The Dunce
A young and rather inexperienced monk asked Guinuin, his old Zen master the following question:
“What is the first principle of Zen?”
The master smiled kindly, as he replied,
“What you just asked me is actually the second principle of Zen.”
The young student felt perplexed, and rather lost by this answer of his great master.
“What else can you say to me about Zen,” the student pleaded to his master. “This makes no sense to me at all.”
The old master sat down on the large rock with his student, under an equally old and gnarled oak tree, in the nearby forest. The sun streamed through gently onto both of them.
Then Guinuin, the old master, replied to his young student like this:
“Zen is not based around principles, laws, rules, or anything else. Zen is love. Once you see that, you drop at once into your heart, where the true enlightenment lies. You will never find it in your head by thinking about principles, or trying to understand or categorise it with your intellect.”
“Love, and be enlightened now.”
The student looked at his old master, and he felt the master’s real love for himself. He dropped into his heart for a moment as he connected with his master. He had then a taste of the enlightenment that would come to him later, even as he learned more fully how to drop his mind, and to place his heart first in everything.
Only such a loving connection to God, to yourself, or to another person is real.
This is why even the master Jesus advised us all to love God with our whole person, in his two great laws.
Jesus replied: ‘”Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.'”
These verses, from the Christian Bible, come from Saint Matthew’s gospel, chapter 22, verse 37 to 39.
Postscript:
Our mind reaches out to love, but can never feel it.
Only living from our heart first puts love first in our life, and only this leads us to the real truth and, enlightenment naturally then follows.
Enlightenment is then felt in your mind too, even as the light of this truth illuminates your mind with itself too, then too.
Photo Credit:
The photos used here have been freely sourced from the free media site: pixabay.com.
Beautiful story, thanks for sharing.
Thanks, for reading and commenting here too.
Thanks, this seems a good site to write on.
Thanks for the compliment.
Yes, it looks like I was not using that reply button before.
Thanks, I reposted my other replies as “replies” now too.
Thanks for your comments here, Branka.
At the heart of all else is love. This is no different with Zen. The best teacher always teaches from love.
It is said that God is love. We can ask for no more than this. Zen is a teaching, based on Buddhism.
If there really is a God though, all religions, must in the end have their realisation through God. Otherwise, it can never be a complete realisation, or enlightenment.
Enlightenment that ignores love, is only an illusion of the mind.
Love, only love, can provide us with answers, better than the intellect can, and give us meaning which our minds can never find.
Such an inspirational and powerful message…….
Thanks for your supportive comments here, Branka.
I don’t get it why Zen is love. Well, I would ask this question: is Zen God like Jesus Christ?
At the heart of all else is love. This is no different with Zen. The best teacher always teaches from love.
It is said that God is love. We can ask for no more than this. Zen is a teaching, based on Buddhism.
If there really is a God though, all religions, must, in the end, have their realisation through God. Otherwise, it can never be a complete realisation, or enlightenment.
Enlightenment that ignores love, is only an illusion of the mind.
Love, only love, can provide us with answers, better than the intellect can, and give us meaning which our minds can never find.
good explanation. thank you very much.,
Thanks. You are most welcome
I am happy to hear it my friend.
Thanks Albert. Yes. I will do my best to keep writing on these subjects. After all, they are my favourite things to write about.
Thanks Carol. I like writing this type of story with an inspiring message attached.
Such an inspirational and powerful message.
Thanks Carol. I like writing this type of story with an inspiring message attached.
May you always be generous to keep talking about love and enlightenment.
Thanks Albert. Yes. I will do my best to keep writing on these subjects. After all, they are my favourite things to write about.
Well, that’s great my friend…
Thanks, this seems a good site to write on.
Yes, indeed, my friend…