14/10/2558 Dharma Wheel • View topic ­ Another of his blankety­blank Zen stories

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Another of his blankety‐blank Zen stories (#p59744)by Quiet Heart » Thu Oct 06, 2011 8:46 am

As I just hit the big 65 years of age today I'll bore you all with another story.After all, now that I'm 65 I can claim the right to be "weird".So here's the story.

Once there was a village that had been suffering a drought for many years.Then one day they heard that it was due to rain that very night.So all the villagers gathered every pail, bottle, any container that would hold water.Some had many containers, some had few....but they all put them out for that preciouswater.That very night it did rain, and in the morning each container...no matter how big or smallwas filled to the brim with that precious water to remove their thirst.

If you don't think that is a Dharma story let me explain.The thirst repersents the longing for the Dharma.The rain is the fullfilment of that Dharma.The mercy of Buddha is illustrated by the way that, whatever the size and number of theircontainers, each person recieved exatly the right amount to fill each to fill their share ofcontainers to the very brim.

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Re: Another of his blankety‐blank Zen stories (#p59761)by Huifeng » Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:43 am

gulpety‐gulp

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Re: Another of his blankety‐blank Zen stories (#p60087)by Kyosan » Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:26 pm

Happy birthday Quiet Heart

14/10/2558 Dharma Wheel • View topic ­ Another of his blankety­blank Zen stories

http://dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=5490&p=60117#p60117 2/2

I like reading your posts because they are interesting to me. I don't think that you are weird; Ithink that you are a person who loves the dharma and that's to be commended.

Your story reminds me of the "Parable of the Herbs" in the Lotus Sutra. I take it's meaning tobe that every sentient being hears the dharma, in it's own mind, in a way that is appropriate(that it can understand). Buddha impartially teaches all sentient beings and doesn't favor:those who are more spiritually adept, those who keep the precepts over those who don't andthose who are Buddhist over those who aren't. Many years ago, I asked my teacher at thattime about this; he didn't say whether my interpretation was correct or not. He just said thatthere are some Buddhists who would hate to hear this interpretation.

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Re: Another of his blankety‐blank Zen stories (#p60117)by deepbluehum » Fri Oct 07, 2011 8:57 pm

That's a good one, I see these too sometimes.

Once when I was at the Mexico coast during rainy season. The villagers would keep theirboats docked just off the beach in this little bay. It was storming hard and a boat sank. Thenext night, a chubby little man with a hat was sitting out in his boat with his arms crossedunder the canopy perched over head. Then it started pouring, thundering and lighting, andthe waves kicked up huge. He was calmly sitting there as his boat rocked hard. He was sostill. Every few minutes he would take a plastic cup, scoop up some water and pour it backinto the ocean, and then go back to sitting with his arms crossed like nothing happened. Ithought this aptly represented the path.

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