose face was lit up with wonder. The man…
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How to deal with insults: The way of the Buddha
One day, the Buddha was walking through a village teaching Dhamma, when a very angry and rude young man belonging to another group of believers came up to him and began insulting…
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One-minute wisdom
“Is there such a thing as one-minute wisdom?” asked the disciples. “There certainly is,” said the Master. “But surely one minute is too brief?” “It is fifty-nine seconds too long.” To his…