Zen Stick: A Collection of 91 Weird Zen Stories

By Rahul Karn

Generally, by Zen people think about peace and meditation. But sometimes the Zen Masters can fiercely use their stick to awaken you. This book is a collection of such 91 weird Zen Stories. In these stories, sometimes the Zen master hits the student, sometimes he shouts and sometimes he even slaps the student!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rahul Karn
• Release date: May 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9780648574439

Rahul Karn

Rahul Karn is a contemporary author on Zen. He is an MBA graduate from the University of Melbourne. He also holds an Engineering Degree in IT. His quest for experiencing the truth himself took him to many spiritual leaders and meditation centers and finally he got peace under the shade of Zen! He has over nine years of experience in meditation. He teaches his friends meditation and thus helps them to celebrate everyday life. He has his own blog and a page on Facebook, called Zensational Stories, where he shares Zen Stories regularly. If you have any queries or you want to discuss something related to your life or Zen, or want to catch up with him in Melbourne, then feel free to contact him on [e-mail].

Book preview

PREFACE

Dear Zen Friends,

Thanks for welcoming the Zensational Stories series.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word Zen? Probably a peaceful monk or a meditating person at a beach!

You are right. But that is just one side of the coin. To attain to that peace, first one has to go through lot of adversities. To attain to awareness, one has to receive many whacks from a Zen Master whenever that student is dozing or slipping into thoughts.

In this volume, I have brought all those cases where a Zen Master uses his staff to discipline the student, sometimes the master even slaps the student! These materials have been compiled from different sources. Sometimes the same story is present in multiple ancient records. I have given a bibliography of resources at the end of the book.

If you are not familiar with Zen culture, these stories will look weird to you.

There is another specialty of this work. Unlike other volumes, I have not written any commentary on the stories, because the sound of raindrops does not need any commentary. Thus, this book is equally useful for new as well as old students of Zen!

Should you have any queries, please feel free to mail me on [e-mail].

Have a Zensational time!

Yours Zen Friend

Rahul Karn

Melbourne

30th May 2019

Contents

PREFACE

1.      The Taste of Banzo's Sword

2.      Deshan’s Blow

3.      The Meaning

4.      Trading Dialogue for Lodging

5.      The Meaning

6.      Hit

7.      Any Difference?

8.      Te-shan’s Ultimate Teaching

9.      Failure

10.      Come Closer

11.      Guizong’s One-Flavor Zen

12.      Knowing

13.      Shit

14.      The Whisk

15.      Shilou’s Shortcomings

16.      Linji Holds Up His Fly Whisk

17.      Ten Successors

18.      Enlightened

19.      No Worship

20.      Dilemma

21.      The Monk

22.      The Meaning

23.      The Short Staff

24.      Shuzan’s Staff

25.      Hurt

26.      The Perfect Teaching

27.      The Jars

28.      What is it?

29.      Danxia Burns a Buddha Image

30.      The Great Meaning

31.      The Circle

32.      Can You Say It?

33.      Get Out!

34.      Changqing's Staff

35.      Heaven and Hell

36.      The Staff

37.      Blind, Deaf and Mute

38.      The Sutra

39.      The Word

40.      Ummon's Staff

41.      Thusness

42.      Calling

43.      The Buddhas

44.      Striking the Buddha

45.      Rinzai’s Nap

46.      Source

47.      The Direct Approach

48.      Ciming’s Bowl of Water

49.      The World-Honored-One’s Lotus Eyes

50.      The Donkey Zen Master

51.      Hui-chung Expels His Disciple

52.      The Defilement

53.      Kao-ting Strikes a Monk

54.      Commitment

55.      Xinghua’s Two Waves of the Hand

56.      Ho

57.      The Meaning

58.      Strike

59.      Please Express

60.      Inferior and Superior

61.      The Essence

62.      Huangbo Bows to A Buddha Image

63.      What is it?

64.      The Way of Going Beyond

65.      The Unapproachable Zen Master

66.      The Meaning

67.      Kill the Buddha

68.      Hsueh-feng Rejects a Monk

69.      Three

70.      Twenty Blows

71.      Guidance

72.      Knowledge

73.      Distinguish

74.      The Strange Book

75.      Beat Yourself with Stick

76.      Punishing the Sky

77.      I-chung Preaches Dharma

78.      Well-come or Ill-come?

79.      The Most Wonderful Thing

80.      Shoushan’s Stick

81.      The Stick

82.      The Three Worlds Are Mind

83.      Staying in