Zen Stories
An old man sat meditating on the side of a quiet road. Eyes closed and legs crossed, he was calm. Then a cruel and authoritative voice interrupted his peace. "Hey, old man! Teach me about heaven and hell!" The old man slowly opened his eyes and saw that the cruel voice belonged to a large and unkempt soldier. The old man smiled as the soldier shifted his... Read More »
Category : Zen Stories
In the midst of an ancient battle a general was struggling to inspire his troops. Despite the general and his troops being greatly outnumbered the general still believed they would win. The troops were not quite as confident and were worried about the battle. The night before the general and his men stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men... Read More »
Category : Zen Stories
A young man in search of his true self approached a Zen master. “Master, I don’t know who I am. Please show me.” The Zen master ignored the young man and looked in another direction. At this, the young man became desperate and began begging the Zen master to show him his true self. The Zen master continued to ignore the young man until finally he gave... Read More »
Category : Zen Stories
An ancient stonecutter was unhappy with his life. One day he passed by a rich man’s house and from the entrance the stonecutter could see all the rich man’s fabulous possessions. He thought, “How powerful that man must be!” The stonecutter looked down at his shabby clothes and wished that he could be like the rich man. Astonishingly, the... Read More »
Category : Zen Stories
An old man was walking along a powerful river when suddenly he fell in. Onlookers watched in horror as the old man became stuck in strong rapids that lead to a deadly waterfall. Somehow, he came out further downstream unharmed. The crowd was shocked and asked the man how he could possibly of managed to survive. He responded, “I adapted myself to the... Read More »
Category : Zen Stories
A master revealed to his students that one of their peers had reached an advanced state of enlightenment. At this the students became excited and went to see the young man. When they found him they wanted to know all about enlightenment. “Master told us you are now enlightened. Is it really true?” “It is.” The young man replied. “What is... Read More »
Category : Zen Stories
A troubled student sat with his mentor and said, “My meditation is not working! Whenever I sit down to meditate I get distracted or my body begins to ache. Sometimes I even fall asleep!” The mentor looked upon the student sympathetically and said, “It will pass.” A week later the student sat with his mentor once again. This time he was much... Read More »
Category : Zen Stories
An earthquake shook a Zen temple so violently that parts of the temple collapsed. Once the earthquake ceased the Zen teacher told his students, “You have now seen how a Zen teacher behaves in a crisis. I didn’t panic and despite knowing the severity of the situation, I stayed calm and showed you what to do. I took you all into the kitchen - the... Read More »
Category : Zen Stories
In the midst of an ancient battle a general was struggling to inspire his troops. Despite the general and his troops being greatly outnumbered the general still believed they would win. The troops were not quite as confident and were worried about the battle. The night before the general and his men stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men... Read More »
Category : Zen Stories
One day a man was walking through a forest when he saw a ravenous tiger. The tiger began after the man and he fled. Eventually he came to a cliff with no way round, the tiger hadn’t relented and wasn’t far behind him. As the man stood before the cliff he wondered what to do next. He grabbed a vine and lowered himself down the cliff out of the tigers... Read More »
Category : Zen Stories
